Protection/Healing Symbols

I've had quite a bit of interest in healing and protection symbols used in this quilt, so I thought I'd explain them. The image at the top is a protection heart, embroidered in gold chain stitch, with a yoni and blue crystal in the center. The heart has life spirals spinning outwards. The word yoni is Sanskrit for "divine passage", "place of birth", or "sacred space".

The image in the centre is a healing hand with a life spiral in the centre. I traced my hand then embroidered it with a chain stitch. The crocheted doily was passed down to me from my family. I wove a blue ribbon through the inner edge and sewed gold beads in the outer edge.

The image at the bottom is a life spiral with a gold star at the centre. I stamped it on the hankerchief using blue acrylic paint and a spiral foam stamp, then embroidered the edges with blue chain stitch. The handkerchief has buttons on the corners from my French grandmother's button box. I also sewed a pink quartz crystal heart to the top of this handkerchief;
quartz crystal is believed to have powerful healing properties.

These symbols are ancient and found in many cultures. I've used them on this quilt, which hangs beside my sister's bed, to watch over and protect her.

Protection/Healing Quilt

Carrying on my blue theme, this is a wall quilt I made for my sister. My friend Judy Martin made a beautiful Protection Heart block for me several years ago, and it inspired me to make this quilt for my sister. I used colours that symbolize her element (air) and metal (gold). I included a Protection Heart, a Healing Hand, and Life Spiral images.

I also included buttons from 3 generations of family button boxes, a length of old hand-crocheted lace that was passed down to me, many symbolic embellishments including Roman Catholic religious medals, and a collection of lace hankerchiefs that belonged to our Great Aunt Muriel Rice. She graduated from the Waltham Training School for Nurses in 1925, and these hankies were part of her nursing uniform. Muriel worked as a healer all her life, and I wanted to include her power in the quilt.

I stencilled the back of the quilt with words that describe my sister, and used one of Muriel's fancy dress hankies as the label.

This quilt is collaged, pieced, hand-embroidered, stamped and stencilled.