Thursday, December 31, 2015

Log Cabin Quilt: Dark Wood


Clara and I designed and made this for Felix' Christmas present. First you have to know how much Felix loves Dante. He's even teaching himself Italian so he can read it in the original. 

Brace yourself for perhaps the world's first rendition of The Inferno as a log cabin quilt.

It's called Dark Wood--the place where the story of The Inferno begins.


The narrator is lost there.




He wants out, but his way is blocked by a lion:


a leopard:


and a wolf.


However, he is going to find the way:



The sun breaks through the darkness, and a guide appears. It's going to end well.

26 comments:

Teresa said...

What a treasure!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous!
Dee/NY

Carol said...

This is a work of art. (MD)

Anonymous said...

I'm Italian and studied the entire Divina Commedia at school...the Inferno was my favorite part. Even if Italian is your language..Dante is very difficult to read and understand, congratulation to Felix !! Cinzia

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful gift, ladies. You must love Felix!

Rod Dreher said...

You have given Felix a treasure he will pass down to his children. What a fortunate, beloved boy.

Rod Dreher said...

OK, so I now see upon re-reading that Felix is a young man, not a boy. Well, he's still incredibly blessed!

Instagram.com/melissasnotes said...

Treasure indeed!

Lisa said...

This is the perfect gift for sure! And all planned and executed with love - wonderful! I've been thinking about reading the book by that fellow who says Dante saved his life - now I must read it!

Lisateresa
(and, which of you embroidered that wolf? - it's great)

Connie said...

Amazingly gorgeous and it looks so cozy and warm :)
Happy New Year!
Connie :)

Polly said...

Oh, I love this. The intersection of literature and fabric is where I want to live (tea can cross there, too). You did a great job--funny and thoughtful. I love the stitched script, too! I may make my own literary quilt someday!

seashoreknits said...

I can't even imagine how much Felix must love this gift.
It is very beautiful and so unique.
I have Anthony Esolen's translation of The Inferno on my nightstand right now.
It is wonderful.
Thank you for sharing this with us

jenny_o said...

A true labour of love. Beautiful!

Anna said...

Clara did all the embroidery--it's flawless.

Anna said...

Rod, thanks for stopping by!

Everyone, if you haven't read How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher, I highly recommend it. We've been passing it around the family.

Linda said...

Beautiful. Lovely quilt.

Lisa said...

Well, I'll be! How exciting that Rod stopped by! Now I Really Must order it, with my (Christmas present) Amazon gift card.

Lisateresa

Thread-Head said...

I love the idea and especially the execution! What a treasure.

Rose said...

Felix must have been absolutely stunned by that quilt Anna, it is superb. And Clara's stitching of the script is amazing.

Two things strike me strongly: Felix, your (once) reluctant reader, is reading Dante -- in his early 20s. How strongly that points to the value of encouraging, not forcing, a child's learning. This old schoolmarm salutes you both.

Secondly thanks for that interchange with Mr Dreher, his book is now on my 2016 list.

Anna said...

Rose, it is remarkable that Felix has turned into such a reader. He's way beyond me! Enjoy your reading, I think you will!

Juliana said...

What an amazing quilt! I'm in awe of your creativity in working in the little details from the Commedia into the blocks themselves. What a great gift for your son!!

Holly said...

This is so awesome!! My favorite gifts are always labors of love - and this is exquisite. That wolf! And my favorite commenter is always Rose! Always so positive and kind and interesting! Rose, you're in Australia, right?

Carol said...

I love the quilts! I just told my husband that I want to quilt. I am not sure that it will happen, but I think that I would like too.

Anna said...

Karyn writes: "What a precious gift! I love this. Felix showed me your blog. I just got my first sewing machine (and have no idea what I'm doing), so it's exciting to read! Love your family!"

Anna said...

Thank you everyone! My best wishes to all of you in your creative endeavors this year. Karyn, bring that machine over if you get stuck!

Unknown said...

I just have to say... I am speechless.

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