With These Hands

Inspired by Rodin's sculpture "The Cathedral," this portrait of my hands uses every thread I own that approximated my skin tone, even pool blue and gray for the veins. I free-motion embroidered the hands onto Thermogauze vanishing muslin and a layer of tulle in a hoop, trimmed and padded it with two layers of batting and appliqued. I quilted all the things I do with my hands.: "With these hands, I love, sew, design . . . ."

I used a similar quilting technique to make the hands in "Earth and Turquoise," which is in the Orbs gallery.

14x14 inches; made in 2004.
In the collection of the artist.

Created for and a finalist in the Quilting Arts Magazine Calendar Challenge for 2005.