Woad 02-24-08

Seeing the picture of the kimono jacket in the FFAC Reverse Auction reminded me of a quilt I made in 2005 for "Healing Quilts in Medicine", a project started by my friend Judy House to brighten the chemo waiting area at Walter Reed Medical Center. The 37 quilts depict plants/creatures that are used or have the potential to be used in the fight against cancer. You can read about the project at http://healingquiltsinmedicine.org/index.htm

And see the quilts at http://healingquiltsinmedicine.org/quilt_gallery.htm

Judy died before the project was completed, but her good friends and students in Virginia continued working until the quilts were hung in 2006.

"Woad" Del Thomas 2005 24"W x 30"L

I chose this plant to be the image on my quilt because indigo blue is one of Judy House’s favorite colors. Woad is a dye plant used for thousands of years in Northern Europe. Although the flowers are yellow, when the plant is used as a natural dye the dye color is a blue very much like indigo. Woad can be found along roadsides and in fallow fields through the Western USA, although it is not a native and is listed as a noxious weed in many states. It would be ironic if a plant that is considered an agricultural pest should prove to be a treatment for cancer.
Techniques: Machine piecing, Machine quilting.
Materials: Commercial cotton fabrics, cotton thread and batting.