The quilt block I have been making to contribute to Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston project is complete. I have been second guessing myself for a week, tearing out some stuff and adding others, but now I am to the point of not knowing what else to do, so I am calling it done. The red basting near the edges denotes a ten inch square, but I have left an inch and a half on each side to accomodate possible adjustments. Not that I would ever need such leeway...(ha ha I would need that and more!) The edges of this linen square tended to curl the longer I held it and embroidered it, so I stabilized the far outer boundaries with machine stitch.
The back is a little chaotic, but not too bad. I usually weave my thread ends back into my embroidery, but this multi-layer embroidery didn't lend itself to that so there are knots. It just is what it is. I wish Dee well as she attempts to incorporate eight "other" pieces into her work. I hope this one won't be too hard to place.
I am grateful for the chance the Hearts for Charleston project gave me to express my deep and abiding sadness for the murders in Charleston and the stubborn, systemically entrenched hatred from which they sprang. Only when our hearts open to the intrinsic worth of every being can the long shadow of slavery and racism in America be softened. So often when atrocities occur it seems like there is nothing ordinary people can do, but this time for me there was, thanks to Dee's energy and strong sense of justice. Thank you, with all my heart.