Sunday, September 10, 2006

Witches and Such...


The positive and negative images of my Fabled Fibers Challenge quilt featuring Baba Yaga - the witch in charge of keeping the fire alive.
I've sometimes felt like the "wicked witch of the west" or the wicked witch of the north - the Ice Queen... These two images struck me as pretty good representations of both!
Below: Baba Yaga - ready for quilting

Below: The Ice Queen - ready for quilting

I lost yesterday's posting with the whole story of Vasalisa and Baba Yaga when I was updating this photo, sad to say. And I'm not about to rewrite it so suffice it to say that the borders of both quilts are shiny metallic fabrics which shift and change colors in different lighting. Enjoy the photos!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I get your blog via feedblitz, so it only came into the UK this morning. I have your post on there if you want it back! :)

Anonymous said...

Fascinating...is there "witch" in all women, all women who create? Of course, I am looking historically/spiritually at "witch" and the reactions they instill in the unknowing and afraid.
I love the faces, the colors and the imagined textures.

Pat Dolan said...

Good questions... in my opinion there is a little bit of witch in all of us (including men) – it’s a very strong archetype we all identify with. We may call it different names like the Evil Mother/Step-Mother, Cat Woman, the nasty old lady down the street… or even the female version of the Devil. It is Witch energy which encourages us vent our anger no matter what the cost to others. Witch energy also implies a certain amount of Crone energy – wisdom in the witchery, so to speak. There is the “good witch” as well as the “bad witch” – the good witch being more often called Fairy Godmother – it’s the same archetypal energy in both cases. However, the energy is used very differently.

Yes, they can create fear/terror in unknowing and fearful souls. Perhaps that is their gift, to give us opportunities to overcome our fear, our ignorance, and to trust the powers of goodness. Isn't that what many of the fairy tales and legends teach?

Melly Testa said...

Hey fellow fiber revolutionary! I thought you might be interested in this baba yaga doll pattern: http://www.smallwork.com/babayaga.html I dream of having the time to make it. I did make a dragon pattern of hers and they are quite well presented.

Pat Dolan said...

Hi, Melly - thanks for the pattern idea. I'm not looking at it until Baba Yaga is done, though! Don't want any outside influences...