Tarot Art Quilts
24"w x 36" h



Nine of Swords
Nine of Swords Detail
Construction:
Commercial cotton fabric, cotton lame, photo transfer. 
Artist Statement:  To me the Nine of Swords is the nightmare card.  This was a hard quilt to work on, and thankfully it went together very quickly.  I asked my seven year old son, Zachary to pose for a picture so that I could use the image to draft my pattern.  My directions to him were to curl up on yourself, hug your knees and think of all the worst stuff you possibly can.
When I looked at the picture I realized that I wanted to use the actual image, rather than try to interpret it in fabric.  I think the image of him is so powerful because he was actually going through the Nine of Swords experience at that time; waking up in the middle of the night worrying about all the big stuff (like parents dying, fires, earthquakes, etc.) that we just can't control.
The Nine of Swords represents all the worst with still the ultimate worst yet to come.  I chose it because I had always been scared and wary of this card, but I can really appreciate it more now, and how it is just part of the cycle of facing ones' fears, and trying to push through to the light of day.