Click the dandelion to download a free copy of the Wild Weeds quilt pattern! Click the dandelion for a list of stores who currently carry Jane's Magic Forest fabric. Click the icon to download the Adobe PDF reader, required to open the free pattern.

Who says a dandelion
isn't a delight?

I design in a collage technique, both for my art quilts and for my fabric. This means that I use shapes and weegee them around (my name for moving things around, taken from the old Ouji boards) until they find their proper places.

But the shapes are more than decorative objects, they are symbols, too. They have to have a personal meaning.

When I find a shape that speaks my language, I use it again and again. For example, I use spirals constantly. To me, the spiral is the shape of growth... it is self-perpetuating, never-ending energy.

A dandelion is another symbol that I have used for years. I first used dandelion leaves in Weeds, a quilt I created in 1998 (see inset).

Restless weeds, persistent in their divine right to flourish. Are they calamitous pests or triumphant flowers? I'm sure they are unaware of their sinister reputation as they weave their way to the sun. Are they not as majestic as a delicately cultivated blossom? Shouldn't they be admired for their tenacious energy, determination, and shameless pride? Love them or hate them, you must be fascinated by their stunning life force and uninhibited creativity.

But I have to admit, now that we have so much land to tend, dandelions have completely overwhelmed me. As the designated dandelion puller, my respect has been renewed. I know their determination to grow is stronger than mine to keep up with them! I'd rather be quilting!