Fall Interrupted

I loved the term "Structure" for this month's challenge.  It really got me thinking about how structured  my life really is, and how I rely on certain constants to keep me on track.  When those constants have changed, even slightly, the course of my life has been changed forever.

Detail

As I started this piece and was pulling the fabrics from my stash, my family structure was in turmoil.  We were beginning a new school year, our state had been hit by a hurricane, and we had just received power back in our town after spending nearly a week in the dark.  No power for us means no water, electricity, sewer, or refrigeration.  Our structure was shaken to the core.  Fast forward two months as I was quilting and binding the piece to the next natural disaster - a freak snow storm- which left our neighbors to the north in the same situation of turmoil.

I have experienced a natural disaster which change the face of a city:  the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake moved not only buildings, but the city planners as they had to redesign highways and public spaces.  I have lived through emotional shock waves as well, such as losing my parents, and have felt the pain of a young life cut short by a horrible accident.  All of these events, whether physical or emotional, have changed me, the world around me, and my family.  Some of the changes have been for the better, and others have not.  But they all have left their mark on the structure of my soul.

The working title of this piece was "Fault Lines", but I am naming it "Fall Interrupted".  It was inspired by a picture of a rock taken in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at one of my favorite places in the world.  This is where I go to think, to feel the ocean breeze, and to cast my troubles to the wind.  You can see in the photograph where the granite is split with quartz, and where each sliver of stone has moved, its structure altered forever, by a moment when the earth moved and the strength of the stone was not enough to keep its structure intact.

This is my last quilt with the Fiberactions group.  Thank you all for a wonderful experience of working with challenges and deadlines.

Fault Lines:  Working Title
18.5"x18.5"