trapped
images of death
shadows of darkness and helplessness
back drop of vigilance and depression
shards of secrecy and distrust
slashes of trauma, pain, fear and anger
a maze of blame, shame and sadness
bits of hope, shattered
tension of impending grief
framed by depression
Squamish quilter Lin Taylor stitched the above poem, titled 鈥淚n the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: loving an addict,鈥� onto a quilt that explores her experiences with a close friend鈥檚 struggle with addiction.聽
The abstract piece is in honour of Dr. Gabor Mat茅, who is known for his work on the Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hard drug addiction and mental illness.聽
Taking dozens of hours to complete, Taylor carefully chose each colour to represent her heavy emotions.聽
Grey, for instance, signifies the deep shadows of addiction, while red represents the slashes of trauma, pain, fear and anger she writes about in the poem. Green indicates hope.聽
Each block is intricately stitched into a maze like the daily path an addict endures.聽
鈥淚 saw a scene of desperation and patterns in how I experienced my friend鈥檚 addiction,鈥� Taylor, who is also a psychologist, said from her home studio in Squamish.聽
She has presented the quilt at conferences on addiction, including one that focused on the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome.聽
Fifteen years ago, Taylor joined a friend at a quilting class just for fun, but then went on to teach herself the craft after realizing it was the perfect outlet for her energy.聽
鈥淚 never thought of myself as particularly creative or artistic. I wanted something to captivate me, and I didn鈥檛 think it would be sewing,鈥� said Taylor, who now displays many of the quilts 鈥� which she describes as 鈥渁rt quilts that have meaning鈥� 鈥� on the walls of her house.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know the rules, so I did what I felt.鈥�
Originally from Edmonton, she now works with residential school survivors in B.C. and is in the middle of creating a quilt that is based on their experiences 鈥� both past and present 鈥� and her understanding of their stories. Using a sewing machine, she is preparing to stitch the pieces of fabric now that the initial design is complete.聽
鈥淚n some ways, it鈥檚 easier to express this kind of story through abstract,鈥� said Taylor, who rarely sells her quilts. She plans to present this quilt at conferences once it鈥檚 complete. 聽
Her quilts are labours of love that take between 50 and 200 hours to complete. On one quilt, Taylor sewed 91 pieces of fabric in a four-by-four inch block. Others are relatively simple, such as 鈥渨hole cloth鈥� quilts that incorporate a design stitched onto one large piece of fabric.聽
Taylor delves into tough topics but also creates lighthearted quilts, including a t-shirt quilt titled 鈥淐elebrating an Athlete,鈥� a tribute to her son鈥檚 basketball career in high school and university.聽
She has also sewn quilts using a vivid array of colours to create designs of flowers and abstract blocks, as well as houses and trees in a circular quilt called 鈥淚t鈥檚 a Small World.鈥� Another quilt was made from elementary students鈥� artwork as a present for their teacher who was retiring.聽
Along with other members of the 麻豆社国产Quilters鈥� Guild, Taylor is sewing quilts for the Syrian refugees that will soon be arriving to live in Squamish. The guild has a stockpile of quilts made from simple patterns that they donate to people in need of warmth, whether they are sick or had a new baby. The quilts for the refugees are described as 鈥渇unctional鈥� and meant to be used in beds and cribs.聽
鈥淲hen making a quilt, every piece of fabric is used. I like that,鈥� said Taylor.
For those who do sell quilts, it鈥檚 rare for a quilter to recuperate the time spent on the project, she added.聽
鈥淭hey are priceless gifts and labours of love that symbolize warmth and generosity.鈥澛�
