In 2021, Sheryl LeBlanc asked me if I’d like to be her partner for the Oregon Region SAQA Synergy Project. I was both thrilled and nervous. Sheryl had an idea for a series she’d long been thinking about. After we spoke awhile, I was excited. Her plan was to focus on tea in her garden while my was to focus on Tea in the Wild.
To me, Tea is primarily Camellia sinensis, but herbal tisanes or infusions are included in my definition of Tea Plants. In the wild, there are so, so many plants who offer us good medicine. I wanted to explore the worlds and medicines of Tea Plants.
For my part, I aimed to push some of my art skills through this series. I have included my own hand-dyed fabrics in each piece, which has helped me to improve my ability to create fabrics in the colors and textures I’m aiming for. I’ve drawn many of my own templates and used a variety of tools to add my own mark to the surfaces of these pieces. I’ve explored new construction techniques, including foundation-up construction on a long-arm quilting machine as well as free motion piecing on a domestic sewing machine.
As my collection of Tea in the Wild pieces expands, I’m excited to see how my skills grow. Tea is good, no matter how it enters your life!
When life’s a buzz with activity and you’re overwhelmed, Spearmint is the best friend you could ask for. Calming and steady, Spearmint knows how to stand amid the buzz unruffled. Honey bees especially love Spearmint blooms, perhaps because they know what it is to have a lot to do and little time for rest.
Bees see the world in a way that’s different than our own. They are drawn to the vibrance of the flowers, a vibrance our human eyes don’t quite detect. Bees love Spearmint flowers for their medicine and their sweetness, of course, but also for the intense burst of energy Spearmint packs into every drop of nectar. Those flowers may be small, but the Bees don’t mind at all.
Linden tea grounds the Spirit, soothing the nervous system and helping cool fever or overheated conditions. It’s Bird medicine, through and through…especially good for Jays and Bluebirds.
Chamomile tea soothes. Stormy weather, cranky disposition, upset stomach in general…Chamomile puts it all right again. Bear-people are particularly helped by a cup of Chamomile when the weather inside or out has been brewing up a storm. This sunny little flower inspired me to express the kind of worldview that’s best soothed by a nip of Chamomile in this piece. Here, a group of bears are gathering on the edge of a field of chamomile under a glowering sky. The fabrics for sky and field are hand-dyed for this project. I matched them with commercial and previously dyed fabrics to create the drama and grounded earthy energies of this work.