Butterfly Symbolism:

“Quilts, like friends, are warm and comforting; and you can never acquire enough of either”

Yesterday, I received a package through the post, all the way from Australia ~ it was from Kathleen: Magik Quilter. A while back Kathleen did a lucky dip competition by putting the names of the people who regularly commented on her blog in a bag, and selecting one or two to be the lucky recipient of a prize. I couldn’t belive my luck when Kathleen announced I was one of the winners ~ especially since my prize was a beautiful hand crafted baby quilt that Kathleen had designed and was in the process of making herself.  The quilt couldn’t have been more appropriate because in October my son and his wife are having their first child (she will be my third grandchild).  So Thank you Kathleen, I am thrilled.

“Life is a patchwork of memories”

The quilt is extraordinarily beautiful; it is vibrant, exquisitely crafted, and a gorgeous symbolic design. At the time I won the prize, my beloved grandfather had recently died and I had just had the memorial stone placed on his grave. It was a time for reflection and  I wrote  a post entitled The Circle of Life.

It’s The Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

“So now the circle of life is complete.  Grandad was born, lived, died, and is now buried and at rest. And this year my oldest son and his wife are to have their first child … so life continues. It is a little girl, they already know”

Kathleen picked up on the circle of life and she chose to embroider circles on the quilt ~ I thought this very special indeed since it links my beloved grandfather to the great great grand-daughter he will never meet. I thought the circles were very symbolic (more about symbols later) ~ but first the beautiful quilt :

Take a closer look at the fabrics ~ notice the circles are not just in the embroidery but in the design of the lavender  fabric too:

And the back of the quilt:

Take a closer look at the details in the fabric and the embroidered circles:

I mentioned earlier that the quilt’s design is symbolic ~ but whether or not Kathleen knew when she was designing it, I’m not sure ~ perhaps she will tell me in the comments. There is more to the symbolism than the circles. Let me explain:

• There is a symbolic meanings associated with the butterfly. The Mandarin Chinese word for butterfly is “hu-tieh”. “Tieh” means “70 years”, therefore butterflies have become a symbol for a long life. Hopefully my grand-daughter will have a long life ~ and my beloved grandfather lived to be over 100 years old.
• In the Japanese culture butterflies are thought to be representative of young maidens and marital bliss. Many Japanese families use the butterfly in the family crest design.
• There are many links with butterflies in mythology from all over the world, many of which, in particular Greek mythology, link butterflies to the human soul. The Ancient Greeks also considered butterflies as the souls of those who had passed away. This couldn’t be more appropriate because of grandad and my father.
• In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is “Psyche”, which translated means “soul”.
• In one of the Russian dialects, butterflies are referred to as “dushuchka” which is a derivative of the word “dusha” also meaning soul.
• There is a small town in Mexico that also associate butterflies with souls. It is to this town where Monarch Butterflies migrate every year, around the holiday known as the Day of the Dead. The people of this town see these butterflies as the returning souls of the deceased.
• Like a butterfly, we are all different, and beautiful in our own way. In the Christian religion, the metamorphosis a butterfly undergoes is symbolic of the spiritual evolution all Christians go through. In ancient mythology, the butterfly stands for wisdom and everlasting knowledge.

Bee Symbolism:

• Bees have intricate modes of communication. So Bees are often symbolic of communicating effectively and keeping in touch with our loved ones.

Dragonfly symbolism:

• The dragonfly is often represented in Japanese paintings, representing new light and joy. To some Native Americans they are the souls of the dead.

Horse Symbolism:

• The Horse is seen as representative of endurance, a friend, independence, mobility, stamina, strength, and travel.
• In tassology the Horse stands for grace, power, prosperity, strength, success, travel, work.
• A horse’s head only Faithful lover to come.

Colours:

 (I just picked out a few since the quilt is so very colourful)

• Turquoise ~  feminine, sophisticated, retro
• Blue ~ strong, important, peaceful, intelligent
• Orange ~ energy, warmth change, health
• Red ~ love, passion, heat, joy, power
• Yellow ~ happy, joy, cheerful, remembrance
• Green ~ growth, health, environment, harmony
• Pink ~ sweet, nice, romance, playful, delicate
• Lavender ~ grace, elegance, delicate, feminine

Circles:

• The circle symbol meaning is universal, sacred and divine. It represents the infinite nature of energy, and the inclusivity of the universe.
• To the northern Native American mind, the circle embodies a spiritual energy.
• Circles were protective emblems to the Celtic mind. Circles were often drawn as protective boundaries, not to be crossed by enemy or evil.
• In Chinese macrocosmic symbology, the circle expresses the shape of heaven, with earth signified by a square. When we see a square inside a circle in Chinese art, it represents the union between heaven and earth. The deeply significant yin yang symbol is circular, and thus speaks to us of encompassing the whole of duality with intent for unified balance. There are squares within embroidered circles on the quilt.

Quilting:

Quilting has come to symbolize the union of different countries traditions in a unique manner — as union, rather than a separation, often of contrasting or forcibly separated cultures and traditions. In literature this symbol can be seen in the ways that quilts and quilting are used to convey certain themes of self-expression, union of opposite values or people, the formation of close bonds among women and kin, heritage, history, family, comfort, love, and commitment.

~

So you see ~ the quilt is very symbolic indeed. Thank you Kathleen for a beautiful and wonderfully symbolic gift. I consider my new grand-daughter to be very lucky indeed:

“Those who sleep under a quilt sleep under a blanket of love”

Jan