"Phoenix"

This quilt was made to reflect the process I went through when I was diagnosed with severe fibromyalgia. The left part of the quilt consists of fabrics with no black in them, just bright colors - my life before pain became a 24-hour a day reality. The black object is the event of an accident followed by a chronic, incurable pain condition. "The center is over-dyed with gray, representing the period of chaos and disruption. The right side consists of traditional "flying birds" blocks and a "flying geese" piece in black, intermixed with brightly colored fabrics containing black. The represents a rebirth from the ashes of destruction, and the integration of illness into my life as I rebuild and fly again, in a direction I had not foreseen but with the richness and depth that traumatic experiences can bring if you allow them to teach you.