Magnolia Grandiflora V: Fitzgerald the Seed Pod

Method: Machine quilted, machine raw edge appliqued, machine thread painted, hand & machine constructed
Materials: Cotton, reclaimed & other textiles, aluminum wire, polyester stuffing, cotton batting, thread

After years of working as a flat quilter, my work has become three-dimensional. With this piece, I embraced the sculptural form wholeheartedly. The Magnolia Grandiflora's seed pod is hard & unforgiving when stepped on. The transformation from a beautiful flower to an unyielding seed case intrigues me. The seed pod form has inspired this and many more pieces of this series; bringing it to life in a soft medium. The leathery leaves hold their green through the winter in southern Pennsylvania. I have recreated them in upholstery fabrics adding more texture with heavy topstitching. Magnolia Grandiflora is a Southern tree, MGV is nicknamed Fitz for F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American Southern writ