Suicide and Healing

1990

49" x 64"

Cotton cloth, buttons, beads, and lace, machine pieced, hand and machine quilted

My husband and I were in Hawaii when we got the telephone call.  Soon a 'fax' of the obituary brought reality to us.  Our friend was dead.  Daily, as I wept, I realized I had to find a way to work through my grief.  Starting this quilt was my first step toward healing.  I enlarged the newspaper obituary image of her face and with trembling hands created the darkness and pain.  I was also enabled to remember good times and even smile as I created a little patchwork of her life.  Finally, I realized the quilt had become my statement about suicide, its tragic residue and the lingering realization that it is unnecessary.  The people left behind feel that they should have been able to prevent it.  Their pain continues.  This quilt is an affirmation of life--not death.

Art Quilts by Barbara Moll