Fasching

After looking for inspiration in the history of carnival and at the wonderful masks of the carnival of Venice, Italy I camne back to Germany. We have a lot of carnival guilds, many of them having shows, the biggest being shown on television. After seing a report called 60 years carnival show of Mayence on television I reviewed what overall impression was left: music and songs, happy people, lots of colours, both from the costums and from the room decoration with the colouzrs of the guild(s), as well as ballons, paper streamers and confettis, especially at the end of the show.

This are the elements I incorporated into the quilt, the colours representing both the happiness of the people and all the colours in the room. My quilt is called Fasching as this is how the people call carnival in the south of Germany.

Shrovetide/Fastelavn

Shrovetide – in Danish ’Fastelavn’ – is the original Danish carnival held in February which is wintertime in Denmark. Normally it is very cold and often we have snow at that time. Nowadays it is primarily a children’s feast which brings colours into cold and dark days. The children get some branches heavily decorated with sweets, coloured paper and small gifts.

Rio de Janeiro has inspired to carnivals in Denmark but these carnivals are postponed until winter is over.

The Quilt

The background is made of free hand cut fabrics in white and blue to mimic the Danish winter landscape.

The colourful Shrovetide/Fastelavn is mimicked by tree shapes, in the border and in some decorated branches.

Beads were added as branches on the trees and on the children’s decorated branches. 

Carnival Quilt

 

 

 

 

                              The background is machine pieced with different small dark blue squares

                              and some light yellow once.

                              Dens machine quilted with metallic and variegated polyester threads.

                              The wadding is cotton/polyester 80/20 and a cotton fabric is used for the backing.

                              Black felt masks are appliquéd and embellished with lots of beads.

                              The quilt is framed.