The etz chayim, or tree of life is a potent symbol in Jewish liturgy and symbolism. As a child singing the “Etz Chayim” prayer near the end of religious services always brought up a vision in my literal mind of a tree alive– rhythmically swaying with people dancing within it. It made me happy. Only much later did I understand the metaphorical meaning, and by melding the image and the metaphor in my mind, I created this quilt, including the Hebrew words for etz chayim.

This quilt was made using nonwoven and cotton fabrics, acrylic paint, the Silhouette Cameo cutting machine and software, Inktense dye pencils, aloe vera gel, gel pens and dye pens, and thread.