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Quilt raises funds for Vermont Witchcamp scholarshipsVWC's Commemorative Quilt ProjectBy GaiamoreQuilt auction begins September 29, 2006 and ends on the full moon on October 6, 2006 - see below for info If I can do it so can you. If Vermont Witch Camp can do it, so can your camp. If you or your camp is looking for an interesting project, read on and learn about VWC's Commemorative Quilt Project. The following story may surprise, amuse, or inspire you! The ten-year T-shirt project was actually begun by Beth Carlson, aka Forrest. She was quite an active participant in the early days of VWC, contributing with fabulous drumming and starting our very first listserv. It was her vision to begin collecting T-shirts with the idea of eventually using them as fundraising project. When her life turned in different directions, she passed the box of shirts along to organizer extraordinaire, Beth Grisham, who stayed true to the original idea collecting T-shirts, year by year, until VWC reached that somehow magical ten-year mark. Beth Grisham claims that the idea to auction the shirts for camp scholarships came to her in one of those inspired late night moments - "to make it more of a skit than an auction and to think very BIG in terms of raising money from it." She set the minimum price at $1000 for the collection of shirts.
This beautiful quilt is to be auctioned to raise funds for Vermont Witchcamp - see below for details.After listening to Beth's pitch on how the rare collection would increase in value over the years, as they became more and more scarce, Julie, my partner, and I decided that $1000 was a fair price and a very good investment. Not only was Beth's reasoning sound, but think of the karma, we thought, of donating enough money to bring incredible people to camp who might change our lives beyond belief - not to mention theirs! We felt like our lucky star was shining down on us. We committed to the bid and walked away with the stash of shirts! In fact having the T-shirts in our possession brought us all kinds of good luck. So much good luck, in fact that we decided we must share it with others. We wondered what to give back, how to move the energy through us and back to the community. Then Julie came up with the perfect solution! "Why don't we make a quilt using the beautiful artwork in the camp tees and give it back to our community for another auction - in other words, pay it forward," she said. I looked at her quizzically and answered, "That must be the "we" that is "me" since I have never seen you even look at a needle and thread!" (And to be perfectly honest the "we" that bought the shirts was Julie.) Anyway, I thought it was a great idea and tackled the project with glee. I have always enjoyed designing and creating unusual pieces. The magic of transforming one thing into another is a process that takes one on a special journey. In this case, a pile of T-shirts that might otherwise gather dust in my closet, crafted into a lovely queen-sized quilt that will warm whomever purchases with love and generosity for VWC. The quilt is extra special because the T-shirt design from each year was part of the magic of camp. The first two years, 1995 (The Twelve Wild Swans) and 1996 (Idun and the Golden Apples) were designed by Nancy, the sister of one of our original organizers, Joanne Hunt. Ruah, another founding organizer for VWC, depicted our kinship with the magical tree, the fairy, the spider web, the night birds, and the stars and moon on the 1997 (Tam Lin) T-shirt. In 1998 (Baba Yaga) Ruah created the witch with her cauldron of deep work, showing the ability we have to laugh at ourselves at the same time. Marie, a faithful camper and incredible jewelry artist from Vermont, fabricated the designs for 1999 (Iron Pentacle) and 2001 (The Charge of the Goddess). Fabulous drummer, Melissa Moon, created designs for the years 2000 (Inanna) and 2002 (Avalon). The incredible representation of Isis, conceived by Cyd, an artist and wonderful leather crafter, decorates the camp T-shirt of 2003 (Isis and Osiris). The tenth year, 2004 (The Land) is a copy of a watercolor done from the northern edge of the VWC ritual meadow, painted by accomplished artist Appletree from Canada, who is also a psychotherapist. The spiral in the middle of the quilt is a wood cut inscribed with the Charge of the Goddess. It is a creation of Calley of Wychwood, founding member,and present organizer of Wild Ginger Camp, who has been participating in VWC for many years, along with many others from Canada who have contributed to VWC's success. Although not one of VWC's annual camp T-shirt, the spiral seemed appropriate to place in the center to honor our connection to Wild Ginger. It fit well into the overall design, symbolizing our on-going commitment to change, spiraling in and out, stirring the caldron of change. Three-Fold IntentionIn the process of creating the quilt design, the shirts spoke to me. I was called to weave the following three-fold intention into the "First Ten Years Quilt":
Half the fun was gathering the materials for the quilt.1) Honor the beginnings of VWC; 2) Sustain the energy of VWC into the future; 3) Realize the power we have together with the broader Reclaiming community to shape the world. After the intention became clear, the design took shape smoothly and effortlessly. Truly a spell was cast, and the energy of the shirts led the way. As for how I did it, I'm not really sure. I have never done a project quite like it. I thought I kept some notes, but they seem to have vanished in thin air. I felt like I was being led or assisted through the process by something unseen, mysterious. Perhaps it was the spirit of Rose from Twelve Wild Swans! The quilt ended up square in shape, measuring approximately 6'x6'. The solid colored squares were cut from the same collection of shirts. The spiral holds the Center, surrounded by four blocks stenciled with the names of the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Although put together linearly with squares and lines, the sequence of the T-shirt art follows the pattern of the spiral, starting with the earliest design and spiraling out to the 2004 design. All images face the center. Although the sewing was done mostly by machine, I hand stitched around the spirals in the center and in the four directions to bind the spell of the intention. Donating my time and energy to the quilt project felt like a gift to me. I am grateful for the knowledge, experience and community I have gained through my connection to VWC and welcome the opportunity to give back. I am grateful for the larger Reclaiming collective for representing my core values and voicing them to the world. I feel heard because of it. The flow of our giving supports our statement to the world and helps to maintain a strong and respectable force, a show of love for the Earth and compassion for her people. Donating is an act of kindness, gratitude, and power that does indeed come back to us multiplied by three. Magical FundraisingAlthough this story is about the commemorative T-shirt quilt, it is also about fundraising. I came up with the idea of an on-line auction after I created and donated the quilt to VWC. I was not content to raffle it off at camp. I wanted the larger Reclaiming community to have an opportunity to bid on it and have the pleasure of supporting scholarships for our camp in a fun and rewarding way.
Fundraising in action.Fundraising is often a very charged issue. Those of us willing to get involved with it, find ourselves in discussions about how it is done, who does it, and what it implies about "haves" and "have nots". I have to admit, I never really gave it much thought until I began to donate my creations for fundraising events at Vermont Witch Camp (VWC) and Dandelion Gathering. What I noticed was that when the fundraising project was focused and upbeat, people had fun and everyone felt like winners. When the fundraising project was scattered and apathetic, it was a drag, the potential of dollars raised was not maximized, and disappointment was the reigning emotion. No matter what the outcome, opinions seem to vary on the process of raising money. So I have written this article partly to gain interest in VWC's first on-line auction, and partly to raise interest in the concept of fundraising as an uplifting spiritual adventure. My hope is that this article will inspire other branches of Reclaiming to open the discussion about creative fundraising and to give it some serious thought. We hope our lead will jump-start other on-line fundraising projects. Fundraising enables VWC to afford to be generous in ways that contribute to the healing of the Earth. Perhaps the "First Ten Years Quilt" will continue to "pay it forward" in mysterious ways, and have the power to influence many people. Maybe, just maybe, our first little on-line fundraising auction will put the fun back in fundraising for pagans all over the world.
Auction will begin on September 29, 2006 and end on the full moon on October 6, 2006. Mark your calendars! Check out VWC's fundraising auction at www.vermontwitchcamp.net/quilt.
Gaiamore (aka Gail Morrison) is a Reclaiming Teacher and Nature photographer who created the Earth Deck: www.naturedivination.com She welcomes questions and comments about the quilt project: info@naturedivination.com
Photos ©2006 courtesy of Gaiamore. Please do not copy, reproduce, fold, spindle, mutilate, or otherwise use them without written permission. Thanks!
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