Reflection--from Madalene

I had several ideas about how to interpret the word "reflection," but then life shouldered its way in and what little time I had to reflect--and to design--was filled with major and minor distractions. So I ultimately opted for a rather literal interpretation:

But, as I started to work on it, I realized that the image I had chosen involved five shapes that at one point in the process vaguely suggested human forms and may reflect more of the turmoil I am going through than I realized. Our basic family unit is five--two parents, three kids (with each of those kids now representing a family unit of their own), but this summer and fall has made me think a lot about these family connections. Anyway, that's a personal insight that a casual viewer is not going to be expected to "get."

All the fabrics here are my hand-dyes. I was playing with an oatmeal resist earlier in the summer and decided to try it out in this piece as the upper background. The images are hand appliqued with some machine quilting and also some hand stitching with perle cotton.  The frame lines are bobbin work with perle cotton.

Still not sure it all works. . . . But can't wait to see what everyone else came up with!

Well, that was my original post but as I looked at this piece I really felt it needed something more so I added more hand stitching.  See what you think.

Madalene