Someplace Under the Sun reflects on my relationship with my father and my family’s connection to my home state of Florida, exploring place, heritage, and the wonder of the natural world. As a third-generation Floridian, my father spent his childhood immersed in citrus groves and wooded Florida landscapes that have since disappeared due to development. Inheriting his sense of awe at the Florida land, this textile considers how memory, intention, and care can preserve what is no longer physically present.

This quilt renders the coastlines of Florida through strip-pieced appliqué, forming vivid, unplanned lines that trace shifting edges and terrain. Rough, unfinished seams create a sense of topography, echoing the curves and irregularities of the shoreline. A bright, saturated palette creates a sense of energy and joy, while swirling, quilted lines further evoke topographical patterns and the movement of water. Hand-stitched excerpts from letters my father wrote to me as a child
introduce a layer of personal intimacy, grounding the landscape in lived experience and shared memories. White appliquéd stars mark sites of personal significance, transforming the surface into a map of the places that shaped me.

Someplace Under the Sun reflects on place and inheritance, where the landscape holds connection to both family and home, serving as a love letter to the place that shaped me.