This veers a bit from the original concept of Standing Barefoot in the Grass, though some of the photos were taken barefoot in the backyard!
About a year ago my friend and her family were in the path of a tornado. They lost almost everything. One day she commented that she no longer felt safe. I longed to find a way to help her beyond sending money for basic necessities. One day I felt this nudge to search what chakra would best support someone who felt unsafe.
The root chakra, red, “symbolizes grounding, stability, and survival instincts.” (Reference for all chakra information)
This nudge led me to my fabric scraps where I located a bin full of red fabric. I had also recently seen Emily Dennis share about a scrappy string quilt. This quilt pattern wasn’t new to me — in fact, I used this pattern to make a quilt for my sister-in-law a couple years ago. With plenty of fabric on hand, a pattern that is ideal for scraps, and a way to care for my friend, this chakra quilt project began.
I know my friend through The Light House, a community of contemplative women. We’re part of a weekly group that has met online together since 2019. In recent years the larger group has met monthly for reflection through poetry, visual arts, and music. The gathering ends with us listening to Melanie DeMore’s song Sending You Light. So, in addition to the quilt, I also drew a card that included lines from her song with the chakra color as the background.
Here’s the first quilt and card:


I sent these with my prayers that she would one day feel safe again.
Around the same time as the tornado, another friend’s husband died. In thinking about what chakra would be best for her, I found this:
The heart chakra, green, focuses “on love, forgiveness, and compassion.”
Though she is surrounded by family and friends, I knew there would be days that she’d be alone and need extra support. I hoped this quilt would remind her that she’s not alone, even in her grief.



After the first two quilts, I started going through the other chakras, considering who might need extra support.
The throat chakra, blue, “is all about truth, communication and self-expression.” My friend has hashimoto’s disease which is an autoimmune disorder related to the thyroid, located in the throat. I imagined her wrapped up in this quilt allowing the healing energy to provide her strength as she manages doctor’s appointments and ever present symptoms.


Violet and indigo are hard to separate, so I did one purple quilt for a friend who suffers terribly from migraines. I often see her rubbing the area between her eyebrows — the third eye and this chakra “is considered the center of intuition and insight as well as spiritual awareness.” I hoped this quilt would be a comfort to her on days that she struggled, like a hug from me.


I thought about the solar plexus chakra, yellow, for a while. Then a friend posted something on social media about the solar plexus chakra, how “it is the core of personal power, self-esteem, and confidence.” At the time I didn’t know why she shared this, but I trusted that she was the right person to receive this quilt. As with most of these quilts, it turns out she needed it more than I knew.


Finally, the sacral chakra, orange, which is all about “creativity, pleasure, and emotional well-being.” I have a friend who embodies creativity in everything she does. In fact, she’s currently writing a book on creativity — I knew this quilt had to be for her. However, it turns out I don’t use a lot of orange fabric. This was the first quilt in the series for which I had to buy backing fabric. I didn’t have enough to piece together a backing like I could with the others.


Almost all the fabric came from my own stash — my mom shared some of hers with me if I was running low. I didn’t buy batting either — I sewed together scraps to make batting big enough for each one. On a couple I had enough yardage to make the backing; for others, I kept piecing scraps together until I had enough to cover the back.
For each one, I thought about the recipient through the whole process — cutting and marking paper for the block guide, sorting through fabric scraps and cutting them into strips, sewing the strips together, trimming them to size and ironing, placing the blocks on the wall and arranging them, sewing the blocks together, making the batting and backing, basting, quilting, binding and washing, and finally, shipping. Oh, and having my husband, the expert quilt holder, pose in the yard for me to take photos!
In each step, I hoped that this quilt would provide whatever my friend needed. Making each quilt was also a time of reflection for me as I thought about all the scraps and what projects they were part of — our wedding quilt, gifted baby quilts, Christmas projects, quilts for nieces, and so many more. I was amazed to think about how each scrap represented a quilt that someone else has, something I made for them, whether a gift or commission. Leftovers from those projects became the focus of these quilts. Pieces of fabric that I didn’t know what to do with now had a perfect way to be used in something new and needed.
Though the official chakra quilt series is complete, I’m not done with these scrappy quilts. I’ve started a large teal quilt project that will cover our bed and I know of another friend for whom I’d like to make a pink quilt.
All this from a nudge…
Anne Brock, you are one of the most beautiful humans I know. This chakra quilt project has been *so inspiring* to catch glimpses of along the way, and seeing them all gathered up here together, along with their stories, makes my heart feel like it’s going to burst with amazement, respect, gratitude, and love.
You love so well. SO WELL.
Thank you for loving our Light House sisters in these deeply touching ways you have.
Anne, I so love this. There's a diligence and care in considering life and living that I just... love.