You might know, my dad (and my mum) is in hospital, very ill and taking each day as a blessing.
I started this quilt quite some time ago, it’s based on my dads favourite hymn. O Boundless Salvation.
O boundless salvation! deep ocean of love,
O fullness of mercy, Christ brought from above,
The whole world redeeming, so rich and so free,
Now flowing for all men, now flowing for all men,
Now flowing for all men, come, roll over me!
My sins they are many, their stains are so deep,
And bitter the tears of remorse that I weep;
But useless is weeping; thou great crimson sea,
Thy waters can cleanse me, thy waters can cleanse me,
Thy waters can cleanse me, come, roll over me!
My tempers are fitful, my passions are strong,
They bind my poor soul and they force me to wrong;
Beneath thy blest billows deliverance I see,
O come, mighty ocean, O come, mighty ocean,
O come, mighty ocean, and roll over me!
Now tossed with temptation, then haunted with fears,
My life has been joyless and useless for years;
I feel something better most surely would be
If once thy pure waters, if once thy pure waters,
If once thy pure waters would roll over me.
O ocean of mercy, oft longing I’ve stood
On the brink of thy wonderful, life giving flood!
Once more I have reachèd this soul cleansing sea,
I will not go back, I will not go back,
I will not go back till it rolls over me.
The tide is now flowing, I’m touching the wave,
I hear the loud call of the Mighty to Save;
My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be;
I plunge ’neath the waters, I plunge ’neath the waters,
I plunge ’neath the waters they roll over me.
And now, hallelujah! the rest of my days
Shall gladly be spent in promoting His praise
Who opened His bosom to pour out this sea
Of boundless salvation, of boundless salvation,
Of boundless salvation for you and for me.
Each square is hand painted & dyed, then embroidered with the hymn. The images are first painted in watercolour, then embroidered onto white cotton, hand painted and embroidered further.
I was working on the bottom image when dad went into hospital. It’s not finished to my liking, and I sat in the hospital hand sewing it for some time.
When it became clear dad wasn’t coming home I put it aside, but last week I decided to put it together, even with the last panel needing more embroidery.
This afternoon I’ll take it to the hospital and put it on his bed.
Boundless Salvation sums up dads belief, no man is without hope, no woman is beyond Gods grace.