In my last post I talked about how I think of the process of creating art as ‘building.’ In this case, ‘building’ is a verb — “to form by ordering and uniting materials by gradual means into a composite whole” as in birds building a nest or artists building a new piece. Textile artists use any number of techniques to start their building process. For this prompt, I used strip sets to create an improvisational abstract composition. It’s not a technique I use very often but I am pleased with the results for this prompt.

Building, 2022, 40″ x 40″

I started with fabric made from strip sets.

Strip sets made into fabric

I also included some small studies made from strip sets. Can you find these components in the final composition?

Strip set study 1
Strip set study 2
Strip set study 3

The final composition is definitely cheerful! Here’s the equally delightful back.  

Building (back), 2022, 40″ x 40″

Building
Susan J Lapham
Dimensions: 40″ x 40″
Material: Commercial and hand-dyed cotton
Technique: Improvisational design, machine pieced, longarm quilted

2 thoughts on “Building

  1. This really reminds me of stacking colorful blocks on top of each other, building higher and higher. The colours are delightful and make me happy!

  2. I felt so nervous starting off with your prompt in the beginning, but once I looked closely at your encouraging planning document we shared before this project got underway, I knew I could take this on.. thanks, Susan. . THIS is one AMAZING composition.

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