As I contemplated how to express the theme of ‘destruction’, my initial idea was to dismantle one of my existing works and transform it into something entirely new. My first candidate was a large curved-piecing quilt, but its size made the process impractical.

I then turned to an apron I had made from more than 130 Kaffe Fassett patchwork squares. After spending several days carefully unpicking every stitch, I searched for a new composition, but no convincing direction emerged. Reluctantly, I abandoned that approach as well.

Rather than physically deconstructing an existing quilt, I shifted my focus to the Slash quilting technique – a process in which the fabric itself is intentionally cut, torn, and revealed. I layered seven or eight fabrics, stitched organic patterns with free-motion quilting, and then carefully slashed, clipped, and cut between the stitched lines with scissors and a craft knife. As the hidden layers emerged, they formed richly textured surfaces full of movement and depth. The raw, frayed edges created an unexpected sense of freedom and energy. In that moment, I realized: this is destruction in service of creation.

The imagery is a still life featuring a vase filled with cuttings of Monstera, Hope Selloum, and Philodendron selloum from the plants growing on my veranda. During the harsh heat of summer, these plants grow with remarkable vitality, constantly reaching upward and outward. They became a metaphor for the boundless creative potential of artists. Through this work, I express my hope that our capacity for creativity will continue to grow, expand, and flourish – just like these resilient plants.

Artist: Mijoo Jin

Title: Deconstruction for Creation

Size: 44.5″ (W) × 40.5″ (H)

Materials: Cotton, Commercial fabrics, Hand-dyed fabrics, Batik fabric, Polyester fabric

Techniques: Slash, raw-edge appliqué, machine quilting