You’re probably wondering what this quilt has to do with isolation. It started out when I made individual pieced blocks, which by themselves (in isolation) were not that exciting. But when I started putting them together (into a community), they made for a pretty cool composition. You can read more about my thoughts on this here.
I liked the thought and the quilt so much, I decided to make a digital version for the Cloth in Common prompt. I photographed the composition before it was quilted and brought the image in to Photoshop. I had so much fun playing with the image. I kid you not; I probably had a dozen different versions. I stopped when I got to this one.
Fading the blocks in and out reminded me of this time of the Coronavirus. Our communities work to reduce the number of cases, then we let down our guard, come out of isolation, and the virus hits us again.
Once again I had the image printed on a silk/linen blend fabric by MyFabricDesigns.com. I’m just in love with that fabric. It drapes well, and is receptive to the thick and thin perle cotton that I use to hand-quilt. Like most images the colors you see on your monitor aren’t the colors that come out of a printer. You’ll notice the faint lines at the top turned out much lighter than I the top, but that’s ok. I decided to use a seed stitch to create shapes with thread in the blank areas at the top. I also transitioned from stitching the foreground in greens at the top to stitching the background in yellows at the bottom. Here are the two quilts side by side:
I’ve been pretty creative these last couple of months in isolation, but I’m ready to forego a bit of that creativity to have this pandemic come to an end. Hopefully the vaccinations on the horizon prove effective and we will be able to rejoin our various communities in person soon. Until then, stay safe and be creative.
Isolation
Deb Cashatt
Dimensions: 40″ h x 37″ w
Material: Digital Print on 80% linen/20% silk blend (My Fabric Designs) Wool batting, cotton backing. Perle cotton.
Technique: Digital collage. Hand quilted
So great to get bonus pieces from one original quilt. I love the variations you are coming up with. Brilliant!
This finished beautifully, Deb. Thanks for sharing the final piece!
Thanks, Kay.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful explanation of your work. Although they stand on their own, the thought process gives it deeper meaning. Thanks for sharing your process.
Thank you, Nancy. You and the others in the 7×7 group really inspired me and kept me going.
Your work is just extraordinary. It is fascinating how you developed it to the final form.
Thank you, Denise.
This is amazing, Deb. I’ve been watching your original quilt growing, block by block, seeing it morph into a completely new design than you started out. The image alterations on the computer support perfectly your message, and of course, I LOVE the hand stitching!
This gives me a LOT of new ideas…
Thank you, Lisa. I don’t know which was more fun. I love piecing and don’t really do it often enough. But then I love playing on the computer and having it printed by someone else. It’s like Christmas when I open the package. I wish you could feel this fabric–it’s rough but luxurious at the same time. And I just love running my hands over the hand stitching. Best wishes on your new ideas.
Oh my! I loved the original and watched it grow online. This iteration is wonderful! It makes me think of a sugar structure crumbling over time. (I know that’s odd—but “sugar” was my first thought…) amazing….
I like the idea of sugar. I was trying to get across the message of crumbling. I’m going to have you write my statements! So maybe I should rename this one Pre-columbian Apartments Made of Sugar. 😉
A beautiful composition, I love how the blocks fade and are outlined in the stitching.
Thank you, Regina.
This is so appealing! The painterly look of the colors are lovely. And the texture in the whole piece is scrumptious. I never would have guessed all those squares would have ended up as this piece.
I know, Jeanne. Who’d a thunk? I can’t wait until you can feel the piece–it’s amazing to touch. Here’s to getting out of isolation!