Edwardian Box

Edwardian Box
17 x 22
2007 Journal Quilt

Creative Quilting techniques used: digitally enhanced photo transfer (p. 54); button embellishment (p. 35); fused (p. 63)

I was very excited when this project was announced. When I was involved with the Journal Quilt project several years ago, I felt I was hampered by my choice of theme/structure (golden rectangle), and was happy to have another opportunity. I knew immediately what image and what fabric I wanted to incorporate in the finished piece, (backing fabric and central image). Then I spent months trying to figure out what to do next. During that period I was feeling less and less like quilting and more and more like concentrating on my paper and digital collage work.

I felt that I couldn’t create what I had in my mind, primarily due to vision problems, (I have very little vision in my left eye and depth perception issues). This vision problem was particularly evident when I was machine quilting.

During the Lowell Quilt Festival, I was inspired by the quilts I saw, particularly the art quilt exhibition at the Brush Gallery. I found myself inspired again to make quilts. Since my quilting was always an issue, I’ve signed up for a machine quilting class this Fall where I can hopefully figure out ways of compensating for my wonky depth perception and vision.

During the summer I visited the Joseph Cornell exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum three times and was very inspired by all of his work; my very favorites were his Medici boxes. This quilt is a 2D version of a 3D Medici box, using silk, hand-dyed cotton, upholstery fabric, buttons, and colored pencil.