R51,000
This quilt started with a pile of offcut scraps. These were the last bits of linen I had and decided to challenge myself to only work with these remaining scraps for one side of the quilt, and I tried as much as possible to use them in their original state (some as tiny as 2 cm2) to avoid waste, letting the shapes come together organically. I appreciate how much one’s perception of the work changes when they come closer; all of the join lines that were imperceptible from a distance appear, and offer another dimensionality and depth to the patchwork.
I hand-wove the other side on my floor loom with a second-hand cotton warp and damaged vintage wool, using a twill pattern and a clasped weft technique to create an inlay of shapes inspired by the patchwork side. I hand quilted the sides together with cotton thread and machine and hand stitched the hand woven binding.
Making a quilt is the most powerful medium of expression I’ve ever used – I never thought something soft, pliable and mundane could feel weighty, powerful and magical. Building a large, hefty piece of fabric from nothing but scraps, growing it stitch by stitch, seam by seam… sitting with the weight of it on my lap, fingers bruised and sore, rocking my needle through the material I’ve made from scratch – the experience is unmatched. I think of all the people before me, many of them women, who used quilting as a means of quiet resistance and deep, deep love and want to honour them through this quilt.
Materials : linen, cotton, wool; cotton batting; cotton thread
Dimensions : 152 x 209 cm (twin sized, works well at the foot of a double bed)
Completed in October 2024
