Garden Gate

In working on these color themes, I find I go one of two ways: I can make a small art quilt that is simply about diving deep into the colors, or I can make an art quilt that is about some kind of idea or image and use the colors as the vehicle for the idea.

I suppose, my Yellow Ladder quilt is the only one for our ColorPlay series that is more about the image than the colors, but that's still the initial decision I have to make at the beginning of my process.

Garden Gate

This quilt is about the colors -- and the variety of fabrics. I would never stumble upon this color palette if I were just thumbing through my fabrics in preparation for a new piece. And yet, I am stunned by how much I like it. And by how many fabrics I had to choose from. And by how often it jumps out at me in nature and other day-to-day visuals (now that I am more aware).

I began with a piece of muslin that I rust dyed with a group of fiber artists in Texas. I must have used some kind of rusty grate that created that diamond pattern. Then I pulled from the fabrics I pre-selected and leaned on my shrine-style composition. I wish I could have fit in more of the fabrics. I had lots of interesting options, but I always try to achieve a bit a simplicity and spareness to allow for additional interest with embroidery and embellishments. (Maybe I'll have to make a larger version that would accommodate more fabrics.)

I wish I would have made some different choices up at the very top. I think those two plain teal fabrics at the top are dull and clunky. Maybe some stitching or embellishments would have helped, but I ran out of steam at the end and felt I needed to finish and move on. (Do you know this feeling?)

I've been exploring creating sheer overlay silhouettes with tulle. I chose crocuses for this piece. I really like the contrast of the linear composition with the organic flower shape. My little Y-shaped flowers trail across to emphasis the idea of a garden or a field.


An old rusty key seems so predictable. Maybe too cliche, but I think it works. I also like the contrast of the grittiness with the fancy, metallic fabrics.

I had a tough time coming up with a title, but the key and the lines in the rust-dyed fabric make me think of old gates or fences and the plant images are somewhat like what you might find in a garden. I also like the idea of the different blocks of fabric as plots for growing different things. Maybe fruits and flowers, maybe ideas and inspiration.