Complete A Quilt

The small disappearing pinwheel quilt in the center of this piece was started in January as a supply item for Laura Hartrich’s Thread Rays: a Unique Quilting Treatment class at QuiltCon. At the time, I felt the USA was holding on as a people united by our country, – but just barely, and only by a thread. I wanted to convey this by cutting a ring out around the center and then re-aligning the pieces with this tenuous gap. To emphasize the disconnect between the pieces, Laura’s Thread Rays technique seemed a perfect way to quilt the piece. Long flowing threads extend beyond the center red and blue sections. I completed the quilting and was pondering whether a facing or binding would be best. This was early March, 2025.

A Change of Plan

In a couple of weeks, things shifted even further in the USA. It felt like my country was being slashed and burned. Even though the quilt was completed, I decided to burn it and then sew it to a sturdy denim backdrop. I chose denim because it is an iconic American fabric. It is durable, hard-wearing, and timeless. I hoped that by using something that is so recognizably associated with the United States, (though it was apparently first produced in France,) it would reinforce the idea that we could withstand the daily onslaught to our democratic ideals. Or maybe that was my silent prayer to the universe?

Text On Fiber Art

The text was cut from linen and then discarded to use the negative cuts. These banner-like pieces were then appliquéd to the denim. Each of the pieces were also burned. Once constructed, the denim was burnt around the edges.

Burning Fabric

I stood outside on a drizzly, Oregon day with a bucket of water nearby and took a candle flame to my work. The candle went out a few times. The fire got away from me once and I was glad to have the bucket to submerge the piece. At the time, I wished that it would be cathartic. It wasn’t. However, it allowed me to grieve. And made me determined to express myself more freely through my art.

No to burning books. No to mass firings. No to unlawful deportations. NO to defying the Constitution. No to burning our democracy.

Machine pieced, quilted, fusible applique for negative space text, fire

25” x 30”