Feels so Good....

...to be a Gangsta. My submission for the show!

I love that modern quilting has given permission for quilters, old and new, to consider how the craft relates to each of us in a current context. For me, modern quilting is all about contrast and juxtaposition, putting seemingly incongruous elements together to achieve an unexpected balance.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been fascinated with postage stamp quilts. Every time I would see one I’d think, “That’s a crazy amount of work….but maybe I’ll make a queen-sized one someday.” I love the tiny pieces (what they do to the colors and prints), the squares (I love squares!), and the amazing number of fabrics in some of these quilts (like an “index” of fabrics in one’s stash). As I was approaching this challenge, I decided postage stamps would be the perfect base for my favorite lurid, dirty, odd yellows. I love prints of all kinds and especially like to mix reproduction calicos with graphic modern prints and colors.

Historically, young ladies would practice their stitches or record family history in a crosstitch sampler. I wanted to echo their style, but with my own voice and a little humor, so I chose to pay homage to a 90’s cult-classic movie that features this rap song. The letters are crosstitched in bright pink to further contrast with this “tough” phrase.

To me, all these little bits are like the vast amount of information that bombards our current lifestyles. So designing this quilt was about giving it order, adding some humor, and anchoring it in traditional patterns or forms. And color--lots of color!