Right now at the Nelson Gallery there is an exhibit of folk quilts. I visited the exhibit and saw a large quilt there that was made entirely of small pinwheel circles of cloth delicately sewn together to create a vast rectangle that looked almost like a huge doily. That piece in particular reminded me of a similar project that I’ve done.
The quilt maker (or makers) composed the elements of the design in such a way as to give a visual rhythm to the piece. The pinwheels are all the same shape and size, but they are made out of various colors of fabric and arranged in a predictable pattern of large blocks of light wheels framed by a grid of purple pinwheels.
The repetition of the pinwheel element and the tedious effort it must have taken to complete this quilt struck me. I was reminded of a project that I made, a hammock woven out of plastic grocery bags. Both forms used a “folk” mode of production – using what’s on hand as the source material. In both cases the material was on its second (or third) use. According to the placard next to the quilt, scrap fabric was used.
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