残り火 Nokoribi (Embers) shown here is half of a diptych, paired with 火花 Hibana (Sparks). Both pieces started with the spark of an idea, a simple sketch. I wanted to convey the glow of fire coming through smoldering charcoal embers.
Details
I began by building the ember elements first, small improv pieces, and then played with how they flowed through the piece, creating movement.
Once I was happy with the position of the ember elements, I then started building the background from various fabrics, including an antique jacquard-woven obi that I took apart. The other black fabrics included contemporary quilting cottons, and fabrics from vintage Japanese kimonos. This was a puzzle that was fun to figure out!
The final step was to layer in the quilting. I love using the walking foot on my domestic sewing machine to quilt smaller pieces like this one. I use different thread colors/values and allow the quilting motifs to overlap the pieced areas, which I think helps to lift it up, make it more visible.
Special thanks to photographer Azuree Holloway and stylist Trevor Holloway, who took the above outdoor photo at our house for Quiltfolk Magazine. I was honored to be included in their Washington issue, which came out in the fall of 2024.
My quilt labels are inkjet printed, and I have a lecture called Quilt Labels to Love! which quilt guilds can book as a virtual or in-person event.
“Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.”
BENJAMIN DISRAELI
残り火 Nokoribi (Embers) is not available for purchase, but I do take commissions to create quilts like this one. To discuss a commission, contact me and please mention this quilt by name in your message. I deliver to the Seattle area, and ship within the U.S.