I call this piece 大聖堂 Taiseidō (Cathedral). I created it after taking an online workshop with Youngmin Lee @youngminlee_bojagi through TATTER @tatterbluelibrary — we learned 여의주문 (Yeouijumunbo), a Korean stitching pattern that is similar to the classic cathedral window quilt block. Youngmin Lee is an excellent teacher, and I really enjoyed learning about her Korean textile traditions. Thank you, Youngmin Lee and TATTER for a great workshop experience!
I was inspired by try this Korean stitching technique with paper that I had hand-dyed. Here’s the back view:
I’ve been doing a series of what I call “paper quilts” for a few years now, experimenting with ideas taken from traditional quilting and applying them to my stitched paper collages.
I found a bolt of vintage Japanese yukata cotton in my stash, and realized that the star-like flower pattern in the fabric was visually connected to what I had done with the paper cathedral window units… a happy coincidence!
Details
My sewing machine worked great to bring the pieces together quickly… next time, I will try unplugging and doing something like this with hand stitching. So many possibilities!
Since paper is sometimes translucent, I often explore the idea of translucency and opacity… I enjoy seeing how a stitched paper collage can look quite different when hanging against a wall vs. when backlit. Check out this post on my Instagram account to see the light coming through.
I used my sewing machine to zigzag stitch the individual paper cathedral blocks together:
I included a printed label on the back of this piece. I think labeling our work is so important!
“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”
T. S. ELIOT
大聖堂 Taiseidō (Cathedral) is available for purchase: $2,500 USD plus tax and shipping.
If you would like to purchase this piece, contact me and please mention the name of the artwork in your message. I will send you an emailed invoice, payable by PayPal, credit card or bank transfer. I deliver to the Seattle area, and ship artwork unframed within the U.S.