Permanence

"Permanence" is one of two quilts of mine that will be shown at QuiltCon in Savannah, Georgia 23 Feb 2017 - 26 Feb 2017. Like the quilt in my last post it is a large-scale raw-edge reverse applique quilt.



The technique was inspired by an antique quilt presented at a guild meeting several years ago. The torn top of the quilt revealed an equally tattered quilt sandwiched inside, worn to the point it served best as batting. The layers suggested the rich history of our shared quilting tradition. This particular design, begun in 2012, was prompted by Day of the Dead festivities.



The top layer incorporates a bunch of prints from the Daisy Janie "Shades of Grey" print collection - provided to the East Bay Modern Quilters as a fabric challenge - and a bunch of other gray and red prints and solids.



The reverse applique piece is a lonestar pieced of upcycled denim, some of it mine and some thrifted.



I beefed up the seam allowances of the denim for durability.



I usually trim away the excess patchwork around the border of my reverse applique. For this quilt I kept the entire lonestar in the quilt sandwich. In fact I quilted the denim, batting & backing using a heavy jeans-like thread before completing the applique.



You can clearly see the outline of the star on the quilt back.



The I added the top layer, sewed the applique outline, and cut out the excess to leave a raw edge. I quilted the gray and red bits on my domestic machine using a flame motif.



Permanence96"x96"
Weight: at least a ton
Begun 2012, completed 2016
Pieced and quilted by Daniel Rouse