Encoded cloth – Emily & Allison

Both of us are seniors here, so we wanted to focus our encoded cloth project around our past and current lives, thinking on how we would be able to bring these hobbies/interests into our “adult” lives. We chose to create a quilt using applique and embroidery techniques, and decided to include some piecing as well to give our quilt a storybook look. This piece ended up being a celebration of our fondest memories, and demonstrates an excited feeling about our futures.

 

We started with choosing our color palette, and block printing some fabric that we wanted to use. After establishing that we wanted to go with geometric shapes and somewhat abstract patterns, we block printed the white fabric we were given as well as some muslin. We also decided to use some shibori dyeing techniques to color both the muslin we used for the front and back of the quilt. We loosely stitched the quilt together around the edges, and glued fabric on top. After, we went back and machine-sewed the quilt to create the subtle texture with the white thread, and also embroidered details on top.

 

The techniques of dyeing our quilt fabric and gluing on most of the quilt felt nostalgic for both of us. The back of the quilt has a somewhat tie-dyed patterned, which is done a lot in elementary and middle school. Additionally, gluing on the images and piecing them together had a young arts and crafts feel to it.

 

From making this piece, we were able to revisit memories and interests that have brought us joy in the past, while considering how we might bring them into the future. This project was a learning experience in several ways, but we learned, most prominently, how to create a piece that is both true to the individual while also retaining a visual style and composition that is unifying. We found that our feelings on the subject were quite similar and this encouraged us in the foundational stage of making the quilt. Our decision to establish a color palette, a general style, and to work together throughout the project, allowed us to ensure a unified piece. Given these conditions, we were able to bring our own voices through the imagery while maintaining a relationship with the imagery of one another.