Journal Quilt Lesson #2

Lesson #2: Visual Mind Mapping. For this lesson we were to explore possibilities, basically to use doodling as a starting point for design.


I enjoyed the exercise where you make a mark and then create subsequent variations of that mark. Reminded me of the activity that we did in the art class with 15 variations of the original design. This is a good start for sketching a design.












I knew I wanted to create a journal quilt of the art I made this summer. As I return to school, I want to honor this artful summer. The first quilt is a whole cloth with a border. The cloth was created using Picasso collage feature. I used stitching to outline each block. While it captures many of the pieces of art that I created, it feels way too traditional to me, and very “bland.”











So, using the lesson on working with patterns, I thought of ways in which to alter the design.




For the second quilt for this lesson, I deconstructed the Picasso-created collage, pieced them to create an abstract. I cut the fabric from the back, so I wouldn’t be enticed to create anything recognizable. I added the black and white musical fabric to represent finding my artistic voice (my summer goal) and added it in a loose representation of the shape of the creative process (from Diving In to Surfacing With the Treasure). I added some of Traci Bautista’s doodling, as she has heavily influenced my work. The “flower” represented the summer garden. Embellishments are stitching and sequins. This was a fun quilt and I feel so much more interesting than the whole cloth quilt.