I used to be a master-procrastinator, I could not be beat at the last minute life I led. I am much better about that kind of stuff, but for some reason, I had put off finishing a quilt that needed to be done absolutely by a certain date. I had plenty of time, I thought about it often, the quilt top was done, small, easy to finish.

Yet, this is what I was starting at 7:00 this morning, five hours before deadline:

This is the finished product of the dye experimentation that my sister and I conducted in September.

I am intrigued at what my brain produced — I really feel that I was led to make this and had no conscious influence on what it decided to look like. It’s completely different from pretty much everything I’ve done or have been drawn to. I have always been fond of Japanese fashion design of the mid-80s (Rei K and Yohji Y in particular) and this quilt has a bit of that feel.

I am thinking “graphic novel”, too. And obviously of birch trees, which has been a theme lately.

It’s completely non-utilitarian, not built to last (the fragile dye is not fast and gets everywhere), and full of rough edges and painful imperfections. Not my thing!

Yet here it is. Weird and a little exciting!

Here’s the official artist-ese:

I dyed and manipulated muslin to give the feel of the subtle, monochromatic beauty of late autumn woods that I remember from my youth in New York. Using wrinkled cloth and raw edges, I tried to capture the elegance and frailty of the birches. I’ve zoomed in and zoomed out on the landscape in this composition — I’ve seen the forest and the trees.

A great big thank you to my sis Annie, who went there with me,  played in the dye with me, encouraged me (and wrote that artist’s statement for me!)