why quilts are important to me
When I began quilting in 2000, I explored new perspectives by incorporating elements of science and technology and using nontraditional materials. As of 2026, I’m cooking up some new science quilts.
I also like the quilt medium because a quilt evokes safety and familiarity, sleep and unconscious. For me, it’s an ephemeral medium — a quilt is made for a specific person and so is given away as a gift. I have given away a vast majority of what I have made. Quilting and improv are more similar than you might think.
The life-changing inspiration that set me on the path to modern quilting includes:
- Denyse Schmidt‘s quilts featured in the September 1998 issue of Martha Stewart Living. This was a revelation—quilts viewed through a modern lens!
- The first Space Invaders quilt that appeared on Craftster around 2004. The concept of modern folk art changed me.
- Discovering the Quilters of Gee’s Bend in the mid-2000s. They have produced miraculous art for almost two centuries.
I’ve made lots of quilts. Here are a few notable ones.
capturing phase dynamics quilt (aka science quilt)
Capturing Phase Dynamics of Circadian Clocks
Becky Haycox, 2009
36.5″ x 39″
Materials: Cotton fabric, thread, batting
Artist’s Statement-ese: An exploration of how science interprets wake and sleep, the quilt top’s design is based on a chart in a chemical engineering computation that interprets the Circadian (wake/sleep) cycles in humans. The quilt patterns are EEG rhythms of the human brain during various stages of wake and rest, from “alert” (at top) to deepest REM sleep (bottom.) A quilt, something one wakes and sleeps under, is an effective medium to convey this data. READ EVEN MORE ABOUT THIS QUILT
- Juried into the Museum of Ventura County‘s “Becoming Art at the Seams: Contemporary and Art Quilts” exhibit, March 12 – June, 2010
- Exhibited at the American Quilt Society‘s annual Quilt Show and Contest, Knoxville, TN, July 2010
- Exhibited at the Fourth Annual Quilt Show at Olivas Adobe, Ventura, CA, March 24-25, 2012
- Exhibited at the “Quilts Go Modern! A Fresh Take on Tradition” exhibit at the California Oil Museum, Santa Paula, CA, November 4-February 17, 2013
- Exhibited at the “Quilts Go Modern! A Fresh Take on Tradition” exhibit at the California Oil Museum, Santa Paula, CA, November 4-February 17, 2013
junk quilt
Junk Quilt
Becky Haycox, 2009
Size: 53.5” x 53.5”
Materials: Printed advertising circulars, paper bags, brass paper fasteners, thread, duct tape
Artist’s Statement-ese: This piece is an attempt to reform castoff and unwanted materials into something traditional and familiar.
The quilt, made from advertising circulars, is a cacophony of image and color — as junk mail can form a cacophony in one’s life. However, as one approaches the piece, an order to the chaos appears — the pieces have been “tamed” into familiarity using folk art quilting techniques, made with a desire to create something useful from the useless.
I collected two week’s worth of advertising circulars that are routinely delivered to my mailbox — unfortunately, the quilt only uses a small portion of the amount of unwanted paper that enters my life on a regular basis.
I pieced and assembled the “quilt” top using a sewing machine, and fastened the top to the poster board backing using brass paper fasteners — all traditional quilting techniques that have been adapted for the medium of paper.
The quilt is finished using a binding made from the edges of reclaimed paper bags. The entire piece is reinforced using duct tape.
- First place winner in Ventura County Arts Council‘s exhibit, “Repurposed and Recycled – Art From a Disposable Society” exhibit, October 22 – December 1, 2009
- Juried into the Museum of Ventura County‘s “Becoming Art at the Seams: Contemporary and Art Quilts” exhibit, March – June, 2010
- Exhibited at the American Quilt Society‘s annual Quilt Show and Contest, Knoxville, TN, July 2010
- Exhibited at the Fourth Annual Quilt Show at Olivas Adobe, Ventura, CA, March 24-25, 2012
- Exhibited at the “Quilts Go Modern! A Fresh Take on Tradition” exhibit at the California Oil Museum, Santa Paula, CA, November 4-February 17, 2013
i think i know quilt
I Think I Know
Becky Haycox, 2012
50″ x 50″
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…. MORE
I have been a past board member of the Modern Quilt Guild.
other quilt projects
Other quilt projects can be seen on my flickr photostream.
I know, flickr! If you can tell me an easy way to transfer 12,529 images and videos (preserving all data, descriptions and keywords) to another platform, I’m all ears!
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