Saturday 12 June 2010

Writing about the Rewritten quilt


Rewritten quilt
Originally uploaded by scrapsandstrings
I posted pictures of the making of this quilt and the finished product in early May, but never blogged about it. Several of you have asked about it and I'll try to be brief and not too technical. I've been working on a master's degree in theology for the last several years and recently I took a course on Jewish midrash. For people like me from the Christian tradition, midrash, the long tradition of rewriting the biblical text to explain problems and gaps in the text (this is a very abbreviated description) is quite a different way of looking and understanding the biblical text. Some scholars speak of piecing the text together or inserting new parts, and that's what I was trying to do with this quilt. The middle neutral section is made up of 12 patches, some already pieced, with some text already in in. The borders around the medallion have bits of the neutral inserted in them with the colours flowing into each other. The red and black borders stop that fluidity, and then the liberated sawtooth border embellishes the whole thing, bringing the neutrals to the outside.
The handquilting in quilting thread and perle cotton is also liberated, following the lines and patterns in the fabrics. The outside border is outline quilted.
There's lots more to say here (I have a seven-page paper on this for my course) but that's the short version. Ask me questions in the comments if you like. And if you're not interested in the religious or theological part of it, I think it's still a fun liberated quilt.

6 comments:

Lovie said...

Good luck on your Master's. Didn't follow most of your post but i think that it is a nice quilt - love the final liberated sawtooth border.

Diane said...

You're right, it is a fun quilt. But I was delighted to read about the meaning and significance of design choices you made along the way. The insight added to my appreciation of this special quilt.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I have liked this quilt since you first started sharing posts on it - now, with your story of its personal and symbolic meanings, I like it even more. I plan to share this with one of my co-workers who will complete her studies to become a rabbi within the next couple of years. . .

Well done - on all levels!

Tonya Ricucci said...

It IS a fun interesting liberated quilt! it's wonderful. Have to admit, I'm not interested in the theology, but love how you interpreted a philosophy and way of working with words and thoughts into fabric.

Sarah said...

Great! I love the meaning behind the quilt. Really interesting. Good luck with your studies!

Rosalyn Manesse said...

So! Really a wonderful quilt! And good wishes on your studies. I can study a Bible verse a million times and still get something new out of it. It's really helpful to find out what the sages have said in their discussions of scripture.

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