Susan Denton, the third quilter exhibiting at Cowslip over Easter, is a quilter who having lived in Australia now hails from Cornwall and who, finding inspiration in the landscape, has translated her love for her surroundings into her quilts.
Mapping walks and footpaths is something I have been doing with the Beating the Bounds project on here, and finally I have settled down with the 1841 tithe map and the accompanying documents to try and make something fabric-related. It is happening slowly, and thank heavens there is a draughtsman in the house, but it meant I was doubly inspired when I saw Susan's quilt My Place - A Foothold of Belonging (148 cms x 152cms)
I have used auto-correct on the colours, which I rarely do on pictures here, but wanted you to be able to see the detail and especially the quilting. For me, it represented a lot of footsteps across some much-loved territory.
The changing light in Venice along with a poem by Wordsworth (Ode to the Extinction of the Venetian Republic) were the inspiration for the six panels that comprise Serenissima (83cms x 60 cms each click to enlarge)
And then there was a wonderful piece entitled Indigo (152 cms x 155cms)
What better way to use all those gorgeous Japanese fabrics.
And hanging next to it, the quilt that has caused such a stir amongst us local quilters, Indigo Pyramids (245cms x 225cms click to enlarge)
I mean it's just triangles really isn't it. But then you look closely and you see those little yellow triangles, and then you look again and see bigger triangles, and triangles made out of triangles, and how on earth is it pieced?
Can you see my brain whirring...
In horizontal rows...well no because then a bigger triangle interrupts the flow...
Maybe diagonally...but then I'm not sure.
Think of the planning involved to get this right.
And an even funnier thing happened when Bookhound sat down to try and figure it out for me, and so we printed off copies in various formats (Picasa Pencil sketch is really good for this sort of thing) but by mistake started to look at one of the pictures upsidedown...
And with apologies to Susan Denton for doing this, but half close your eyes and take a look at an inverted image...
I can see a zillion more pyramids, can you?
By 11pm we'd confused ourselves entirely, even thinking that perhaps it been hung the wrong way up in the exhibition because weren't the pyramids clearer this way.
Except all quilts have hanging sleeves on them and I can't see anyone making a mistake like that, but doesn't it all make the piecing and tonal blending of this quilt even more incredible and clever.
I was delighted to hear that Susan Denton might be teaching a course on Indigo Pyramids at Cowslip in the future.
So all in all for me an energising and affirming exhibition by three exceptionally talented quilt makers, and as always huge thanks to the indefatigable Jo Colwill and her staff in the shop and the cafe for giving us yet another special treat.
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