“Artist’s Quilt”

Paper, fabric, embroidery thread, acrylic paint, matboard, quilt batting
Final project for Digital Imaging, Fall 2023
5” x 5” x 1.25” (folded), 30” x 20” (unfolded)





I began the project by planning out how the book would fold/unfold and choosing six quilt block designs. I then digitally planned a grayscale layout of the six blocks, each appearing four times for a total of twenty-four blocks. I used this blueprint as a basis for collaging ten of the blocks digitally and physically collaging another ten using acrylic paint, paper, and fabric on watercolor paper. The remaining two blocks for the covers are made of fabric, sewn like traditional quilt blocks, and wrapped around matboard and quilt batting.

initial mockup

block planning

grayscale blueprint

analog blocks

digital blocks

I printed the digital blocks (also on watercolor paper) and assembled them with the analog ones, backing each block with black paper and stitching them together with embroidery thread, which references the stitched nature of traditional quilts. These flexible stitched connections allow the blocks to fold up as a form of accordion artist’s book and unfold to create a small quilt. With this piece I aim to bring “art” and “craft” into conversation by creating a quilt in the form of an artist’s book. This “Artist’s Quilt” consists of quilt blocks inspired by traditional quilt patterns. The variety of materials and patterns that I combine in the quilt references how quilts traditionally unite various patterned fabrics through repeated block designs, and allows me to explore various processes that are both unconventional and conventional in quilting.


block layout before backing/stitching

back of quilt

“Artist’s Quilt” on display in 2024 Juried Student Exhibition





©
Kay Reyburn 2025