Kentucky Quilt

Naturally dyed cotton using madder root (red) and logwood with iron (gray). Light olive green vintage fabric is intermixed in the patchwork creating a painterly effect. 

Hand quilted with japanese sashiko thread using a tying method at the corners. Straight running stitches are also used to create a crossing, lattice design. 

Hand finished with red fabric from the same dye lot. The double-binding is folded over creating a durable edge and mitered corners. 

This design was inspired by a drive through rural Kentucky. I was charmed by the old wooden tobacco barns. Tobacco is an annual crop in Kentucky, which is usually harvested by hand. After harvest, tobacco is stored for curing often times by hanging in open barns. 

The quilt design is also inspired by the traditional pineapple block, the most complex of the log cabin constructions. The pineapple block design radiates from the center. The overlapping angled strips produce a jagged edge with a dazzling whirl of motion. When these blocks are pieced together the effect is even stronger. The eye traces the many small triangular points and creates a push-pull effect. This causes the light and dark portions to advance and then recede.

Drapes nicely as a throw quilt on the end of a twin, full, or queen size bed. If desired, it can also be hung on the wall as a work of art.

Machine pieced, hand quilted, 70 inches x 70 inches