Azami & Sashiko (Thistle Quilt)

"Azami & Sashiko" 24" x 16". Stained glass, irridescent glass tile, polymer clay, brass ball chain.

For "Azami & Sashiko", a quilt design by Japanese-American fiber artist Kumiko Sudo was my inspiration.  I came across a quilted wallhanging made from a pattern designed by Ms. Sudo. Its simplicity was lovely. I used a pattern from the book "Fabled Flowers" by Kumiko Sudo (The Quilt Digest Press, 1996) to create the thistle (or Azami) in my piece, interpreting it from cloth to clay. The Sashiko, or decorative stitching commonly used in Japanese quilting, was another inspiration and interpreted using ball chain in this piece. The origins of Sashiko were to restore well-worn clothing centuries ago in Japan and it reminds me that we can incorporate beauty into the most mundane of acts.

• stained glass
• iridescent glass tile
• polymer clay
• mica powder