Lydia - fractal art quilt

Pattern: Original fractal design.
Medium: Hand dyed and commercially printed cotton.
Technique: Hand pieced, embroidered, and quilted.
Price: $1,500.00

$Detail 1 of Lydia - fractal art quilt$

Detail 1

$Detail 2 of Lydia - fractal art quilt$

Detail 2

$Detail 3 of Lydia - fractal art quilt$

Detail 3

$Detail 4 of Lydia - fractal art quilt$

Detail 4

Techniques used in this piece:

curved pieces are seamed together by hand;
embroidered with running, outline, and loop stitch;
embellished with floss;
the piece is quilted entirely by hand.

Lydia at the Quilter's Heritage Celebration

- - - o o O o o - - -

Lydia in Acts

Acts 16:13-15 (NKJV):

13. On the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

14. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

15. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, &8220;If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.&8221; So she persuaded us.

- - - o o O o o - - -

Not much is written about Lydia so the following is assumption. She was probably wealthy as she sold purple dye and cloth. Purple cloth was valuable and expensive and was usually worn as a sign of nobility or royalty. She was born in Thyatira in the ancient kingdom of Lydia. I connected with her on a very basic level - she was a businesswoman trading in dyed fabrics.

The making of the piece

The objective was to create a fractal art quilt portraying one of the women of the bible for an invitational traveling exhibition. My choice was Lydia so I wanted to show the purple cloth she worked with and to abstract a feeling of power and femininity. This is one of the most complicated pieces I have made in my fractal series and it is the first Julia set digital image I have worked with.

Purple is not a favorite colour of mine so it was quite an experience to work with so much - fortunately, red was also a colour often dyed in those times so I was able to relieve the heaviness with sections of bright red which I love. I was further able to lighten the piece with embroidery and quilting using highly contrasting threads. Interestingly the threads appear almost white but look closely and you will see that they are a mix of complementary yellows, oranges and some lovely silky variegated cotton threads I found in England.

Exhibited at:

Lyndon House Gallery, 293 Hoyt St., Athens, GA. Hours: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Tuesday and Thursday 12 noon to 9.00 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. Gallery Contact: Nancy Lukiechevitz 706/613-3623. Contact: Jodie Selia 706 549 7656. September 8th to October 16th, 2007 (pending).
Celebration of Quilts, Cox Convention Center, One Myriad Gardens, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Contact: Laura James, 405 787 2357. Website www.centralokquilters.org. July 23rd - 28th, 2007
The Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13206. September 15th to 16th, 2006.
Monroe County Historical Society, 202 E Sixth St., Bloomington, IN 47408. Mar 1-24, 2006
Brigham City Museum Gallery, 24 N 300 West, Brigham City, UT 84302. Jan 25 - Feb 25 2006.
Siouxland Sampler's Quilt Guild 9th Biennial Quilt Show, Sioux City Convention Center, 801 4th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101. October 15th - 16th, 2005.
American Sewing Guild, Gaylord Opryland, Nashville, 2800 Opryland Dr, Nashville, TN. July 27-31, 2005.
Minnesota Quilters 2005 Show, Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN. June 8-11, 2005.
21st American Quilters' Society Annual Quilt Show, Paducah Expo Center, One Executive Blvd., Paducah, Kentucky. April 20th - 23rd, 2005.
International Quilt Festival - Spring, Donald E Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois. April 7 - April 10th, 2005.
Quilters' Heritage Celebration, Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Centre, Lancaster, PA. March 31st - April 3rd, 2005.
Artsplace Ponca City, 319 East Grand, Ponca City, OK. Contact: John McNeese 580 762-2674. January 29th - March 12th, 2005.
Road to California, Ontario Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA 91764. January 13th - 16th, 2005.
International Quilt Market and Festival, George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas (downtown), Houston, Texas. October 30th to November 7th, 2004.
NW Arkansas Quilt Congress, Fort Smith, AR. October 1st - 2nd, 2004.
Douglas Boulevard United Methodist Church, . 208 S. Douglas Blvd.(Reno & Douglas), Midwest City, OK 73130. June 7th - 17th, 2004.
Quilter's Heaven, Christian Church, 511 Oak St., Valley Falls, KS. April 24th, 2004.
Evergreen Quilt Guild Show, Ashwaubenson High School, 2391 South Ridge Road, Green Bay, WI 54304. April 17th - 18th, 2004.
Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show Cox Convention Center, One Myriad Gardens, Oklahoma City, OK. January 15th - 17th, 2004.
Handweavers League of Oklahoma, City Arts Center, Oklahoma. November 13th, 2003.
Quest Quilters Inc. (Little Rock Quilters Guild), Little Rock Public Library, Little Rock, Arkansas. October 12th and 13th, 2003.

Shipping

Unframed:
Rolled around a tube with the top of the quilt to the outside (this prevents wrinkles or fold lines).
A layer of tissue paper inside the roll.
Placed in plastic for protection.
Shipped in a sturdy box via USPS.
A fabric sleeve is stitched on the back of the piece. An acrylic rod is provided to hang the quilt.
Shipping charges include confirmation and insurance to be paid by the purchaser.

Can You Try Before You Buy?

Absolutely. How can you possibly know how this artwork looks in your home until you actually put it on the wall? Please live with the piece for two weeks before committing yourself. If you decide you love it - (which you will because these pieces are very loveable), then you have done the right thing. If it just doesn't quite work then return the piece in its original packing and I will refund your payment less shipping charges. No questions asked!

If you want to ask me anything about this art quilt please email me - enquiry@roserushbrooke.com

Rose Rushbrooke
Artist, Quiltmaker,
Fractalist and Character Animator

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