One of my all time favorite Star Wars characters is a certain feisty, little robot. R2D2 is plucky, unstoppable “bucket of bolts” who wins our hearts without ever saying a word. On Craftster, StickerChic87 created a fantastic R2D2 mini art quilt.
Who wouldn’t love to have this little guy hanging on a wall in their house?
Flipping though Physics World magazine , I turned a page and caught my breath; there was the tiniest picture of the most beautiful quilt. I still, several hours later, cannot quite find words with which to explain how awe inspiring, how wondrous these quilts, made by Kate Findlay, are.
But what was a picture of Kate’s quilt doing in a physics magazine? Well, it turns out to be one of a series which she has made themed around the LHC. There are 20 quilts (so far) in the series, some inspired by particular particle detectors, and some inspired more generally by the science of supersymmetry, dark matter and particle physics. ‘Atom – Silver’ (pictured above) is based on the structure of Ag, while Atlas (below) is based on images of the ATLAS detector.
What initially caught Kate’s eye were the symmetry, repeating motifs, and colours present in CERN’s images, and I agree that quilting is a perfect medium to reflect those ideas – Kate’s mixed textures of silks, satins and sheers really capture the source material, the pieces feel modern,full of hope and wonder. Kate also cites the vastly disparate scales that any physicist works with as a source of inspiration – and I for one can see how the juxtaposition between atoms and astronomy, and the interplay between the two, is a captivating concept.
The early pieces from the series incorporate wire, card, beads,and other mixed media to further play with texture, while the more recent pieces are traditional 3 layered beauties. Kate has experimented with screen printing and dyeing to personalise her fabrics, and of course this adds yet another dimension to the quilts.
Yes, we’re almost to another Pi Day. What’s Pi Day you ask? Why March 14th , of course, and with 3-14 close at hand, I couldn’t resist highlighting this wonderful paper piece quilt pattern by Jennifer Ofenstein of Sewhooked.com, simply called Peace, Love and Pi.
One of my favorite crafters and someone who never fails to prove her creativity, Jennifer created this design for her husband and son. The three designs of the peace sign, heart, and pi make a great wall hanging or can be used individually for whatever projects you can dream up. You can purchase her pattern here.
Happy Pi Day Crafting to you!
Are you ready for an awesome find today? Are you sure? BAM! It’s a Mario Brothers quilt by the clearly talented _name_taken_. It is quilted tiny pixel by tiny pixel to equal a quilt of epic proportions.
In truth, I don’t need a Spock quilt. However, if I did, Fascinating… quilt would be my choice. I love how it looks pixelated and slightly abstract but still clearly conveys Spock. And, according to quilter funthreads, it’s a great way to use leftover scraps of fabric. See? That is logical. Spock would approve.
I am in love (that’s the only Valentine’s reference you’re getting. I’m one of those awful smug-coupled types who ignores Val’s day because they can have romance any old day they want. Sorry.) with this Petri dish mini quilt by Rachel over at Cornflower Blue Studio.
It uses all different kinds of embroidery thread and quilting to make it a really touchable textured piece – perfect for people like me who always want to poke the squishy agar but normally have to refrain for fear of contamination; this one you can play with all you like.
Rachel is entering this piece into The Festival of Alabama Fibre Arts, where she will also be teaching a hyperbolic crochet class. I’m sure we all wish her well with the competition, and all of us not living in the Southern US are a little jealous that we won’t get to come learn from such an uber-geek-crafter.
Cornflower Blue Studio – Rachel’s blog
Cornflower Blue Studio Etsy Shop (Rachel also sells from her blog)