Julie Reuben
Iridesence, 2023
cotton fabric, cotton batting, perle cotton thread 42"H x42"W
Iridescence is the second in a series of four-color quilts that use dense hand stitching to create a secondary surface design. The top reminded me of a classic Amish quilt. Since Amish quilts often add a diamond to the center square, I decided to stitch a diamond over the top of the quilt. I stitched improv wavy lines, using different colors in the four quadrants. The color of the stitching changes the appearance of the color of the fabric below. I named it “Iridescence” because, looked at from certain angles, the quilting in the center diamond shimmers like an oil slick or a soap bubble.
Julie Reuben
Choosing Calm, 2023
Cotton fabric, cotton batting, perle cotton thread 38.5"H x 40"W
The stitching on this whole cloth quilt creates the illusion of different color fabrics. Using a fly stitch, I began quilting in the center with the lightest pink thread and then added a band of a slightly darker pink, moving outward until I reached deep maroon. Holding the quilt in my lap, I quilted vertical lines. But when it was complete, I turned it sideways. The new orientation immediately changed the mood. Instead of looking down a long uncertain road, I was gazing at a warm horizon. Despite many, many hours of viewing it the other way, I opted for horizontal, choosing calm.
Julie Reuben
Arches, 2024
Cotton fabric, cotton batting, perle cotton thread 45" H x 54 "W
Using dense hand stitching, I created the image of two large arches touching at their crowns that hover over nested rectangles. The thread colors are different in each quadrant producing an illusion that one quarter is glazed in orange and the others in blue, red and green. This is part of a series of quilts with four fabrics that I selected to create a value progression.
