Issue 45 of Make Modern came out today. My first magazine pattern in is in. I am so excited.
I fell in love with Roman floor mosaics when I went to Italy 10 years ago. They were everywhere and they depicted amazing pictures with their tiny tesserae. Many of these works of art have endured the ages in a way that painting and other arts have not. Everyone needed a floor, and these works of art became the status symbols of the house. The oldest ones were done in black and white. The Romans took this form of art with them when they conquered new provinces. Within two decades of conquering the British Isles, the Romans were using mosaic floors in Britain. I based his quilt off of three British mosaics from Fishbourne, West Sussex (CE 75-80), Rapsley, Surrey (CE 220-280)and Roxby, South Humberside (CE 350-375). All three of these mosaics fall in the geometric style in the lozenge star scheme. The mosaics fill the negative spaces with intricate designs of animals, plants, people and objects. In this quilt I left the negative space open as a showcase for the quilting.
You can get a copy of the Issue Here
I used Windham Artisan Shot Cotton for this project. I like the subtle sheen and color shift the shot cottons give to a quilt made with solids. I have also done this quilt in batiks for a similar effect. Batiks and solids are ideal for this pattern as there is no right side or wrong side and makes the cutting easier.I do not recommend using directional prints. If you do use a print make sure you have both right facing and left facing pieces when you are cutting