This is the second of two pieces about the slave trade.  A few posts back, I suggested that landing on a theme or subject for a bunch of scraps of fabric can be an organizing boon.  Well, it wasn’t enough in this case to see the quilt (or series of quilts) to their conclusion.

One of my students (thank you, L!!) last week said, “you can always go back to looking at just the patterns.”  That was one of the comments that got me to work on the edge of “Passage I” as repetitive patchwork (yesterday’s post).  I am doing more of the same now with the second piece, and consciously employing fractals, which are a big part of African design (a much earlier post).  Not to be too cute, but that means, in this case, I am attending to BOTH my theme and to pattern.  The outlined rectangles reveal two differently scaled similar structures (i.e. fractals).

The citrus-green leaf linen has been employed primarily as sky/background.  When I saw it paired with fish prints and the deep blue tie-dye in the smaller of the two outlined rectangles, it had all the appearance of a sail.  So, I repeated it, larger, and intend to position it along the lower edge, where that oblong green print is currently standing in as the slave ship (all those little strike marks representing bodies).

On a lighter note, below, scraps from the piecing table.  How simple and sweet a few pieces of fabric can be together!  A hosta stalk stabilizes a chunk of wool sweater (not felted).

Off to grocery store – a run that’s been delayed for a least four days, now.  But D is home sick, and that means chicken soup is in order!