Black Locust Cross Section x25

Black locusts are medium-sized spiny trees with a forking trunk and an irregular crown. The bark is deeply fissured in forking ridges.

The book’s image¹ of Black Locust cells in cross section seemed to show a rhythmic pattern of round and compressed cells.

The quilt started with a length of plain white cotton cloth. The background, leaves and bean-like seeds, were painted. The silhouette of the trunk and branches were drawn with fabric pastels. This cloth was centered over a larger batting and backing, creating an open border. I free-motion stitched the microscopic details with variegated thread. In the border, the characteristic bark is painted in acrylic to achieve a hard texture. There is no binding; instead, the edges were hand-cut to continue the bark pattern, and the raw edge of the cotton batting was also painted.

• 45" H x 27" W
• Cotton fabrics, cotton threads, paint
• Machine quilted

Detail