Better Together: An Art Quilt Inspired by Japanese Boro

This piece was inspired by the Japanese art of boro. "Boro (Japanese: ぼろ) are a class of Japanese textiles that have been mended or patched together. The term is derived from Japanese boroboro, meaning something tattered or repaired" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boro_(textile)).

I started with a cotton sheet and layered fabric pieces to cover the entire surface having them overlap in different ways. I basted them first with safety pins and, after rearranging until I was happy, I then basted by hand with long running stitches. The boro stitches were the last step. As the quilt came together I decided to add the red stripes giving it the feel of an abstract flag of the USA. The fabrics are denims, cottons, linens, and silk blends, primarily from up-cycled clothing and other textiles. Stitching was done by hand with 100% cotton yarn.

I found the up and down hand stitching, while slow, to be very rewarding. As I worked on this piece I often thought of the origins of the technique. I imagined a woman sewing a fabric patch onto her husband's heavy fishing coat in order to repair a worn area. It may have been passed down through generations and so had many repairs done by many hands.