Lost

Lisa-Marie Sanders
Jul 8
1 min read

Updated: Jul 8

by Lisa-Marie Sanders

Years ago, I created the black and white fabric foundation of this quilt. I was overwhelmed by the responsibilities of caregiving: living beyond my limits every day and wondering how I could summon the will to continue. I wasn’t able to finish the quilt and stored it away. When beginning this new series, I found the black and white figure and decided to continue developing my original concept.

I’d recently experimented with quilting (thread) as a vehicle for creating a separate narrative from the cloth. On my quilt “She is…” I used thread to enhance and expand the story of the fabric beneath. I decided to do the same on this quilt, only this time I used paint and thread.

To me, the black and white quilt top communicated despair and my feeling of being overwhelmed by my circumstances; hence the name “Lost”. For the secondary theme, I chose a city map with perimeter highways that implied the chambers of the heart. My loose interpretation of both diagrams was intended to imply:

heartbreak, overwhelming loss
being lost, ensnared, tied down
feeling pressure to choose the best path, and
struggling to move

The quilt top was constructed using cotton fabrics and reverse applique. I painted the major highways with acrylic paint. The bodies of water and the airport were created with Shiva oil sticks. The entire top is quilted with cotton, polyester and metallic threads.