Post 1.2 Scientific Ideas and Inspirations for Quilts

Wow. I talk (write) a lot. I am going to have to learn how to edit myself better. This happens in conversations all the time with people too. I get excited and just keep talking.

Anyway, this is a quick post because I am thinking of LOTS and LOTS (okay some) of subjects and things that could bring science into quilting. Let's make lists & try to get pictures & links where they go!

Art Quilt - of the Space Shuttle taking off! Get one of those amazing NASA pictures, get fabric and GO!

Hydrogen & other gas Spectra Quilt - This could be an easy strip quilt, that has a lot of black and bright colors. You could have rows of the different gases, like Argon, Sodium, Neon, Mercury and then colors at about the appropriate locations.

Physics Quilt - This has been done and has been featured in the Physics Teacher magazine (I believe). I really liked how the website explains the science of each block. The Quarks and Quilts sampler was done by Julie A. Becker. Beware, science ahead.

Wildflower sampler - This could be done by researching your local state's wildflowers and then developing applique blocks based on the wildflowers of your area - instead of all being sunflowers, tulips and so on. If you were brave (or slightly crazy), would could modify this to include local grasses or trees. Here is one website that shows Kansas wildflowers, and it has a LOT of pictures, even based off of color!

Periodic Table Quilts - I have seen pictures of two different ones, but the blocks of the periodic table really lend themselves to quilting. This is one that has appliques of the elements, while this one is more colorful without the info on it. (I like both!)

Colorful Charts or graphs - Here is a quilt made one that someone liked the chart she walked by in the hallway - “Capturing Phase Dynamics of Circadian Clocks.” - Sleeping rhythms - how cool is that She made a quilt out of the chart and then quilted EEG sleeping patterns for her quilting. How clever!!

The Star Quilt - NOT a "traditional quilt star", but one with circles all over it that are the different star colors, and then you could applique sunspots on one of them, and on the borders have a telescope applique and then a ray diagram for border quilting, while the quilting on the top is the sunspot cycle. Strange - yes I know.

We're going to have to stop here. The Sun picture is not cooperating in moving down the page and it looks like I am going to have to change this website for some better software because in trying to drag the picture to the bottom of the post, my text size changed and a whole bunch of spaces came in where they don't belong, and rather than inspiring, it just frustrated me.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed thinking about science in a different way.