I have always loved the Art Deco style, so the hardest part of this challenge was selecting a single subject. Since I had previously done an art quilt featuring an Art Deco building I decided to focus more on ornament than architecture. I got out all my books, and also started collecting ideas and inspiration on Pinterest. One photo that kept catching my attention was this one of the Chrysler Building elevator doors. I did several sketches and doodles before finally coming up with my idea. I decided to create a background using contrasting colors like the elevator door but selected a complementary color scheme of orange and blue, which seemed to evoke the posters and graphics of that era, and which were used in souvenirs and advertisements for the 1939 World's Fair.
Once again my ideas exceeded my skills. I quickly had to give up on the curved piecing for the background and fall back on fusing, but as it turned out most of the background seams were covered anyway. My design just sort of morphed out of the sketches I had been doing, using fountain, waterfall and zigzag motifs. Once I had the background made I laid a piece of freezer paper over it, and sketched out the design right on the paper, which I then cut up and used as pattern for the blue and orange pieces.
I tried to quilt it simply with complementary motifs, so as not to detract from the geometry of the design.
I look forward to any and all comments and suggestions.
I hope it's okay to also share my previous Art Deco quilt, "Beacon in the Darkness" which I made for a show here in my hometown which featured local buildings created by the WPA. (A depression era building program).
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