Silk Road Sampler

"“Where east meets west in Istanbul, there is a Spice Bazaar that has been there since 1597. There, surrounded by exotic smells and tastes, the vibrant colors of the silk road come alive. One vendor had so many ornate pillows of various colors and designs, it was like viewing an appliqué sampler. The quilt took five months to make. It is created with layers of fused raw-edge batiks. I thought the designs on the pillows were something that many appliquérs would appreciate and that it would be a busy enough design for me to enjoy working on for many months. After about 4 months into the project, I wondered, “What have I got myself into?” The detail on the bottom section nearly put me into a straight jacket. But as with all my quilts, I just faced the challenges head on, a little more each day, until it was finally completed.”
(Interview from The Backroads to Roads to California, April 2016)"

-Melissa Sobotka