Kaja’s {A}symmetry prompt drove home my overwhelming use of symmetry in quilting. Even after posting the prompt, all my quilts have been symmetrical. Butterflies has 90-degree rotational symmetry.
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| Butterfly baby quilt |
And Scrappy Trips has either that or reflective symmetry when looked at block by block.
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| Scrappy Trip baby quilt |
The Baby Word quilts
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| LOVE baby quilt |
and the Baseball quilt demonstrate translational symmetry.
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| SF Giants baseball quilt |
Ruth McDowell wrote Symmetry years ago. In the 90s? It’s an excellent explanation of the seventeen tiles in a plane. She uses 🖐 hand prints 🖐 to highlight each.
In geometry we say there are four types of symmetry: reflection, rotation, translation, and glide reflection. In geology, we identify 32 combination of symmetry operations in crystal morphology {which is just another big word for the natural shape of crystals.} Of course, there are extras because it’s three-dimensional.
I have to look a long way back to find an asymmetrical quilt. All the way back to the first quilt I posted on my blog.
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| A Daisy a Day |
And my favorite quilt - The Live Oak - from sketches of my children in their favorite tree.
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| The Live Oak |
I need to work on asymmetry. Some day soon.
Ann
7 comments:
So interesting to look back to your earlier quilts. I think we all have our preferences in the look and feel to our quilts, though of course it changes some through the years of experience in making. I mostly lean toward symmetry myself though once in a blue moon I will take a walk on the wild side and change things up. I have enough chaos in my life, the look of symmetry undoubtedly feels cozier most of the time.:)
These are great quilts, Ann. I especially like your flower quilt. Was that an improv or a pattern? Thanks for mentioning Ruth's book. It's one I don't have. I'll pull it on my wish list.
Asymmetry is difficult for me. It has to be balanced, even, and have square corners or it doesn't look right to me. I wonder if the visual asymmetry has anything to do with my extremely poor eyesight? Hmmmm, I'm always trying to stay in focus. I enjoyed your post and seeing your quilts.
Love your daisies!
I'm another quilter who has difficulty with asymmetry! I do love your collection of symmetrical baby quilts and the baseball quilt and your explanation of symmetry in geology!! A Daisy a Day and The Live Oak are so very different from what we are used to seeing on your blog now, I think they're fabulous Ann.
Fun with past quilts, and symmetry!
And asymmetrical can be a design challenge, but I'm sure you'll find your way and have fun doing so!
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