December Quilt at the Ukiah Library

Time in a Bottle

Growing grapes for the last 17 years in Mendocino County, California, has been a big part of my life. My husband and I live in the vineyard as well as make a good part of our livelihood from it. When the “time” quilt challenge was presented, I reflected on the all-encompassing process of bringing a fine wine to the table: the seasonal changes of the grapevines, the picking and getting the harvest to the winery and the winemakers’ care and craft. Over the months, I photographed our vineyard as well as local wineries. Bottle labels were graciously donated by the winemakers we work with.

As I collected images, I began to use them to create fabric using dye, paint, silkscreen and discharge techniques. It was a challenge to integrate so many different aspects into one quilt, mirroring the complex blend of nature, human effort and experience that creates a good vintage.

Leila Kazimi, Redwood Valley

After studying art and textiles at U C Davis, Leila worked in various traditional art mediums and now works almost exclusively in textiles. Most of her quilts use hand-dyed printed fabrics that she designed. Check out more of her work online at http://www.northcoastartists.org and http://www.mendocinoquiltartists.com