Libs Elliott quilting.
Toronto's Libs Elliott is bringing the traditional (not to say fusty) craft of quilting into the future. Some aspects of her work are time-worn and familiar. Her wall hangings and blankets are made of soft cotton (sourced from L.A.-based Robert Kaufman) and her colour palette isn't shocking or avant-garde (though it is graphic and contemporary, with lots of blacks and whites with colourful punches).
But the way she designs each piece is only possible because of the digital age. She starts by making shapes – triangles, trapezoids, parallelograms – in Adobe Illustrator, then uses a programming language called Processing to randomly arrange the shapes into sharp, edgy patterns. The code allows Elliott to generate, iterate and edit arrangements far faster than she could by hand.
The randomization ensures that Elliott's quilts are always one-of-a-kind – and not a throwback to any old, overused motifs. Prices vary, through libselliott.com.