Helen Remick's unusual materials "stitched" together to be shown at National Quilt Museum

Remick's "What I Want to Remember" (Mark Frey photo)

There's big news from CQA member Helen Remick! Her latest work, "What I want to Remember," is one of 25 quilts selected for the National Quilt Museum’s "The Gala of the Unexpected." It will be on display at the museum from April 14 to July 12 and will then travel through the end of 2017.

The quilt top is made of 35mm film negatives and overhead projector sheets printed with pictures from the negatives and other sources. Helen says of the quilt: "As my dear mother-in-law slipped into dementia, she and I repeated two lists that were important to her: the names of family members, and the places she had lived. As I finished this quilt I realized that I had created my own list. The photographs are of the people I love and the places I have been."

Detail of "What I Want to Remember" (Mark Frey photo)

Asked about how she constructed this piece when putting together such unusual materials, Helen said, "I saw potential in the 35 mm film precisely because the holes for stitching were already there, and were even.  I have a Cricut paper cutter, one of the early versions, that can be programmed to do odd shapes.  I drew a pattern for the printed areas, printed the overheads, and then cut the shapes, including the holes to match the film.  The only thing I had to punch was the diagonals on each film strip.  A nasty job, but a limited one.  Then it was easy to sew together with yarn.  The top is fastened, not quilted, to the two other layers: tulle and felt."

For more about Helen and images of her other pieces, go to www.helenremick.com