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Paula Nadelstern
Kaleidoscope-the very word promises surprise and magic, change and chance. Exploding with visual excitement, a kaleidoscopic design organizes an abundance of light and color, form and motion into a complex and coherent image. My goal is to harmoniously integrate the "idea" of a kaleidoscope with the techniques and materials of quiltmaking. I try to free myself from a conventional sense of fabric orderliness, seeking a random quality in order to imitate the succession of chance interlinking with the endless possibilities synonymous with kaleidoscopes.
There are two kinds of surprises: the meticulously planned kind and the happy coincidence. Making kaleidoscope quilts allows me to synthesize elements of both, to merge control and spontaneity to spark something unexpected. There is an air of abracadabra as the last seam is stitched; because the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Often effects more wonderful that I imagined occur, making me both the one who makes the magic and the one who is surprised.
I make quilts on the same block in the Bronx where I grew up. Historians have suggested that the block-style method of quiltmaking evolved in response to the cramped quarters of early American life. My family's living arrangement in an urban environment created similar considerations which, unwittingly, I resolved in much the same way. My work space in our two bedroom apartment is the forty-inch round kitchen table. A long distance view, alternate space, or not making quilts are not options. I believe this reality merged with my personality and passion for fabric in shaping the direction of my kaleidoscopic piecework, causing me to rely on intricate detail and inherent symmetry, and to invent a shape that makes the most of limited space. My block style method is based on a pie-slice section.
Until I met quilts, I thought I was creative but not talented. To find something you love to do is a gift. To achieve recognition for it is a miracle. When I am overwhelmed by a longing for functional space, complete with a door I can close, I try to remember this.
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