NIE/BOGA

11.2022

dimensions: 40x80cm

technique: patchwork stitching, “attic window” block, fabric markers

I sewed this patchwork for Jola Sobolewska's challenge. The premise of the challenge was to sew a classic patchwork of the set dimensions.

On a daily basis I do not sew patchwork using classic patchwork blocks. Getting the perfect combination of blocks is not a task for me. I prefer spontaneous sewing that brings with it unpredictable end results. However, some time ago I came across a photo by Claudio Sericano, which immediately gave me an idea of how to sew it, and it was the use of the classic “attic window” block, which gives a three-dimensional effect, that suited the task perfectly.

I decorated the classic block with additional quilting through the center (to create the effect of stiles in the window), in one window I “lit the light” and quilted a silhouette of a man. Most often such a block is used to create the impression of a single window on the whole patchwork, divided by muntins. I did the opposite - I treated each block as a separate window.

The photo that inspired me took 2nd place in the International Photo Awards in the Architecture category in 2017 (and many other awards). The author describes it this way: “At night everything stops, the lights go off and people rest. The sleepless man observes the darkness from his window, waiting for the world to restart.” ("At night everything stops, the lights go off and people rest. The sleepless man observes the darkness from his window, waiting for the world to restart/wake up.")

I see a much deeper meaning in this work. Insomnia is just the beginning to seek interpretation of this work. The title of this work is a bit of a play on words. Ungodly means unfortunate but the word divided into two parts can also mean someone who does not have God in his heart or an unbeliever.

My work won second place during this challenge.