Finding Balance: The Art of Positive and Negative Space in Quilting
Balancing Positive and negative space with stitched elements.
Exploring the relationship between positive and negative space is one of the most compelling aspects of my quilting practice. The interplay between dark and light, softened by hand-stitched textures, creates a dynamic visual language. The way a composition feels unbalanced with just a slight shift in a form’s placement—and how balance can be restored by adding or repositioning other elements—offers endless creative possibilities.
A soft frayed edge atop a solid background or an uneven hand-quilted line breaking bold, machine-pieced forms adds contrast and movement. This tension excites me, and it’s a concept I explore deeply in my work.
Embracing frayed edges and contrasting shapes with hand stitches.
From Play to Precision: Developing Ideas with Collage
When I begin a project, my ideas often take shape through play. Using simple paper-cut collages as sketches, I explore how shapes interact before translating them into fabric. Cutting paper with scissors—rotating, flipping, and layering the shapes and their negative spaces—feels intuitive, almost like drawing. Pulling the pieces apart and reassembling them creates a visible tension that naturally carries over into textiles.
This approach is the foundation of my Exploring Positive and Negative Space course. In the course, I guide participants through this playful process, showing how paper collages can evolve into striking textile designs. It’s perfect for anyone looking to experiment with composition while honing their quilting skills.
Techniques demonstrated in my digital course, Exploring Positive and Negative Space.
Sustainability in Quilting: A New Role for Negative Space
Negative space has taken an unexpected role in my practice, aligning with my commitment to sustainability. By working with fabric offcuts—often considered waste—I reduce the need for new materials. These scraps inspire abstract compositions, and their history as remnants of garments adds depth and meaning to my work.
Using these shapes as they are, without further cutting, honours their origins. However, this approach isn’t without its challenges. Cutting the shapes might improve the composition, but it creates more waste and fragments the original story. Leaving raw edges raises questions about durability, but it also allows the quilt to evolve naturally over time. Fraying edges become part of the quilt’s ongoing narrative, reflecting its journey and adding texture.
Playing with the negative shapes from garment making before committing to a final composition.
Emotional Repair Through Stitching
Working with negative space isn’t just about design—it’s also about emotional repair. The act of stitching becomes meditative, each up-and-down motion of the needle connecting my thoughts and feelings to the fabric. This tactile process grounds me, transforming fragmented emotions into cohesive pieces of art. It’s more than a decorative technique; it’s a way to heal and grow.
The more I work this way, the more I realise how deeply connected I am to this process. Fabric carries memory, and quilting becomes a form of storytelling. Every scrap has a history, whether it’s the curve of a neckline or the edge of a sleeve. These shapes, once discarded, take on new life and meaning in my quilts.
For those inspired by this approach, my Abstract Mini Quilt Tutorial is a great starting point. This step-by-step guide demonstrates how to build compositions using fabric offcuts, allowing you to experiment on a small or large scale. It’s a wonderful way to explore creative possibilities while embracing sustainability.
Starting with smaller fabric scraps can build confidence before attempting larger compositions. A still from my Abstract Mini Quilts course.
Celebrating Imperfection: The Influence of Kintsugi
The Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, celebrates flaws and imperfections. I see my quilts as a textile version of this philosophy. Frayed edges and uneven stitches become metaphors for vulnerability and growth. To deepen this concept, I’d love to incorporate metallic threads to visibly mend worn areas, drawing a visual parallel to the gold on broken ceramics. These shimmering stitches would highlight the beauty of repair, turning damage into a decorative feature. Each golden thread would weave resilience and renewal into the fabric, elevating the quilt’s history while creating something new.
This connection between material and mindset is freeing. By embracing imperfection, quilting has allowed me to turn past challenges into creative expression, transforming the negative into something beautiful and meaningful.
Patchwork created using remnant shapes of linen.
Practical Tips for Exploring Negative Space
Are you inspired to explore the potential of negative space in your own quilting? Here are some practical tips to get started:
Start Small: Begin with a mini quilt or sample piece to experiment with shapes and composition.
Play with Paper: Create simple collages to test ideas before moving to fabric. Focus on the balance between positive and negative space.
Use Offcuts: Challenge yourself to work with fabric scraps, letting their shapes guide your design.
Experiment with Texture: Combine raw edges, frayed fabric, and hand stitching to add depth and contrast.
Trust the Process: Allow your work to evolve naturally, embracing imperfections as part of the story.
Supporting Sustainable Quilting Practices
If you’re looking for high-quality fabric scraps, I recommend checking out Helen Round’s linen offcuts. Her scrap packs feature beautiful plain and printed linens that are perfect for creative projects. By ordering through my affiliate link, you’ll support my work as an artist while embracing sustainable quilting practices.
A New Narrative Through Quilting
Quilting has become more than a craft for me—it’s a way of life. The interplay between positive and negative space mirrors my journey as an artist, balancing creativity with sustainability and emotion. Each quilt is a narrative, interwoven with personal stories and universal themes of growth and resilience.
Through my courses and tutorials, I hope to inspire others to explore this creative journey, transforming fabric scraps into meaningful works of art. Whether you’re drawn to the bold contrasts of positive and negative space or the tactile joy of stitching, there’s so much to discover in the world of quilting.
What story will your stitches tell?
Layered fabric collage with hand stitching, entirely made from the found shapes within fabric offcuts.
This is a reworked version of my article 'The Space Between', originally published in issue 21 of Curated Quilts.
