Bismillah: The Making of an Islamic Quilt by Donna Hussain

After learning how to quilt I decided to make one quilted wall-hanging a year in honor of my husband’s Muslim heritage. Bismillah is a quilt in that series. My goal was to render in fabric the beauty of Islamic motifs in mosaics, calligraphy, and architecture.

Mosaic wall panels and tile floors in Islamic buildings are many of the same geometric designs that we use in quilting. I chose the eight-pointed star, a pattern frequently found in Mid-East décor, for the patchwork background of my quilt.

After drawing the pattern on graph paper I identified the basic shapes required to sew the stars: a large square, two rectangles, and a small butterfly block.

My favorite method of sewing a butterfly block is to cut down a four-square block as illustrated.

Graph paper also helped me decide that vertical rows were best for sewing the pattern together. When the patchwork for Bismillah was completed, it reminded me of mosaics I have seen in mosques.

Many Muslim artists follow the Old Testament injunction against making a graven image or the likeness of any creature. Though the Koran does not specifically forbid the representation of living things, some hadiths (sayings) attributed to Mohammed, the Prophet, do so. This helps explain why calligraphy and other forms of abstract design are favored in the Islamic world. The calligraphy is usually a saying of the Prophet, a line of poetry, or a verse from the Koran. In buildings, the writing often serves as a border to a mosaic wall panel. Or the script may be embedded within geometric patterns.

The calligraphy of my quilt is Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim (In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful), the first words of each chapter of the Koran. When I first saw this calligraphy in a book, I did not know its meaning, but was moved by the beauty of the Arabic brush strokes. Once told the meaning, I liked the calligraphy even more. I made templates of the inscription to appliqué to my quilt.

I also turned to a reference book to learn how to draw an arch for my quilt Bismillah. (In Muslim prayer rugs, the arch symbolizes the portal to heaven.) Since I did not have a compass big enough to draw a large arch, I improvised. On the non-wax surface of freezer paper I anchored a tape measure with a sharp pin, then moved the end of the tape measure in half-inch increments marking the curve of the arch with a pencil mark at the end of the tape after each move. Then I joined the pencil marks in one continuous line. Lastly, I cut the paper on the drawn line and threw away the freezer paper from the center of the arch. What remained was a pattern for marking the arch curve on fabric.

To do so I ironed my paper pattern wax-side down on the right side of the fabric that I had chosen for the arch. This stabilized the fabric while I drew the shape of the arch on the fabric with a white fabric-marking pencil. The line marked the stitch line when I appliquéd the cloth arch to the patchwork background. But before the sewing could begin I had to cut out the center of the arch fabric ¼ inch from the stitch line toward the center of the arch to provide for a turn-under seam allowance.

One final word on the making of Bismillah. Usually I favor simplicity over embellishment of quilts. But I sewed small beads on this quilt to hide the places where my star tips failed to meet. And I added tiny brass trinkets bought at a bead shop to my clamshell zigzag quilting because the arch fabric was too bland, overwhelmed by the quilt center. The trinkets add visual interest to the quilt, although viewers usually think that they are part of the fabric pattern unless they look closely.




California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country, authored books, and is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus. Click on her name to see all of her past articles.

The photo shows Donna with her husband, Pascha.

Bismillah: The Making of an Islamic Quilt by Donna Hussain

The Inter-American Quilt Project by Allison Svoboda and Rachel Biel

A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of working on a joint quilt commission with my friend, Allison Svoboda. The project, funded by the Chicago Cubs charitable arm, Cubs Care, was part of a larger arts grant made to the Inter-American School, a bi-lingual magnet school in Chicago's public school system. Allison's daughters, Emma and Bella, attend this school and Allison has been an active parent, volunteering to teach art classes and working with other teachers and parents on school projects. Allison was also instrumental in securing the grant by writing the proposal, getting presentations together and working with others on what the monies would fund.

Allison next to the finished panels.

Our joint project involved making three queen-size panels that would hang in one of the school's corridors. Allison painted topographical maps of the world on silk and then I did the quilting. She also led a workshop with the 2nd grade class where they made collaged self-portraits of themselves using a photo of their heads and cut outs from National Geographic magazines.

The bi-lingual English and Spanish school has a large percentage of kids of Latino descent. Thus, the curriculum emphasizes the history of the Americas. The central panel attempted to capture this by focusing in on the Americas with a large collage of photos of American history, natural landscapes, and events held at the school. The two side panels remained mainly topographical with the collaged kids portraits weaving on currents of words relevant to the school's mission.

Left Panel
Central Panel

Right Panel

Neither Allison nor I had ever worked on such a large project. We found several challenges along the way. Allison painted on 45" wide silk widths. Since we working over the phone and via e-mail from two different states (Illinois and Kentucky), it was hard for both of us to problem solve all of the little or big issues that might come up. Of course, we got better with each panel. There is a major learning curve visible on the first one we did, the Left Panel. The Bering Strait is so close you could step over it! We didn't leave enough room for sewing the yardage together. Oh, well...

Allison's color palette is so different from mine. I tend to work in more vibrant, earthy colors. It was a pleasure to collaborate in this way, although I was scared to death that I was going to mess something up beyond the point of any repair. I also felt challenged with my work space, which is too small for such a large piece. I used cotton batting, the Heirloom adhesive type if I remember correctly and a muslin backing. I did some basting, a lot or pinning and worked from the center out. It was a lot of bulk to manage, heavy, and slippery because of the silk. I used rubber tipped gloves to control it.

My poor new Bernina had a huge work out!

I used King Tut #40 variegated threads for the top and a cotton off-white of the same weight for the back. I loved King Tut- it was the first time I had used so much of it and it flowed like butter. I changed colors depending on the currents, glaciers, and landscapes. I told Allison we would have to re-do the quilt in 10 years with global warming changing our topography so quickly!




The Central Panel was a huge challenge. Allison made a collage, photographed it and transfered it on to fabric that was printed on 8.5x11 sheets. They overlapped each other and I had to figure out a way to cut them, re-arrange them and make them look as close to her original collage as possible. I found this hard to sew and the tension kept going out of whack.


I was also worried about the panel not hanging correctly because of quilting with less density, but it was fine when we finally hung it. I went up to Chicago with the three finished pieces (I thought I was pretty much done!) only to find that Allison had these kids she wanted added on. Well, I knew she wanted some, but when I got there, there were dozens of them! To give you an idea of scale, each one was also printed on an 8.5x11 sheet.

We only had four days to finish this before the opening ceremony. So, we cut, ironed and sewed and got it done. One of the lessons learned here was that the photo transfer fabric we used was a bit translucent. If you look closely, you can see the current colors behind the image.


Oh, and there were the words, too! We had to figure out what markers to use (now I can't remember the brand) and Allison had to work where they would flow and make no mistakes as she wrote them out.

We were in a panic! But, it was also great fun and in my opinion, these last touches really brought the pieces together and made them relevant to the school. There's a little history next to the quilt (with my name spelled wrong.... wonder if that ever got fixed?! And, I'm not Brazilian, just a piece of my heart is.) and Allison tells me that the kids and parents continue to love it.

This was a great learning experience for both of us. I really enjoyed working on a piece of public art like this, and I especially loved working with Allison. She continues to explore her artistic talents. Allison has a wonderful, organic way of seeing how elements can be broken down into minimalist expressions and then blown up into a shape or object. I hope that we can someday collaborate on something again.

Allison was actually the person who suggested I take a look at Paducah as a place to move to from Chicago. She accompanied me on my visit down and we had this awful picture taken together in Paducah in March, 2005. I think this is the only photo we have of the two of us together after almost 20 years of friendship! I look like I'm holding her up in the air... We're all disheveled and travel weary... But in a way, it is also an accurate portrait of two women who can tackle a task and laugh while doing it!

Thanks to Michaela Marchi for most of the photos of our quilt project!

The Inter-American Quilt Project by Allison Svoboda and Rachel Biel

Ralli Quilts: The Book & New Arrivals on Rayela Art

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I wrote a post early on about how I fell in love with ralli quilts, patchwork and appliqué quilts from Pakistan and India. I have been buying as many as I can afford and have a bunch of new ones available for sale in my Etsy store and a couple on eBay. They arrive filthy and I machine wash them in a big industrial washer at the laundromat, testing to see if they will fall apart. Most are between 20-50 years old, ranging in price from $60-$200, depending on the workmanship, condition and how much I paid for them. All the ralli photos in this post are ones that I recently posted. Click on the image and it will take you to the listing with more photos, dimensions, price and other info.

I also purchased the book, Ralli Quilts by Patricia Ormsby Stoddard. This is THE resource for ralli quilts, comprehensive in documentation of photos, techniques, symbolism and historical roots. I believe that ralli quilts will be the next Quilts of Gee's Bend craze. They have the same organic, spontaneous, naive appeal that brought so much attention to the women of Alabama.

I have not had time to read the book in depth, but would like to highlight some interesting ralli info Patricia Ormsby Stoddard speaks about in her book. The intro itself is fascinating as Patricia describes her trip into the harsh and remote areas where the quilts are found:

"We were accompanied by Pakistani friends and a police escort. I'm sure our arrival was quite an occasion in some of the small villages where we stopped. In one place, a woman asked, through a translator, where we were from. I answered, "America," and she asked "What's that?" Later, I thought maybe I should have said Islamabad or just a city north of here. With little transportation or knowledge of the outside, her world was only the limited area she knew." (page 6)

She continues,
"As I traveled throughout the ralli region, I, a stranger, was greeted warmly by the women. Their willingness to share their quilting tradition and handiwork was obvious. Their smiles came quickly. Their flair for color is obvious in their work. They painstakingly continue the textile crafts that has been handed down for generations. They carefully form patterns and symbols from cloth, some simple and some complex. The women making these quilts rely on their own memories and the memories of their mothers and older women to teach them the patterns. They do not use paper or any tools to make their patterns. I remember on one occasion giving a woman a pencil so she could draw a picture of a pattern she was trying to explain. She apparently had never used a pencil and just made a big circle on the paper. The ralli compositions are in the women's minds and memories and they execute them with great skill in needlework." (page 7)

When I read this, I thought, "Oh, my..." I always sketch out what I am going to do to at least have a general idea of where I am going in my quilts. I can understand having a pretty simple image in your head, but in some of the more complex ones, I would have gotten completely lost if I were doing it. On the other hand, others, uh, could use some guidance... Some of the ralli quilts I have purchased have been pretty shocking in the fabric selection or choice of colors, but somehow this also adds to the freshness of it all.

Patricia describes the village life of the different areas she visited. Here is an excerpt from her visit to Kutch, an area which is extremely rich in wonderful textiles besides the ralli quilts:
"The women take care of the house and children and may sell embroidery to add to the family income. Textiles are part of the family treasures. Using quilting, appliqué and embroidery to decorate, the women make quilts and quilt covers, pillows and bags as well as clothing. Women wear tightly fitted, brightly embroidered blouses with full skirts made from ten to twelve meters of cloth and a shawl (odhani). Interestingly, embroidery is prized for its beauty and commercial value but quilts symbolize a family's social position and wealth. Quilts are often seen inside homes piled neatly on tables or chests, sometimes with a special quilted or embroidered cover." (page 25)

My favorite quilts from the ones I have are cotton that have been dyed with what I thought were veggie dyes. Apparently, these are chemical dyes that are available in local markets, but that are not very good and fade over time, a quality which I personally find attractive. I like the softness that time gives the colors. Patricia talks about the history of dyeing and how there is now a resurgence in using veggie techniques again. (page 40)


When the ralli has been assembled and is ready for the quilting stage, the quilter invites the other women from neighboring houses for a "rallee-vijhanu". (page 43) Each woman stitches at least one line to help keep the quilt together, normally a whole morning's activity. Then, the quilter finishes it herself, filling in the quilting between the larger spaces the other women worked on. She will also contribute her time when another neighbor needs help getting her ralli finished. This is such a nice touch, reminiscent of our own historical quilting bees, where a whole community is reflected in one piece.
Patricia has an extensive section in the book that traces ralli designs to ancient pottery shards of the region. She states that the checkerboard patterns are common in both pottery and quilts. (page 118)

Newer quilts, from the 1970's on use fabrics that are colorfast, including rayon, polyester, silk and other synthetics. These can be very bright and bright in color value. Intricate quilts are made for weddings and other special occasions, while simpler ones, using whole cloth or larger pieces of fabric, are for every day use.

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Often times, they are made of worn shawls that have pieces that can be salvaged or commercial fabrics which may be over-dyed.

Ralli Quilts has an extensive section dedicated to appliqué techniques used in different regions. Some are absolutely stunning in their intricacy, almost looking like lace. I have not been able to get any of the good ones, but have one simple quilt available that is at least a sample of that style. The workmanship on it is not the best, which probably means it was made by an older woman with poor eyesight or a young one, just learning. There are many efforts out there which try to help widows and older women use their sewing skills for extra income.
My hope is that these quilts will someday achieve the recognition they deserve and truly become a source of real income for these women, many of whom are extremely poor. This is always the pleasure for me, in working with these textiles- the knowledge that we can help create and sustain a market for people who still live connected to both the earth and to each other, whether they are here in our own neighborhood or in a remote village in Ralli Land.

Ralli Quilts: The Book & New Arrivals on Rayela Art

HeART of Healing Gallery, A Place of Peace in Paducah

This past weekend I had the privilege of working at HeART of Healing Gallery, located in Paducah's art district, Lowertown. The gallery is the creative healing extension of Integrative Medicine of Kentucky, Dr. Christi Bond's clinic of alternative health.

Mission Statement

Our primary goal is for each patient to enjoy optimal health through a combination of safe, innovative, and natural treatments. Integrative Medicine of Kentucky combines natural therapies with appropriate conventional medical treatments in a safe manner. We treat the person as a whole being, addressing imbalances on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Our treatment plans require time, patience and the commitment to change formerly harmful, destructive habits.

Dr. Bonds and I both belong to Paducah Fiber Artists, an informal group that meets monthly to share progress on our projects and critique each other's work. We both love ethnic textiles and carry some similar inventory (molas, kimono, and hilltribe textiles), but that doesn't stop us from trading or collaborating.

The gallery showcases those textiles plus work by local artists.

Although the space is not huge, it is well divided into themes that change as new inventory arrives and focus needs arise. Dr. Bonds is well-stocked with vintage kimono. Quilters buy these to cut them up and incorporate them into their own work, but they are so beautiful that many people just buy them to wear or display as a textile.


A current exhibit of photos supports an orphanage in Vietnam. The photographer is dating one of Paducah's native sons and both have spent time volunteering at the orphanage.

Another exhibit showcases local artist Nikki Mae's pen and ink drawings, framed in black below the large scripted piece:

Gorgeous Tibetan singing bowls fill a cabinet, the beginning of a collection of instruments which will be used in sound therapy.


Quan Yin and other female imagery are found throughout the gallery and clinic, both in paintings and carvings.


But, my new favorite are the mola blouses! I had never seen them before, except in photos and am amazed at how beautiful they are.


I have my eye on this one, so DON'T buy it! It's Jesus on a cross, but he is smiling, boogey-eyed, and looks really friendly and sweet.

Dr. Bonds has a huge mola collection and just took down an exhibit that focused on Christian imagery in mola art. I had not been exposed to those before either. I had always seen the birds, abstracts, and animals and have many of those for sale in my Etsy store. I bought one from Dr. Bonds that shows the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, a sermon my Dad had preached on many times over the years and used again in his retirement sermon, just recently.

I had some henna clients at the gallery. One of the wonderful things about being at HeART of Healing is that all the people I have met there are SO nice! This is Eleanor from Nashville, who visits Paducah and Lowertown frequently. She was a futon maker until just recently.


The clinic and gallery are housed in the same building, on the corner of 7th and Monroe. The clinic is as interesting as the gallery with each room decorated in gorgeous hand-crafted furniture, textiles, and objects from around the world. There are three themed acupuncture rooms: Native American, Quan Yin and Egypt. Soothing music is everywhere.

I am not just a friend, a co-textile lover, a trader, or an occasional worker. I am also a patient. I've gained 20 pounds since I tore my meniscus in my knee almost two years ago, have felt lethargic and must stop smoking. So, Dr. Bonds is helping me get my old self in order through herbs, acupuncture, chocolate (!!!), and support. She considers her East/West approach as her tool bag, and will pull out whichever tools she needs from either tradition to address the problem. I am so happy to have her expertise here and hope that both the gallery and clinic grow into a thriving practice for Dr. Bonds who recently relocated here from Nevada.

HeART of Healing Gallery is in the process of having an online presence where items will be available for purchase. Check the Integrative Medicine of Kentucky site for updates. And, if you visit Paducah, make sure to stop by for a visit! Currently, the gallery is only open on Saturdays, but those hours will expand in the near future.

HeART of Healing Gallery, A Place of Peace in Paducah