Q is for Quilt in QR Code

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Q is for Quilt in QR Code

Every time I'm in a postcard swap, I learn something new. Recently, this postcard arrived in my mailbox:

The postcard is a black-on-black postcard that this scan doesn't do justice. It's at least four black fabrics–a sky, which is a sheer over another layer, a mountain and a lake–all quilted. The different depths of the blacks, the sparkling stars, the painted moon and reflection–it was all beautiful.

Diane Becka had put her name on the back of the postcard, so I had to find out more. Diane is a quilter who makes exquisitely planned and executed art quilts. They have a kind of spare beauty that is easy to admire, because you instinctively know that there is a lot of thought, planning, and careful work in this art. One of her quilt pieces is this one:

I smiled when I saw it. It's a pattern like a QR Code–one of those squares you see associated with products. If you have an app on your smart phone, you can scan the code and get a special offer or find a website with a coupon. This QR code is a small quilt, perfectly translated.

I don't use the term "perfect" loosely. I was so delighted with the QR Code quilt, I picked up my iPhone and scanned it, you know, as a joke. The quilt works. My iPhone blinked, and I was taken to Diane's website. The woman created a working QR Code as a quilt.

I felt like applauding at my computer. Creativity has all sorts of practical application. All you have to do is. . . create.

—Quinn McDonald is a writer, creativity coach and artist who has a thing for postcards.

Filed under: Links, resources, idea boosts, The Writing Life Tagged: art quilts, mixed media, postaday2012, QR code