The charts and maps of the Ordnance Survey are such a part of my life. Their accuracy enhanced every family walk or drive in the days before GPS and sat nav. Long before my memories, they were an essential part of mapping the world, making it safe for us all. Designed to reflect the transition from unknown to known during the early days of exploration, when the unknown was dangerous and disordered, these maps and charts transformed it to organised, safe and planned. Machine embroidered sailing ships, either in full sail or wrecked, add to the story that this quilt tells.
Hand-dyed and screen-printed cotton are strip pieced to form a coastline. Organised square joins, paper laminated map inserts and couched wool borders develop the concept of known and planned, whilst erratic and diagonal joins highlight the uncharted and unknown. Machine quilted with variegated thread; variety of stitch length designed to highlight further the change from regular and known to unknown and uncharted. In the charted section, the quilting is focused on known coastal areas; in contrast, the focus shifts to unknown interiors to reinforce the change from charted to uncharted.
