Sol Invictus
by Jonna Gjevre
33” X 40”
Sol Invictus was created to honor Solveig Haugland (1967–2015), an exuberant textile artist and cherished friend. I took as my starting point the stacked columns, irregular piecing, and luxurious fabrics of Victorian crazy quilts and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum’s Red Velvet Carriage Robe.
Scraps of silk from Solveig’s stash, glass beadwork, and rustic embroidery supply this quilt with saturated color and tangible texture. Floating blocks of needle-turn appliqué are both fluid and boxy. Vibrant yet fragile, this jewel-toned quilt is enhanced by glittering embellishments, but
also punctuated by visible mending. The name Solveig suggests the sun’s path, a radiant image in tension with the linear, grid-like quality that typifies a Chinese Coin quilt. Joyous and unconstrained, Solveig illuminated my world. I miss her still.