As an art quilter, I rarely work with quilt blocks. Nonetheless, I am fascinated by the great variety of effects of repeated motifs in quilts and how they create visual cohesion. I began contemplating how to use repetitive motifs in my abstract improvisational quilts as an element of compositional cohesion.

The image that appeared to me for this experiment was a simple strip with horizontal stripes…like a comb or a ladder or a railroad track. At the time, I also was obsessed with the way that ombre fabrics can be used to create depth. I decided to run with it, and this quilt is what emerged. Once I named the quilt, I was inspired to use a flame motif for some of the quilting.