Laura Hartrich 11/30/25 Laura Hartrich 11/30/25

A Trade - Quilt for Tattoos

After we lost Persephone, Simon and I went to get memorial tattoos. I got a pomegranate and he got a little drawing of hers.

My pomegranate tattoo - the pomegranate is often a symbol for Persephone because of its role in the myth

Simon got one of P’s frequently drawn characters

I decided to keep going and cover some old sparse cherry blossoms on my arm that I’d never loved, something I’d wanted to do for years but couldn’t let myself spend the time or money. Suddenly in my grief it became a priority. So, since March I’ve been sitting for the talented Alyssa Carbonara about once a month while she helps me with this massive project, stabs me and makes beautiful art on my skin.

One of these visits she mentioned she’d always wanted a quilt but never had one. We quickly and enthusiastically decided to do a trade. She brought me lots of clothes, sweatshirts, concert tees, even pajamas. And I worked them into this patchwork. Alyssa said she loves cozy tactile materials so I decided to try a minky backing for the first time. It was heavy and slippery to sew with but turned out really snuggly and nice (I skipped batting so it wouldn’t be too heavy). Just for fun I saved the pockets from two hoodies she gave me and sewed them on the back. Pockets for tv time with a pal.

block detail - image from a t-shirt of musician Sierra Ferrell

block detail - contains some pajamas and a Johnny Cash t-shirt

Back of quilt with hoodie pockets attached

I quilted with simple straight lines and ties. I hope Alyssa and her kitties are loving their new quilt. Measures 70x87. Quilt photos by Mitch Hopper.

Laura Hartrich 11/22/24 Laura Hartrich 11/22/24

Everybody's Talking

(Alternate title: does everyone really need their own podcast?)

Everybody’s Talking, 50”x54”, finished 2024

A depiction of the mixed blessings of living in this internet age. Sugary sweet colors give way to overwhelm when every face I scroll past is telling me what I should be doing with my life, my health, my money, my relationships. That’s not to mention every celebrity and even lots of friends recording podcasts and here’s me for some reason feeling pressure to listen to them all. I love the fun of the internet and I subscribe to the Patreon of my favorite podcast, so I’m not against these things. But it also feels suffocating and no one is coming to help me regulate my consumption. That’s all on me, baby. Exhausting.

In the words of Bo Burnham, “Here’s a question for you guys. Is it necessary that every single person on this planet expresses every single opinion that they have on every single thing that occurs all at the same time?”

Laura Hartrich 1/31/24 Laura Hartrich 1/31/24

Working Through

Over the last year, I’ve had recurring pain in my elbow. The pain fluctuates and flares — I’ve come to think of it as its own entity. Each morning I check in.

How are you today?
How much attention will you require today?
What will you allow me to do today?

It’s always in the back of my mind, like a second pulse. I wanted to illustrate my relationship to the pain but also my need to keep going, keep creating, and keep using my body in this life. So in this quilt I’m attempting to portray my elbow pain alongside some creative life force flowing out of my hands. I appreciate my hands, wrists, and elbows for allowing me to do what I love. I’m rooting for them and trying to care for them so they will carry me another 30 to 50 years, please and thank you.

This quilt was constructed almost entirely from deconstructed shirts (everything but the back) as part of the Take the Shirt Off My Back sustainability challenge organized by Diane Paquin Provost, a member of my beloved Chicago Modern Quilt Guild. I took inspiration from amazing quilters I admire: Carolina Oneto, Sherri Lynn Wood, and Annabel Wrigley. From sketch to construction, this is one of the harder things I have pieced and I’m proud of how it turned out.

Laura Hartrich 1/10/24 Laura Hartrich 1/10/24

Ode to Kindah Khalidy

I love to collect colorful prints on white backgrounds but they tend to languish in my stash. I challenged myself to use them together in a quilt, experimenting with the various scales and densities of the patterns to see if I could create contrast despite the shared background. As I chopped and rearranged the fabrics, the resulting shapes reminded me of the bright and joyful paintings of Kindah Khalidy, one of my favorite artists. So I’ve named this one after her. The wool ties move in a quarter arc rainbow across the entire surface, adding another fun layer of color and shapes.

Measures approximately 73” square. Photos by Mitch Hopper.

Laura Hartrich 5/1/23 Laura Hartrich 5/1/23

Peoria Street Surplus

Sometimes we can’t explain the things we do for our art and this is one of those instances. I sewed up this quilt top in 2018, using extra blocks leftover from my Art 140 quilt. After having it long armed, I decided it needed to be hand quilted instead. So I spent the next 2 years ripping out the quilting I paid for, and quilting it by hand, block by block. I used the same lines as the original quilting, and joked that it was a very expensive way to mark a quilt. I often questioned my sanity. Now that it’s finally done and on our bed, I’m happy. Measures 83”x83” Photos by Mitch Hopper.