LIE

LIE

October, 2025

Reclaimed, recycled, and new fabrics; cotton, cotton/polyester blends; unbleached cotton batting, and polyester threads.

60" x 67"

The dictionary definition of "lie" is to tell an intentional untruth; to assert something that is not true. Because lying is an attempt to conceal or obscure the truth, these two concepts are like two sides of the same coin: knowing the truth and attempting to hide or erase it.

If the truth is hard to face (it may be embarrassing, hurtful, or painful to hear), is it easier for some to believe in a beautiful lie? Does some small part of the original truth still remain?

What happens when the truth is no longer recognized behind an overwhelmingly large lie?

Read on to learn about the process for making this one, great big lie!

I started this project in October 2023 with a finished sketch, but the idea had been kicking around in my head for much longer. Specifically, the idea that a newly elected president said he had the largest inauguration crowd in history when the facts (indisputable photographic data, transit data, and independent verification) clearly showed this was a lie. I wondered how anyone could misinterpret the obvious truth into such a big lie.

I'm really drawn to early American wood type and typography, and I think these early letters have such a huge personality. I wanted to use letters that would give the word a grand, important look. Draft sketches focused on the proportions of the letters and the border design.

Before starting on the actual paper piecing, I made some small testers to look at colors and shapes together. You can tell at this point I hadn't totally decided on the border pattern or what to do in the border corners.

I used a mix of fabrics for this project: reclaimed sheeting for the background (the light gray with the white stars was garbage-picked),  medium-weight cotton solids in the letters (red, magenta, royal blue, dark blue), and medium-weight cotton and cotton/polyester blends in the border (green hues found in a dollar bill). It is a nod to American politics and money; red, white, and blue with white stars, and the literal colors of money.

Paper piecing the letters was difficult; I had to really think about how to dissect and re-connect all the parts of each letter. At times, this was very tedious. I would spend a day or two piecing and then needed to break it off for a week or so before tackling more.

I used my vintage Singer 101 for the paper piecing; it sews smoothly and precisely, and makes a lovely little purr as it sews.

The corner motifs for the border were the last design element I needed to work out, and I ended up going with a diamond-in-a-square design.

When I finally finished piecing the top, I folded it up and put it away to work on other things.

When creating the backing, I wanted to add a little wonky-pieced "truth" in there - as if the big, pretty lie were obscuring the truth. It's hard to see the pieced in the finished back, as the quilt stitches partially cover it, but that's even more to the point.

Can you make out the truth in there? It's easier to see in person!

I used the BERNINA 440 QE for quilting because it makes really nice, sharp, pivoting corner turns with the Walking foot #50. And this piece has LOTS of pivots in all the letters.

The quilting was also very tedious, sometimes even painful, working the entire quilt around all those little corners. There were times when I'd shelve the quilting for a few months at a time to take a break and to work on other things. I finally finished the quilting and added a facing in October!

I'm currently living with the LIE in my studio! I had the LIE finished in time to submit for QuiltCon 2026, but it was not accepted. I'm currently looking for another opportunity to share the LIE this year!