Picture a smiling woman rendered entirely in angular patches of fabric, every plane of the face a separate polygon. That is the current state of Cole Whitaker's work in progress, a pictorial quilt built in a low-poly, faceted mosaic style. The face, hair and clothing are already pieced, with colorful patterned scraps ringing the edges while work continues.
The build started on the computer: the design was drawn in Inkscape, then turned into a pieced image. A stop-motion timelapse records the assembly, which has moved along slowly between other projects. Early stages featured a patterned black-and-white fabric with elephant and geometric strip motifs, and the clothing includes denim set against a final background of plain black.
What stands out to me is the patch palette: many geometric polygonal pieces in solid colors mixed with printed patterns, held along the edges by pins to a black backing. The contrast between crisp solid facets and busy printed areas gives the portrait plenty of texture.
One bittersweet note: the maker uses a bedroom wall as a design board and expects to be sad when the quilt is finished. More of the project is promised, and the maker has agreed to the idea of photographing the finished portrait and framing it.
Project by Cole Whitaker. Watch it on their YouTube channel: