Quilted Memoir
Cloth, like power, is fragile.
December 13, 2020
Quilted applique panel using scrap fabric, secondhand thread, and scrap batting.
A quote from Clare Hunter’s book, “Threads of Life.” I created this piece during the end of the trump presidency while contemplating the transition of power and how fragile power is.
Abolish I.C.E., Black Lives Matter, Defund The Police
January 9, 2021
Quilted panel using scrap fabric, scrap stencil patches, scrap batting, secondhand fabric, and new thread.
We need to continue to support the people and organizations fighting for Black lives, fighting to defund the police, and fighting to abolish I.C.E.
Stenciled fabric patches in this quilted panel were made by local artist, Haley Orion Khoshaba. These patches raised funds for the following organizations: Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, National Lawyers Guild, Puente, No More Deaths, Poder in Action, The Movement For Black Lives, Communities United for Police Reform, and Lucha AZ.
Declaration of Identity
They/Them/Theirs only
February 24, 2021
Quilted applique panel using secondhand fabric and new thread.
The wavy lines represent my journey in gender and identity exploration. The different fabrics represent the different appearances of non-binary people, as there is no “right” way for us to look.
Selvage Edge
February 27, 2021
Quilted panel using recycled selvage edges, scrap batting, and new thread.
This quilted panel is about memory, textile waste, and my grandmother. It’s made with 60 pieces of selvage edges from fabric.
Threaded Flowers
March 4, 2021
Hand-quilted panel using new and secondhand thread, and secondhand fabric.
It represents immobility, rest, and solitude.
I picked up embroidery years ago to keep my hands busy while I sat in bed sick resting from symptoms caused by multiple chronic illnesses: Endometriosis, Ulcerative Colitis, Fibromyalgia and PVC Trigeminy. Hand sewing and embroidery has provided me solace, stillness, and meditation.
Neuro Quilt
June 16, 2021
Quilted panel with four sawtooth stars and free motion quilting using secondhand fabric, batting and thread.
This quilted panel is all about my neurodiversity. The more you look, the more you see.
The precision of the sawtooth stars represent the strict routines I prefer to adhere to. The colorful pieces of the stars represent my ability to see the whole picture and the details simultaneously. The winding path of the free motion quilting represents the unavoidable spontaneity in all aspects of my life which is always welcome despite the commotion it can cause.
Charissa Lucille began embroidery and hand sewing in 2017 and began machine sewing in 2019. In 2020, they sewed and donated over 100 facemasks before they began quilting. They experienced beautiful handmade quilts where they were born in rural Pennsylvania as well as in Hawaii where they lived while growing up. They are inspired by the hand-mending sewing skills of their grandmother and machine skills of their mother to create quilted art. Their art themes include identity, politics, activism, and memoir. These panels will join others to create a memoir quilt in 2022.
