Blocks, Strips, Strings, And Half Squares
Quilt by Mary Lee Bendolph
2005

This quilt by Mary Lee Bendolph features geometric patterns. The shapes in the pattern are repeating triangles and rectangles. Bendolph uses mainly black and white elements to create shape out of negative space but has elements of brighter colors sparingly throughout the peace. The pattern is mainly made up of repeating rectangles on the outside, and a mixture of short and long triangles, as well as more rectangles on the inside. There doesnt seem to be a lot of organization, although all of the elements of the quilt fit well together and there is a physical rhythm. There are no sections or patches that are exactly repeated. When reading the section on Mary Lee Bendolph, she said that she just went fast and didnt follow any patterns, which I think shows in this piece. Because of this, I think that the inspiration behind her pattern probably came from her surroundings or family. In the section about her mentioned before its easy to see family was a huge part of her life, and her relatives were also quilt makers so I could see a lot of inspiration coming from them. Also, all of her other works seem to feature the same repeating geometric elements, so shes probably just sticking with a style she likes and enjoys doing.