You’ve probably heard of the Golden Spiral, based on the Fibonacci sequence and found throughout nature, such as nautilus shells and spiral galaxies. I recently stumbled upon another spiral, created by Professor Edmund Harriss, aptly named the Harriss spiral. This spiral is based on the Plastic Number, also known as le nombre radiant. Harriss created a grid of subdivided rectangles and squares with the ratio 1.325. By adding quarter circles in each square, an unusual spiral emerged!
About this time I was casting about for a traditional block to re-imagine, a common quilters’ challenge that Art Quilts Maine had taken up. When I saw the grid upon which the Harriss spiral is based, I immediately thought of a Double Irish Chain–see for yourself.
Long story short, I spent a wintry, snowy day mapping out and creating a fabric version of the Harriss spiral, using a fortuitous scrap of fabric printed with numbers! Here is the result:
If you want to see this piece up close and personal, keep an eye out for the Art Quilts Maine annual traveling tour, debuting at Maine Quilts and traveling to galleries and libraries around Maine throughout the year.
RanaQuilts 