I love quilts that show 3D illusions, but I am not a quilter, so how could I get the same effect in my work? By using Blackwork, of course! It seemed ideal, because I could control the density of stitching by the pattern I chose for each patch.

 So I set about producing a suitable design – here’s the result:

The left hand side depicts an “object” that is physically impossible if each of the cubes really are cubes, and the right hand side is a classic 3D illusion. Do you see a cube in a corner of 2 walls and a floor, or do you see a solid 8-cube object, but with one of the front cubes removed? The sides share 2 patches.

I am quite thrilled with the way this turned out. It does give the effects I was after, and it was fun to do – finding or making up 28 different blackwork patterns and each one in just a small area so I didn’t get sick of it. Worked with one strand of DMC floss on 32 count linen.

If you click on the picture above, it will take you to my Flickr page where you can click on “All Sizes” then choose Large to see it life-size,  or Original for even bigger!