Fabric Peacing:
Threads of Memory, Light, and Hope
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Fabric Peacing is a multimedia quilt installation that combines traditional textile craft with animated projection to reflect on memory, loss, and the urgent need for peace. The quilt, designed by Dana Jones, features six paper cranes inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who developed leukemia after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Following a Japanese legend, Sadako folded paper cranes in hopes of healing—believing that folding 1,000 could grant a wish. Her story, shared in Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, has become a lasting symbol of peace and resilience.
Over the quilt, projections trace the cranes’ outlines in motion—suggesting energy, flight, and transformation. These fleeting lights bring the stillness of the fabric to life, echoing the artist’s own longing to create peace for herself and others. This work invites viewers to consider what peace means, who gets to experience it, and how we can protect it for all.
Paper Cranes Soft sensors
FPP Quilt
Projection Mapping
I sew conductive fabric in the wings, and connected both wings using conductive thread. All in with my domestic sewing machine.
This quilt is made using a technique called Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP). The corners have a 3D origami design.
I created the animations using the Saber plug-in in Affter Effects. I used the bare conductive board to trigger the animations in madMapper.
The Crafting process
I recently joined the Coastal Quilters Guild in Santa Barbara. It has been an amazing learning experience. Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into the community and to the amazing teacher and quilt designer, Dana Jones.
The Interactive Paper Cranes
All cranes are made of felt fabric and sewn and embroidered using my (new! :3) domestic sewing machine. I sewn conductive fabric under the wings of each crane and connected them with conductive thread. These serve as the interactive elements that trigger specific animations for each crane that is being touched. Each crane features a free-motion design on its wings.
The "Final" Result
It took many months of hard work, learning, and patience. I am pleased with my experiment of merging conductive fabric and projection mapping to create an interactive quilt. I used a technique called Foundation Paper Piecing to make the quilt and employed MadMapper to project animations created in Adobe After Effects.
