Date Night

Although still lifes are classic fine art subjects, they're not usually my cup of tea. But I love food, making something that looked edible in fabric sounded like a fun challenge, and I had an idea of how to thematically work this food into my steampunk world, so I decided to give it a try.

The meal in this quilt is intended to be an upscale dinner for two, hence the name. I've illustrated one set of romantically-involved partners in previous quilts, and this could be a meal Rose and Jason would share together when taking a break from the hard life of privateers.

Although we have sushi in our world, the sushi presented in this quilt would never be served in this fashion in the world as we know it. I deliberately combined items from five different cultures in this design:

• Japanese: Sushi
• Chinese: Bamboo leaves, metal chopsticks, metal soy cups
• English: Teapot, serving tray, lace
• Moroccan: Teacups
• Hawaiian: Tea in the teacups

I imagine the steampunk city where this meal was served to be a melting pot of people from a vast number of cultures, all living, working, and thriving together. This meal is intended to be a metaphor for that diverse mix of individuals.