Oulipian Quilts - Is This a Thing?

Recently, I became aware of an old technique used to write poetry known as "Oulipian". According to Wikipedia, Oulipo is a group of mostly French writers and mathematicians who use a variety of arbitrary procedures to create new work. Often the new work is based on a found text or previous work. Quite a lot to wrap one's brain around, and I am not even sure if I understand it, but texts Oulipian seem to be having something of a revival. It occurred to me that if one could make a poem out of words conforming to a predetermined formula, perhaps the same thing could be done with cloth.

So, when my eye caught the decidedly unlovely pile of used pillowcases on the free shelf at the island thrift store, I decided that this motley assortment of polyester/cotton would be my next quilt. I would be limited by what was available to me, and to remember the immortal words of Fred Granzow, my high school art teacher, "Work with what you've got."

The selection was not inspiring. Mostly pale thin florals and pastels. There were a couple of zingers though, a groovy orange floral from the '70's, and a faux quilt print with polka dots in turquoise and brown. I started with a log cabin-style arrangement, trying to work methodically and not fussing too much. Each square begins with a small orange piece in the centre, and no sequence of colour should be repeated.

Surprise! Not too shabby after all. I did allow myself the addition of one element not in the original pile, and that was vintage rickrack from the hoard. Just to liven it up a bit.

* Technically, all I have so far is patchwork. A quilt will happen when the three layers of top, batting and backing are sandwiched together to make a warm cozy whole. Even avant garde poets need a snuggle now and then.