"La Force" Quilted Tarot Wall Hanging by Los Angeles-based textile artist Lesley Wheeler
Based on a tarot card published in the 1880s hand cut + machine appliquéd/quilted. Perfect for an altar or sacred space. Suitable for hanging or framing.
In the words of the artist, “Each piece is made by hand, without a pattern, using only intuition.
Once I’ve chosen the card I want to work with, I begin by tracing the lines of the card on my iPad to get a feel for how all the parts connect.
I have a background in printmaking, and so the older cards like the Marseilles deck which are more clearly woodblock prints lend themselves to this process well. I think of the fabric as the inky swaths of colors, and the freehand machine quilting on top as the black key block making the lines that hold it all together.
I cut each piece of fabric as if a puzzle piece, tentatively laying it down in position on the background fabric of the card. Once all the pieces are cut and their placement is set, I glue them down so they don’t wiggle out of place. From there I set to quilting the lines, using the line drawing I’ve made as a guide. The quilting gives the piece dimension, it defines the areas, creates shading and texture. It’s a delightfully laborious process that demands my full attention both body and mind.
There’s a certain kind of magic that I feel when I retrace the steps of the artists who made these cards so long ago, especially doing so using quilting, the medium that is my home planet.
This is a moment I took to deeply meditate on the card’s meaning. At a time in my life when new strength was needed, I spent many hours contemplating and recreating the calm visage of the person holding open the sharp-toothed mouth of the lion.”
Dimensions: 14"x19"
Lesley Wheeler is a Los Angeles-based textile artist, poet, and teacher whose work explores the intersection of the esoteric and the tangible.
A graduate of both the Pratt Institute and the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, Lesley specializes in quilted tarot cards. Wheeler's artwork connects traditional craft and mystical symbolism. Her intricate pieces blend vibrant textiles with the rich imagery of tarot, resulting in tactile representations of cards that invite viewers to engage with divination on a physical level. The tarot textiles are a mix of collage, raw-edge appliqué, and freehand machine quilting.
With a background in printmaking, Lesley brings a keen eye for composition and texture to her work. Her experience as a poet, culminating in her 2018 book Abandoners published by the Operating System, infuses her visual art with layers of meaning and narrative depth. Each quilted card tells a story, not just through its visual elements, but through the careful selection of fabrics and the meditative process of their assembly.
Based in the vibrant arts scene of Los Angeles, her distinctive pieces are cherished by private collectors around the world, who value their craft, symbolism, and poetic sensibility.
Based on a tarot card published in the 1880s hand cut + machine appliquéd/quilted. Perfect for an altar or sacred space. Suitable for hanging or framing.
In the words of the artist, “Each piece is made by hand, without a pattern, using only intuition.
Once I’ve chosen the card I want to work with, I begin by tracing the lines of the card on my iPad to get a feel for how all the parts connect.
I have a background in printmaking, and so the older cards like the Marseilles deck which are more clearly woodblock prints lend themselves to this process well. I think of the fabric as the inky swaths of colors, and the freehand machine quilting on top as the black key block making the lines that hold it all together.
I cut each piece of fabric as if a puzzle piece, tentatively laying it down in position on the background fabric of the card. Once all the pieces are cut and their placement is set, I glue them down so they don’t wiggle out of place. From there I set to quilting the lines, using the line drawing I’ve made as a guide. The quilting gives the piece dimension, it defines the areas, creates shading and texture. It’s a delightfully laborious process that demands my full attention both body and mind.
There’s a certain kind of magic that I feel when I retrace the steps of the artists who made these cards so long ago, especially doing so using quilting, the medium that is my home planet.
This is a moment I took to deeply meditate on the card’s meaning. At a time in my life when new strength was needed, I spent many hours contemplating and recreating the calm visage of the person holding open the sharp-toothed mouth of the lion.”
Dimensions: 14"x19"
Lesley Wheeler is a Los Angeles-based textile artist, poet, and teacher whose work explores the intersection of the esoteric and the tangible.
A graduate of both the Pratt Institute and the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, Lesley specializes in quilted tarot cards. Wheeler's artwork connects traditional craft and mystical symbolism. Her intricate pieces blend vibrant textiles with the rich imagery of tarot, resulting in tactile representations of cards that invite viewers to engage with divination on a physical level. The tarot textiles are a mix of collage, raw-edge appliqué, and freehand machine quilting.
With a background in printmaking, Lesley brings a keen eye for composition and texture to her work. Her experience as a poet, culminating in her 2018 book Abandoners published by the Operating System, infuses her visual art with layers of meaning and narrative depth. Each quilted card tells a story, not just through its visual elements, but through the careful selection of fabrics and the meditative process of their assembly.
Based in the vibrant arts scene of Los Angeles, her distinctive pieces are cherished by private collectors around the world, who value their craft, symbolism, and poetic sensibility.
Based on a tarot card published in the 1880s hand cut + machine appliquéd/quilted. Perfect for an altar or sacred space. Suitable for hanging or framing.
In the words of the artist, “Each piece is made by hand, without a pattern, using only intuition.
Once I’ve chosen the card I want to work with, I begin by tracing the lines of the card on my iPad to get a feel for how all the parts connect.
I have a background in printmaking, and so the older cards like the Marseilles deck which are more clearly woodblock prints lend themselves to this process well. I think of the fabric as the inky swaths of colors, and the freehand machine quilting on top as the black key block making the lines that hold it all together.
I cut each piece of fabric as if a puzzle piece, tentatively laying it down in position on the background fabric of the card. Once all the pieces are cut and their placement is set, I glue them down so they don’t wiggle out of place. From there I set to quilting the lines, using the line drawing I’ve made as a guide. The quilting gives the piece dimension, it defines the areas, creates shading and texture. It’s a delightfully laborious process that demands my full attention both body and mind.
There’s a certain kind of magic that I feel when I retrace the steps of the artists who made these cards so long ago, especially doing so using quilting, the medium that is my home planet.
This is a moment I took to deeply meditate on the card’s meaning. At a time in my life when new strength was needed, I spent many hours contemplating and recreating the calm visage of the person holding open the sharp-toothed mouth of the lion.”
Dimensions: 14"x19"
Lesley Wheeler is a Los Angeles-based textile artist, poet, and teacher whose work explores the intersection of the esoteric and the tangible.
A graduate of both the Pratt Institute and the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop, Lesley specializes in quilted tarot cards. Wheeler's artwork connects traditional craft and mystical symbolism. Her intricate pieces blend vibrant textiles with the rich imagery of tarot, resulting in tactile representations of cards that invite viewers to engage with divination on a physical level. The tarot textiles are a mix of collage, raw-edge appliqué, and freehand machine quilting.
With a background in printmaking, Lesley brings a keen eye for composition and texture to her work. Her experience as a poet, culminating in her 2018 book Abandoners published by the Operating System, infuses her visual art with layers of meaning and narrative depth. Each quilted card tells a story, not just through its visual elements, but through the careful selection of fabrics and the meditative process of their assembly.
Based in the vibrant arts scene of Los Angeles, her distinctive pieces are cherished by private collectors around the world, who value their craft, symbolism, and poetic sensibility.
