Katherine Knauer comments: "This happy fire-themed quilt from my Elements/ Environment series suggests an optimistic vision of the future. The sunflower petals are actually bright yellow taxis and the veins of the leaves are city street maps with street names such as Recycle Road, Sunshine Street, and Arboretum Avenue. In the background, original fabric prints of solar panels on rooftops, electrical symbols, and energy-saver light bulbs all revolve around the bright hand-embroidered sun.

"Other fabrics include luxury silk cut velvet, Fortuny cotton prints, and commercial cotton fabrics with significant visual puns such as Paula Nadelstern’s “Sunstone” design and “flame stitch” patterns.

"The traditional Sunshine and Shadows quilt pattern is referenced by the background, in which the sizes of the blocks have been varied to keep the design lively."

Solar City was one of eighty-five quilts juried into the prestigious Quilt National 2013 exhibition and is included in the exhibition catalog. The quilt is currently in the running for the People's Choice award and will travel to the San Jose Quilt & Textile Museum and other venues after the exhibition at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio closes in early September.