In the old city of Damascus the upper storey windows of residences are covered with elaborate wooden lattices called Meshrabiya. These enabled women in the houses to look out into the busy and teeming streets without being seen. The colour and action of the life below was always seen through a grid.

I have used Syrian woven striped fabrics, and quilted the cobblestones of the streets below into the black. I started to clip off threads, then stopped. I like the effect of the silky loose ends all over the quilt, and Damascus is not a city where loose ends are tidied up.