Have you been watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi? The bravery and skill of the athletes amazes me, no way would you catch me hurtling down a mountain head first on what looks like a travel ironing board!
But, I am really loving seeing patchwork everywhere through the games. On the banners, the competitor’s vests and all types of signage. 
The designs are, of course, based on a patchwork quilt. The designers, Bosco, wanted a design that would reflect the traditions of the Russian culture and reflect the ideals of the Olympic Games.
They stated “they had a wealth of choices to represent Russia’s rich diversity, but in the end we settled on something familiar, warm and welcoming: the patchwork quilt”. Patterns in the quilt pieces were taken from fabrics, ceramics, folk art painting and clothing.
Its fantastic to see quilts being used in such a high profile way, maybe it will encourage a few others to take up this traditional art form.
The official Sochi.ru website shows the patterns that were used to derive the designs, there is a sliding bar that links with images of the patterns that link to information about each pattern and photos showing the location of the patterns in the banners. Its well worth a look. Click here to be taken to the site. Then click on Look of the Games.
From the official 2014 Sochi-RU site, this is how they describe the choice of the quilting theme:
The Sochi 2014 Look of the Games concept is a logical continuation of the philosophy behind the sochi.ru brand. It offers a new interpretation of different cultures, traditions and ethnicities which together form a united and powerful visual identity. At the heart of the Look of the Games concept design lies the principle of the “patchwork quilt” – a combination of 16 designs representing the most famous traditional Russian arts and crafts, ranging from Gzhel to Khokhloma. – See more at:
http://www.flarefabrics.ca/blog/index.php/patchwork-as-olympic-motif/#sthash.jJvFl6YT.dpuf
