In September 2003, I got the idea of designing a Tarot deck. I was already very familiar with the Tarot, and had settled into my own style of drawing years before, and in 2001 had started using quilt blocks as background patterns. Once the decision was made, I went down to the library, got the biggest book of quilt block patterns I could find, and got started. I work in colored pencil, partially because of the amount of control I have over the media, and partially because it's very portable, and the drawings are surprisingly durable, both of which are important factors when there are 2 small people with grubby fingers running around the house.
I'm fascinated by the history of quilting, and the names given to quilt patterns, so I've had a fun time picking out a pattern for each card of the deck. Some of them were really obvious (The Wheel of Fortune), others required more thought about the meaning of the card (The Empress symbolizes motherhood, domestic life, traditional feminine roles, and fertility, and The Pineapple was a traditional symbol of hospitality, welcoming visitors into the home, as well as being a fruit, and thus fruitful.)
The process of selecting images and words for each card involved a similar amount of brainstorming. I picked things that somehow made sense to me as symbolizing an aspect of the meaning of the card. My sources included movies, books, and songs that inspired me, as well as things out of my own life. The closer you look, the more you will notice. Because I've always been confused by reversals, I put some details in upside-down so that they would be more obvious if the card was reversed in a reading. My intention is for the cards to be easy to interpret, and that different details might be noticed each time the reader looks at the card, thus leading to different possible interpretations.
For the Minor Arcana, I selected simple quilt patterns that corresponded with the four elements and could be repeated to represent the suit and number. The Cups are represented by the Clam Shell, the Wands by Lightning, the Swords with Geese in Flight, and the Coins with Apple Core. Instead of repeating identical cups, wands, swords and coins 55 times, I decided it would be more interesting to pick different versions of the items for each card, so the Ace of Cups has a silver goblet, the Two has champagne flutes, the Three has beer steins, and the Four has 3 coffee mugs ignored in pursuit of the perfect martini in the sky.
I'd like comments and suggestions about the deck. I'm especially curious about how much information I should provide about each card; I don't want to over-explain and analyze my own artwork, but I don't want people to be completely confused either. When the deck is finished, I'd like to get it published, so I'd appreciate any tips about that as well.