Twisted Textiles

This quilted painting was inspired by a dream I had. I blogged about it previously, before I even did any quilting, but the color in the photo turned out too yellow. Now I’ve got a photo that I’m satisfied with!

I couldn’t really paint exactly what I saw while I was sleeping, but this is very close to what it felt like. I also kept the color palette very minimal to make it more dream-like.

Here’s the description from my journal:

I’m wiping down the outside of some windows that frame a front door of an old farmhouse, glass is very high, some areas are like stained-glass. Somehow I know that there is nobody living here, but it is still occupied in some way? I’m supposed to be going around the side of the house to meet people (a gathering? near the storm-cellar perhaps?) but I stop to sponge off the dirt from the glass to the left of the door.

I move on to the window to the right, and as I near the bottom of the glass with my sponge, a reflection of a face shows in the glass—it appears that a small child is inside looking out, but it’s face is very dis-figured. I am shocked to see it and exclaim, perhaps even jump back in surprise?

As I look to my right on the other side of the porch column, I see a child standing there, ready to lead me to the gathering place. She must have been the image that I saw reflected, but her face is very normal, round; actually neither boy nor girl (no remembrance of hairstyle). The texture of the glass in the window must have made her reflection look grotesque but I have a feeling that she manipulated the vision deliberately, calmly, just to frighten me.

She smiles still, and is very stoic as she beckons me to follow her.

Here’s another quilted painting (I love doing these!) except this one is on silk, and I used a method of batik to preserve the white areas.

I also quilted it by hand using embroidery thread, which took about 10 hours…I was sooo nervous about using the machine on the silk! It may have been okay once I had basted the three layers together, but at that point, I figured I’d finish it by hand to be absolutely sure (because the silk is so stretchy on the bias!). It’s about 12 inches in diameter, so it was manageable in an embroidery hoop.

Just for fun, we also placed the lights behind the fabric for a photo, which really emphasized the “stained-glass” quality of the batik. (click the thumbnail for a larger version)

I’ve also –FINALLY!– learned how to bind the edges properly on quilts and such…so this one was my first attempt at a completely circular object. It turns out perfectly if you remember to cut the fabric on the bias!

I’m having difficulty photographing my new quilted paintings…it’s a challenge to light them exactly right, to bring out the three-dimensions you see in “real life” viewing.

This quilted painting is about 9×11 inches (including binding on edge) and matches another one that I previously posted about.

A few areas of the painting (including the curtain and the large silhouetted figures in the foreground) are stuffed with Fiberfil—in quilting the process is called “trapunto”. If you’re curious, this scene is inspired by a short story by Angela Carter. I really enjoy anything written by her, and have already started several other paintings based on her works of fiction.

When photographing these types of fabric works, I usually end up with shadows that are too harsh, obscuring parts of the painting and distracting from the overall image. Fortunately, my husband has been an immense help in this area, and we finally got some good photographs, including closer details of the stitching
(click all images to enlarge:)

While typing the title for this post, I accidentally typed “udderwear”…which is a completely different topic altogether. Perhaps one day I will make high-fashion garments for all the sophisticated and fashion-conscious cows out there—but not today.

This is another OBG (meaning Oldie But Goodie, not Open Bottom Girdle) from years gone by. Why, I remember as if it were yesterday…Sitting on the living room floor of my boyfriend’s apartment, sorting through piles of worn-out socks and underwear that he was planning on throwing out. Sometimes I get strange ideas and they turn out to be wonderful. This was one of those times.

Since the cotton from socks and underwear is very stretchy, especially when it’s worn, I had to use copious amounts of iron-on interfacing as a base. After cutting apart the undies to make them lay as flat as possible, I sort of “collaged” the pieces together on top of the interfacing, using the dress pattern pieces as a guide. Then I simply cut the pieces and sewed them together as I would when making a “normal” dress. I used some of the waistbands from the underwear as edging on the collar and sleeves. I also made a pocket with one of the, um, fabric pockets inside the mens underwear…which turned out very cute!

This piece is currently in the Address and Redress exhibit with two of my other works;
the Safe Release Hat
and the Dryer Sheet Dress.
This is the last week for exhibit, which is located at the Gloria Singletary Gallery in Lexington KY.

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