Twisted Textiles

I’ve been practicing free-motion quilting. Mainly I’ve been practicing forcing my machine to do it’s free-motion-thing for me…But when it’s cooperating, the sun shines through and all is wonderful and right with the world.

(Doesn’t it seem that way with every machine, no matter how shiny and new? There always seems to be a fickle, impudent little beast hiding inside it somewhere…I swear it’s not only me…)

These little watercolor-like sketches—about 8 inches square—are a small start to something big, I just know it! I’m envisioning these on a huge scale.

I’ve painted these with heat-settable fabric paint, treating the paints like I would watercolors. It’s a bit unpredictable, but a lot of fun I’ve also done trapunto in some areas, so photographic experimentation will be required to discover the best way to “capture” them. The flat-bed scanner doesn’t really cut it for me.

I’ve been feeling a bit frustrated by not having a more narrow “focus” in my art. I found this quote and it brought me comfort:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

-The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Robert A Heinlein

And (Yay!) here’s finally a view of the Crop Circle quilt, which is so close to being done that it makes me sick to think about it…Isn’t she a beauty?

This one finished up quite nicely! (read the other post about this quilt if you haven’t already.) Click the photo to enlarge. See that seashell in the very middle at the bottom? —it’s “lid” lifts up to reveal a pearl tucked inside! It literally makes me giddy thinking about it, and I start picturing a scene from a SpongeBob SquarePants episode…

…Patrick wanders over, opens the shell, is surprised, giggles uncontrollably, then closes it. Then does it again. And again. So Spongebob hears all the ruckus and comes over to investigate. Then they both re-enact said sequence for another ten minutes or so.

Now, substitute ME for Patrick. It’s actually that amusing to me, folks.

But about the quilt—it combines so many different techniques and fabrics, none of which I specifically planned while I was designing the layout. Lets see…there’s piecing and applique, machine and hand quilting, French knots, trapunto, knitting, Polyfil, beading, a bit of sparkly fabric paint, silk and cottons, and plenty of miscellaneous sheer fabrics. I also used clear lingerie thread on the “sunbeams” in the water. For the seashells and feet on the beach, I printed black and white photo transfers (which I colored with crayons) to iron onto the different fabrics. The back of the quilt is the same teal fabric of the large wave, with just the stitching showing to make an interesting pattern. Total size is approximately 30 x 30 inches.

Best of all, I can say that I definitely learned a whole lot from this quilt. Hopefully I will retain my learning and apply it to the next one…

When making this particular artwork (which can be displayed as a triptych or as separate pieces), I was a bit influenced by my 10 year old step-son…

We had just purchased several musical instruments for our household, and he spent a great deal of time composing his own “song” on the guitar. I particularly liked the title that he gave to his song, which also seemed to be a very good reflection of the artwork that I was making. So I was granted permission to name this piece Beast in the Box in tribute to his melody of the same title.

This triptych is an experiment in using scraps of fabric (leftovers from previous clothing projects) to mimic the color effects of conventionally painted layers. The first and third panels are oil paintings, and the middle panel is made from the various fabrics (machine-quilted). The three panels can be displayed together or separate, in any desired combination, to fit any type of space–heck, you could even turn them sideways and I wouldn’t be too offended!

Beast in the Box takes on a more traditional, two-dimensional form than my other recent works. It is also rare for the subject of my paintings to be abstract. I have finally discovered that what draws me in to my projects is the problem-solving aspect…every piece of scrap or garbage presents a unique problem to be worked out during its transformation from useless junk to beautiful curio.

I usually do not like to give away too much about my interpretation of my artworks, but I will say this: Don’t we all, at sometime or other, feel like we’re a “beast in a box,” constantly getting our tentacles stuck in the cardboard lid?

I’m experimenting with some sheer fabrics to help suggest light/shadow and create the illusion of 3-Dimensional space in this underwater scene. I’m also practicing some trapunto in areas of the wave, which is working out very well!

As usual, I seem to be designing this quilt “the hard way.” Although I did sketch out a plan before starting to cut any fabric, It did not occur to me to plan which layers of color would have to be laid down first, etc. This step would have been helpful, but it would also have taken some of the enjoyment away from the creative process. And because I mainly work with leftover materials, I usually just find a scrap that is the color I need, and then make do with whatever type/weight it happens to be!

I’m working on this quilt for an upcoming contest, so I’ll have more than just these “detail” photos very soon…

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