Thin Green Line

Size: 12” x 12”

Materials: Commercial and hand-dyed cottons, cotton batting, polyester embroidery threads, glass beads, hand-made cording for binding.

Techniques: fused applique, free-motion machine embroidery and quilting. Hand sewn beads.

I really liked this theme, and had an idea for it early on. To me the thin green line is all that stands between this living earth and the vacuum of space. I chose to represent it as trees giving off life sustaining oxygen. So here you have my very weird earth hurtling through space, clinging to its ‘thin green line’.

Mask

Size: about 8.5 x 11”

This piece started with a piece of encrusted fabric that I cut into the shape of a butterfly. The edge is trimmed with handmade cording and the beading is added last.   It shimmers because of the angelina fibres and the quilting adds some dimension.

This is a usable piece to which a stick can be added, or a cord to wear it around my head for the next ball. Ahem. 

 It really looks scary on, because the eyes really stand out. 

 Wicked. 

 Maybe it would look cuter on my niece.

Self portrait

Size; 12" x 12"

I admire Greek and Roman mosaics and was wowed the first time I saw one interpreted in fabric. This was my first attempt to try mosaic work using fabric. I started by backing a selection of fabrics with fusible. I printed out an enlarged B/W photo and traced over the main features with a black felt pen. Using a window I traced the main lines of my image onto the background fabric. (I didn’t bother reversing the image, so my nose is bent to the right, instead of to the actual LEFT.) I started with the hair and worked downwards. I focused on paying the most attention to dark/light values of the fabric rather than the actual colour. So if you look closely, my eyebrows are different colours, but you don’t see that at first glance!

It was way more work than I thought it would be – now I have a great respect for those whose main craft is mosaic. The pieces were small and I had to use a needle and tweezers to shift each piece into position. I placed about 6 pieces at a time and then fused. Planning how the pieces would fit the contours was fun. I think I might like to try this again, but with a different subject and larger ‘tiles’. I hope the tiles stick in the long term because there was no way I was going to sew each one down.

Quilting is simple outline quilting, with a few swirls in the background.

This was my first attempt at a self portrait in any medium, and I’m glad I did the exercise. Thanks to whoever made this theme!

Here is a close up:

Seaweed Mandala

Size 12” x 12”

Materials: Batik cotton, cotton batting, polyester embroidery threads in black, cream and blue, Tsukineko ink pens in turquoise.

Techniques: Free motion embroidery, free motion quilting, hand colouring.

A doodle similar to this is in my sketchbook. I was thinking about seaweed mandalas at the the time, and some turquoise and black pottery of my Mom’s. I spent HOURS on this piece. First, doodling with the sewing machine, then picking out bits of stabilizer from the back. At that time I was pretty happy with the piece and decided to give it a press with the iron. What a ~~~~~MISTAKE~~~~.

Perhaps the iron was too hot, because the polyester embroidery thread SHRUNK! The piece lost an inch all around and puckered terribly. I couldn’t do anything about it. Wetting didn’t help. Thank goodness I had cut a generous starting square, and thank goodness the design is more or less symmetrical and the puckers were even all over.

I didn’t lose any sleep over it and quilted it up in fairly simple outline quilting.  I am pleased with the results and love the texture. 

Here’s a close-up picture of the embroidery design.

Inner Animal

Size:  approx 12" x 12"

The theme for this art quilt was "Inner Animal".

When I started thinking about my inner animal I thought of a timid mouse. My husband, however, cheered me up and said it wasn’t true. I used to be a synchronized swimmer (right through university) and I still have swimming dreams. They’re like flying dreams because I can breath under water.

So the dolphin idea was born. It started out as a boring purple dolphin on this piece of hand-dyed fabric that I was saving. It sat like that. Boring, boring, boring; not a very happy dolphin!

After a while I decided it was time to play. The swirls were born out of a variegated pink and blue rayon thread. Still boring. I opened up the latest issue of Quilters Newlsetter and there in the back “photo finish” was the most beautiful quilt with paisley appliques on it called “Open up Your Dream Flower”. So I filled in the spaces with paisley designs in lots of colours. I doodled with my Tsukineko ink pens as I went. More detail, and more colour.

Suddenly my dolphin was having fun again!

Underwater

Size: approx: 8 ½ “ x 11”

This piece began its life as a sampler in an embellishment class. I was experimenting with various techniques like:

foiling on the fish scales,

angelina fibres on the dorsal fins and tail,

drawing and stitching on metal for the eye and lips,

and yarn embellishment on the belly.

Satin stitch outline,

And there is paint on the fish body and the denim background.

Pure whimsey, nothing more!

Windows

Size: 9 ¾” x 12 ¼”

Windows. What could be simpler than a picture I drew while looking out from a window at Refuge Cove while visiting my friend last summer? Looking southwest the very distant mountains on the left are Vancouver Island. That is Cortez Island in the middle distance. And some islets inside Refuge Cove are in the foreground.

I used Staedler watercolour pencil crayons. They seem to have a more intense pigment than other crayons that I’ve used. After drawing the image I painted over with Golden #900 fabric painting medium and a small paintbrush. It is a very liquid medium and dries with a soft hand. I also heat set the piece after a couple of days. I’ve used a single layer of cotton batting.

Next I stitched using a combination of polyester embroidery threads and cotton threads in different colours. I used the poly where I wanted the stitches to be shiny, like on the water and the tree tops. I used cotton thread on the rocks and tree trunks. The quilting is simple and sketchy.

I’ve left a narrow border of the white fabric showing although I could have cut the piece down to 8 ½ x 11. I think it looks like a mat border and with the brown binding frames the piece nicely.

Here is a close up: