I haven't blogged about the bigger quilt though, since it was for a show with rules about that, so it's all new here! For these smaller quilts, I started with two pieces of already quilted fabric that had been trimmed off of the bigger quilt during the squaring up. It's kind of hard to see in the first picture, but if you look at the second picture, you can see it's two different pieces. Since they were already quilted, I attached them together using bias tape. I had enough of these quilted pieces to make three small quilts, and each one is slightly different.
To back up a little bit, both the top and bottom sections started as white polyester fabric that I painted with latex house paint in blue-grey-purple. The pieces were then quilted (again all as part of something much larger), the bottom to look like plank flooring and the top in some random fillers meant to feel like wind and the outdoors. Of course since they didn't make bias tape in the right color, I had to paint it too.
For these smaller pieces, I then designed my composition in illustrator (that's my silhouette looking out the window) and printed it on freezer paper. I then quilted around everything in the picture (window frames and person), and tore off the paper.
Next, I used my silhouette cutter to cut the silhouette of the person out of adhesive foil so I could use it as a stencil. I used my silver, blue, purple, and black Shiva paintsticks to shade in the silhouette and then removed the foil.
Next I mixed up some more of my latex paint and painted in the window frames in a darker shade than the background. In the picture just below you can see the stitched outline of the window frame and then in the subsequent picture you can see I've painted it purple. It didn't really matter about going over the lines into the window because as you can see in the third picture, my last step was to cut out the window panes to give an openwork feel. I sealed the cut edges with my soldering iron so there'd be no fraying (thus the polyester fabric).
Here they are all faced and finished, one will be donated to the SAQA auction and the other two will just be for sale. Thanks to Mike for taking the pictures. It was fun to use up the extra bits cut off from another project and I'm anxious to show you guys the bigger quilt in a few months! My goal was for the pieces too evoke thoughtfulness and reflection. Maybe hopefulness or calm, or even anxiety or sadness.
Linking up with Nina-Marie as always!
So cool! I love this
ReplyDeleteI really like these. Thanks for showing your process.
ReplyDeleteShannon: These are wonderful. I can't believe they were cut off the larger project... and you've brought them to life all on their own. I love these - but when I read the first half of your post, it feels like you are writing in another language because I have never done half that stuff you are describing. Geez... you should be teaching this stuff! In the meantime, I will look for yours at the SAQA auction!
ReplyDeleteThese are very beautiful, atmospheric, thoughtful pieces. I could spend a long time looking at them, in the same way as the figures are standing looking out too. You would never guess that you were using left over bits - they look as if they were created just for this.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways you could interpret them. For me, there is a sadness there. The fact that the background quilting shows through the figure, makes is seem as if the person is both there and not there - and then, what is she seeing out of the window, and is she free to get there?
Beautiful pieces