I Want To Give You The World...

There is a reason that I haven't posted in 5 months....my daughter's wedding quilt. Not that it took this long to create, but it was a surprise that culminated in the presentation during the reception of our Cake Eater's Show at Two Twelve Art Center in Saline, MI.  I couldn't take the chance of her happening on a post before the surprise was ready.  Thank you for your patience!

My last post chronicled my newest passion of glue resist fabric painting which I had learned only a few weeks previous.  I fell in love with this fun and free technique that gives the look of batik.  I was so inspired that I decided to create a world quilt for my world traveling daughter and her new husband.

They live in Singapore.  In fact, that is where she met Enghui.  They have been saving their pennies for the last three years so they could travel the world for a year.  Quite the honeymoon don't you think?

How was I going to create the world?  After all, I'm not God!  So I sized it down a bit.  First, I printed out a map of the world, and after deciding on the size of the quilt, I drew the map into 10 inch grid sections.

Then I pre-washed a good quality white muslin fabric and cut it into 10.5"square sections.  I then started drawing in the continents using Elmer's blue gel school glue. This was a technique I had just learned the previous month in my fiber arts guild.  These prayer flags were my first attempts...

This was used in the finished quilt as the tag.  it is a reproduction of their wedding invitation.

After letting the glue dry, the hand painting began.  

When all the continents were painted and detailed using salt to create texture, I heat set each square using my hand iron then soaked them in warm water for several hours to loosen the glue.  Finally, I tossed them into the washing machine to wash the rest out and iron dried them.

 Now I had to decide how to create the oceans that had no land touching them.  I considered solid or patterned fabrics but they just seemed too static for the free form of hand painting.  So I chose another new technique I had learned at a friend's home with another group of fiber friends called the Dragon Ladies.  This technique was called "Ice Dying".  I used Procion powder dyes sprinkled over mounds of ice piled onto pre-treated and crumpled muslin.

After heat setting these, I began piecing my world puzzle together on the top of my bed.  I began to get quite excited by the results!

I was able to stitch them together, create a backing piece, and prepare the binding in advance and have the top and backing to the long arm quilter the day before Lauren and Enghui arrived home.  Then secretly, I bound, attached the label/wedding invitation, and a hanging sleeve without their notice.  Then the hardest part began.  I had to wait for the artist reception to present this gift!

Here is a preview in the Saline Post featuring my quilt!
http://thesalinepost.com/section/arts-entertainment/blog/arts/two-twelve-arts-show-i-want-give-you-world/1447196903

It was wonderful watching their reaction when they realized the quilt was for them!  Enghui was the first to notice.  "Why is our wedding invitation on this quilt" he asked.

Lauren examining the back of the quilt.

Landscape, Lace, and Long Ago

When I'm not working, I'm generally found in my studio...working!  Lately I've been obsessed with fiber.  My fiber guild decided to show some of our work at Saline library next week, so I've been up to my ears in fiber, fabric, and thread!  Here's a couple of examples of what I've been working on step by step......

Landscape

Did you notice the onion bag I incorporated?

Lace

Long Ago

This piece you might remember, was for the Paris Challenge.  I called it "Paris 1940's"

Still Stitching!

Phase two of my neutral (for the most part) mixed media/fabric collage...

Fabric, Layer, Stitch, Repeat

It seems this last year of my life has been about rediscovering art.  I've never given up working with my hands, but it has been in a more practical way.  Planting, harvesting, preserving, caring for animals, perhaps creating the occasional greeting card, or putting together a few scrapbooks have been the extent of my creating things.  It appears I left having art in my life when I left college. Until this last year, that is. 

The last 12 months I have been rediscovering the art of creating in many different media through classes at Two Twelve Art Center and Quilting Season.  I've worked in creating acrylic paintings, recycled sketchbooks, needlework and embroidery, felting, mobiles, glass, photography, drawing, collage, paper weaving, encaustic, and quilting.

In that time, I have discovered  an affinity for encaustic collage and fabric/fiber collage.  I've used my sewing machine more in the last 6 months than I did since owning it in the last 17 years!  I've enjoyed the process of experimenting and collaborating with other artists on their techniques.  This fabric collage I am working on currently is from verbal instructions I received from fellow artist, Kat, a gracious teacher who is always willing to share her knowledge with others.

This is not a finished piece, mind you.  It is still a work in progress.  As I continue to put my composition training to work, and experimenting with different textures and color theory, I have a long way to go!  This piece is taking a bit more time as I have been working with all hand sewing and embroidery.

Here are some details:

Here are my first steps in the project:

I'm hoping to work on a series of this type.  I'll post more as it unfolds.  If you have any tips or comments on what I've done, please post!  I welcome all comments and critiques.  Happy Creating!

Mirror, Mirror...

My self portraits are finished and ready to hang for the upcoming self portrait show at 212 Arts Center.  In my self portrait art quilt I've shown cropped portions of the eyes...

but for the most part I've kept the piece under wraps until it was completed.  Well, it is completed!  Here it is...

It's a little wacky, and the lips are very strange but I had fun with it.  It involved A TON of hand stitching, a few charms, and one chicken!  Oh, and if you recognize the fabric...Shhhh, don't tell (wink, wink).

My second piece is from a class I took with Jean Canavan where we painted our self portrait using mirrors in the style of an old master.  I chose Modigliani, hence my title: "Modigliani and Me"

Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style, characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form.  To see examples of his work look here.

If I have enough time, I may try an encaustic self portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo.  I wonder how I'll look with a uni brow!  Stay tuned...