Japanese Royal Crest - The Radish

The Radish

I don't know what the radish symbolizes in the Japanese culture, but it is a recurring motif for a royal crest.  This is one of the many blocks that are in my newest quilt.  I am in the quilting stage, which is moving along smoothly.  I have had fun trying to keep myself entertained in each phase of this quilt - from designing each applique, combining with other fabrics, and now the quilting.

FAB Collage - Curves

Curves

A bit of whimsy. The curved heads started this piece.  Aren't the organic lines in nature just the most gorgeous things! 

Artist Book - Aunt Valerie

This was the first project I created using Photoshop.

Porthole Finish and Corduroy Qulting

Porthole Finish  - This is the back!

Rather than figuring out how to make facings, I cut a hole and finished it with bias silk and then made a pillow case finish with it.   Now you can see the quilting lines, but also have a nice finished look.  Heck, if I wanted to; I could even hang them this way - it looks that good!!  

Corduroy Quilting

Helene Davis  is a master dyer and a very talented fiber artist.  She pointed out to me that the problem with quilting is that sometimes the stitch line hides the beauty of the cloth. So she developed the corduroy stitching. I listen to her very carefully because she "sees" so much more than I do. 

Not only that, but she sets her mind to solving problems, and then she is generous enough to share her "secrets" with me.

Here are two companion pieces.  The one on the left has not been quilted at all.  The shibori stitches resisted the dye and create lovely and subtle patterns.  But if I quilted along with the design, you would lose the subtleties of the shibori. The piece on the right has been corduroy quilted. You can see the quilting lines, but you can also still see the subtle dye shifts of the shibori.  





    

Porthole - Indigo Rocket

Indigo Rocket

Rather than making a standard quilting block, I tried to use some of my blue shibori pieces to make a design and this triangular pattern was what came about.  I wanted to say something about the quilting lines.  I have found that quilting around the design obfuscates the pattern.  So this time I tried the "corduroy" quilting. Somehow these straight lines allow you to see the subtlety of the cloth.  To add a bit of interest I used a variegated thread, so when there is low contrast the thread "disappears" and in high contrast areas it "sparks".  It is not controllable, but I think control is over-rated.    

Quilt - Inca Alter

Inca Alter

This is the quilt I made last year at Quilting by the Lake. I wanted to use my appliques in a non-blocky way.  I don't think I was successful at that, so this year I will try again! 

I was more successful in using my surface design fabrics. The background is my deconstruction fabric and the circular shape above the tower was a piece of shibori.  The "tower" was created by first painting the cloth with a gradation of color, then folding the cloth into 60 degree folds, clamping it with 2 triangular shapes and dyeing it again.   

Photo - A simple leaf - NOT

An Elephant Ear

It's just a leaf - or so you might think.  But when you look at it, really look at it, you realize that its a whole world!  

It is a factory that transforms light and water into fuel. Then look at the distribution system of a plant - all in one little package - and then multiply it a trillion times and that is what's going on all around you - producing oxygen so we can breath. Isn't nature grand.

Applique - Feather

Feather

I have been appliqueing aboriginal designs onto some deconstructed cloth I made.  These are little squares - the design is no larger than 4.5".  I haven't a clue what the end product will be, but right now I am just enjoying the sewing. Since the background fabric is "busy", the motifs are pretty simple.