Designing and working through the process.
When I create a new ‘Significant‘ Quilt, I spend time auditioning the process. It helps me get my head to my place of confidence.
I’m not a Textile artist who works in a single genre, I like to explore the extraordinary and implement the ordinary in my own way.
I decided to create the arm and hand of the old woman. Should I do it in block colors? or realistically?
I used my iPad pro and adobe sketch to outline the colors of the image.
The image is reversed because and placed on a lightbox. I use a fusible web to trace the pattern on to and then I iron that image to the back of the fabric I’ve chosen.
This is a silicone baking sheet and it’s a little sticky, however, each small piece placed over the pattern in effectively a jigsaw of textiles.
I work very closely with the picture taking note of every detail despite this being a small part of the quilt.
I, often lift and replace until I have it exactly correct. In this case I did the fingers and the shading about 6 times.
Then I begin to shade. I make no bones about the fact that I know how to draw and blend colors, but the secret is to use the right fabric and the right pens and pencils to achieve the effect of a seamless but effective image.
NO – I’m not going to give away all my secrets.
This is the piece placed on an antique piece of Kantha Quilt. Its actually 6 layers of fabric stitched by hand. Probably old cotton Saris and as you can see its been mended in some areas.
The finished piece.Stitched in sketch form on the sewing machine.
I hand stitched a small border and now it’s complete.
This is an audition, but will also be a display piece.
Oh Pam how wonderful to see how you did this what a lesson in patience and skill. Thanks so much for taking the photos step by step. Happy New Year and thanks for another wonderful year with you and your camera eye, a year of beauty, travel. fun, a little sadness and masses of COLOUR. Cheers Glenda FNQLD
Nice work Pam. Happy New Year to you.
how amazing
Thanks so much for showing this process, Pam, as I didn’t know where to begin when it came to “skin” ~ New Year blessings!
Beautiful. Thank you for letting us in on the process!
What an amazing piece and documented each part of your journey to create makes it all the more amazing to me you are very gifted artist thank you for sharing!
Love that hand coming out of the quilt fabric! I thought it was all painted!
After taking your class last year, I am timidly using my pens more and more to shade and blend.
I also like the “sketch-like” thread painting, rather than heavier thread painting.
My head will explode with your “outside-the-box” examples. You give me permission to be
curious and creative. Thank you for sharing your creative soul with all of us!
I am new to your blog and this post fascinates me. I too, make a realistic human images using inks, pencils and maybe even crayons on fabric. Did the edges of the fused fabric give you a problem when you were doing your coloring magic? I am hesitant to make the step to fusing but you seem to have mastered it using my medium which gives me the nerve to maybe try.
Fantastic!