Thread Drawing - Wading Bird

Today I just couldn't bring myself to toss a remnant of painter's drop cloth so I thought It might be a good pallet on which to practice some improvisational, free motion thread drawing.  Since the remnant was long and narrow, whatever I drew seemed to beg to be elongated.  What better than a long legged wading bird?  This is what emerged.

Here are a few close-ups to show the stitching.

Even though I used two layers of stabilizer under the canvas, the dense, free motion thread drawing tended to make fabric outside of the edges of the bird image become somewhat "rumpled".  To salvage the thread drawing, I cut around it and then zigzag stitched it onto another canvas remnant.  That did the trick.  Because canvas tends to fray terribly, I applied a thin layer of Weldbond glue around the edges and spread it thinly with a soft bristle paint brush.  The glue dries clear and is no problem to stitch through. 

And, once again, here is the finished bird.  I used a silver Sharpie pen to color in the bill.  When completed, I hemmed both the top and bottom edges and left the ends open so that those spaces would accept a small dowel rod.  In my stash of laces and pipings, etc., I found a length of braided cotton cording that seemed to work perfectly for hanging.

Always remember, never fear to experiment.  

Sometimes wonderful things happen.

© Linda Friedman 2017.  All rights reserved

"Between Heaven and Earth" to make a showing

I was totally thrilled to find out this morning that my work, "Between Heaven and Earth," has been accepted into the upcoming "Plant Life" show at the Linus Art Galleries in Long Beach/Signal Hill, California.

"Between Heaven and Earth" ©Linda Friedman 2012

This 38" (W) x 48" (L) quilted work contains elements of hand painting, stamping with flora from my garden, machine and hand applique, and free motion quilting.  It first debuted with the Quilts on the Wall, "Bridges" exhibit and traveled throughout the United States for two years.  Again, it appeared with Beyond the Edge Fiber Artists in the "Fiber Perceptions" exhibit at the Cerritos Public Library in Cerritos, California .  Now, this fiber friend of mine comes back to take another stroll with me, this time into an outstanding art gallery.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoy greeting each new day.  Surprises always await the rising sun.

Always remember, never fear to experiment.  

Sometimes wonderful things happen.

© Linda Friedman 2016.  All rights reserved

Birth of a Royal Guardian - Peacock Art (continuation)

I find myself incredulous that my post of yesterday was cut off.  When I looked at it today, the final part was gone.  Drats!  Let's see if I can't re-create it now.  Yesterday's post seems to have ended with sewing the peacock's crown.  Here we go with a continuation...

After the crown was sewn onto the backing, the body and tail of the peacock were pinned to the backing and then machine appliqued to the backing, starting with the head and stopping where the tail hangs off the canvas.

Machine Appliqueing the Body to the Backing.

After the machine appliqueing was complete, I randomly added claw shapes made from glass beads across the background and finished the work by adding heat sensitive rhinestones, also in a random manner.

Beaded Claw Shapes and Heat Set Rhinestones

Once the work was complete, I wrapped the quilt around the stretched canvas, stapled it to the wooden stretcher bars, glued black mat board to the back and finished it with D-rings and wire for hanging.

Waalaa, the work was complete and ready to hang on a wall.

Ruminations on Why I Chose to Use a Peacock to Express the "Boundless" Theme

The occurrence of multicolored iridescence in nature has always captivated my interest and stimulated my imagination.  To me, the male peacock is the king of radiant iridescence. After studying this bird extensively, I clearly understand why in Japanese culture the peacock was historically considered a guard to the royal palace.  To me, it is, indeed a “Royal Guardian”.

Exhibit Information

"Royal Guardian" will be on exhibit at the Cerritos Library for the months of August and September, 2015, along with other quilted and mounted art works by members of Beyond the Edge Fiber Artists.  If you happen to be in the area, I hope you will stop by the library to visit the exhibit.  The address of the library is: 

18025 Bloomfield Ave

Cerritos, CA 90703

Thanks for visiting and...

Always remember, never fear to experiment.  

Sometimes wonderful things happen.

© Linda Friedman 2015.  All rights reserved

 

Floral Theme with Bumble bee

"All a Buzz"

(a work in progress)

The inspiration for this quilt came from a quick sketch that I did of a pitcher with flowers. With the exception of the flower heads it is nothing like the sketch. The flowers and stems were fused and then loosely raw edge stitched with monofilament thread.

I drew this bee on a swatch of yellow fabric, put it in an embroidery hoop and set about free motion embroidering it on the sewing machine. The bee is only pinned onto the fabric in this picture. The edges need to be cut more closely and I believe that I am going to shade its body a bit to give it volume. When the quilt is complete, I will post a picture of the finished work.

Enjoy the day!