Textile Postcard Project Week #51

September 16th - 22nd 2018

'Green River Patterns' A whole quilt view

This postcard is very attractive but unfortunately the photograph does not show the sophistication of the colours.
It was part of a small quilt made for inclusion in the ZigZag Tripartite Exhibition in 2005. The inspiration came from the aerial sight of the northern rivers flowing after rains. The land along the rivers is, of course, green. Hence, the name 'Green River Patterns'
The detailed view shows the Twin Needle stitching. The cording, which was twisted by hand from various threads, is couched, by machine, onto the background vivid green fabric.

Detailed view of stitching

            

Textile Postcard Project Week #50

September 9th - 15th 2018

 A second example of the same experimental work using variegated synthetic ribbons, vlisofix and fabric.The base fabric is hand dyed pink cotton which blends with the main piece of work.

Close up view of stitching and ribbon.

Textile Postcard Project Week# 49

September 2nd -8th 2018

This week I have chosen an example  of a technique where I have used a variety of ribbons, gold paper, paint, sheer fabric and vlisofix. The background of the postcard is hand dyed 'pink' cotton fabric which tones with the featured sample.

It was a fun and interesting challenge. I hope readers enjoy this experiment which I will use a sample of, for a couple of weeks. The photo below shows a detail of the stitching.

Detailed photo of stitching and fabrics

Textile Postcard Project Week #48

August 26th - September 1st

 

The piece of textile work on this postcard  was a segment
of a small quilt called 'Snake Track' which was part of my Tripartite series of Quilts exhibited with the 'ZigZag' Art Group.
Commercial cotton fabric forms the background with an applique of hand dyed cotton fabric and hand stitched synthetic ribbon. 

Below is a photo of the whole quilt 'Snake Track'
It was about one meter long and fifteen cms deep.

 

Detailed view of the work

Textile Postcard Project Week # 47

August 19th-25th

Off cut of a small quilt

 The feature of this postcard is an 'off-cut' from a small quilt called 'Wind Waves' which was part of the 'bTripartite' series of quilts made by the art quilt group known as 'ZigZag'. This small quilt was approximately a meter across and 15cms deep, quite long and narrow.
The cotton base of the card and the sample have been 'eco' dyed with rust. This has been hand embroidered, stenciled, stitched with cotton thread and finally accented with Treasure Gold Wax. This sounds like a tedious procedure but in actual fact it is exciting as each layer is added and the visuals are gradually developed. The inspiration for this work was the view of the dunes of the Simpson Desert which appear to go as far as the eye can see. The sands are wind blown into the 'dune' shapes.

View of whole quilt 'Wind Waves'

The comments I wrote about my inspirations at the time I made the quilt were as follows:
"For millions of years wind and water have caused wave marks on beach, river and desert sands. The repetition of these same lines since the beginning of time cause a feeling of wonder in my heart. Wonder at the perpetuity and beauty of nature. Not only are the sand lines in a pattern but the dunes themselves, when seen from the air, are in the same pattern. ... What fun I had building this impression of sand dunes."

Surface details of 'Wind Waves'

Textile Postcard Week # 46

August 12th -18th 2018

This is a postcard with a difference! It is an 'off-cut' from a small quilt. The backing fabric is hand dyed fine cotton. The image (the off-cut) is made from brown paper which was dampened and scrunched, followed by a light ironing. I then painted it in a red rust colour. After the paint dried I embossed it by using a variegated cotton thread in my sewing machine. Finally the piece was rubbed and polished with Treasure Pewter. I was aiming to make the piece look like pressed steel which early last century was used to line the walls in homes.

The image below is the original small quilt, sized 40cm x 40cm, from which the off-cuts were taken. It was made in 2014 and entered and accepted in Ozquilt 'Australia Wide 4'. I think the technique was unusual and very effective.

'Memories in Metal'

Textile Postcard Project Week # 45

August 5th - 11th 2018

'Daisy' postcard

A second stitch sampler postcard. The lime green cotton fabric pictured here was hand dyed, then stamped with a wooden daisy stamp. Finally I have over stitched, by machine and using a variegated rayon thread and 2 different daisy patterns. It was an experimental piece which looks effective mounted on hand dyed brown cotton to make a postcard.

Detail view of daisy patterns