Winter Justice; Panels 1-4

This is the first time seeing the panels hung as a group! They are being shown at two local churches this season. Wow! I even surprise myself sometimes...The details really made these pieces come alive.

The final name of this series is “Winter Justice”. I created the artwork after meeting Supreme Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She was wearing a lovely embroidered jacket with similar blossoms. Be careful what you wear in public, it could become a work of art.

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 6

The finished panels are exciting and lively! I am inspired to create more panels and can’t wait to get more hand dyed fabric. I’m really glad my sister made me dig these out from the heap of unfinished projects this winter! I’ll post all four panels soon: their debut showing is just around the corner!

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 5

Glass beads, leaves, and some metallic paints highlight the garden elements. This is the most time consuming job for me!

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 4

Painting the large flowers gave them definition, accentuated the stitching, and made them the focal point.

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 3

To give weight to the compostion, I stitched in some details to give the piece an earthy feel. Applying paint to the stones added brightness to the understory of the garden.

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 2

I wanted to create a garden effect with my freehand quilting, so I added lots of small details such as a spider webs, random leaves and vines, thistles, and flower petals.  

The Sandra Day O'Connor Series - Day 1

Inspiration for these quilts came from a hand dyed Carol Eaton fabric with a myriad of glorious colors. I completely stitched one piece of fabric and intended on making one quilt… and then decided to cut it into four pieces of artwork! The photos tell parts of the whole story, showing the development of four lovely flower gardens!

Although I did very little sketching, I did sketch the details of the large, abstract flowers. I had first envisioned pansies but I didn't like the way they stitched out. The abstract flowers I designed captured the large areas of color in the fabric.

The rest of the garden images flowed out of my imagination as I spontaneously stitched the fabric, following its many colors. I did not mark the quilt in order to allow creative expression while following the shades and shadows of the dyed fabric.

Monet - Boats Leaving the Harbor - Day3

The frame echoed the brushed effect in the artwork. Under lights, this piece really shines! It’s ready for the gift shop (visit www.svartist for details of the tapestry).

Monet - Boats Leaving the Harbor - Day2

Paint did not complete the look I was working toward so I stitched the waves to give them more movement. At first I hated the light thread but then found it to be more effective because the dark threads distracted my eye from the Monet style of brush strokes. The dark threads add dimension to the waves.

TIP: When painting with acrylic paint, use a light touch to allow the fabric to show through, giving the piece a translucent effect.

Monet - Boats Leaving the Harbor - Day1

I am painting a tapestry and this is my first attempt at copying a Master artist depicting water. The postcard shows an early work by Claude Monet, “Boats Leaving the Harbor”, owned by the Hill-Stead Museum (www.hillstead.org). In keeping with Monet’s palette, I used burnt umber and raw sienna to give these sailboats a silhouette look and avoided black and white paint. Champagne paint capped the waves.

TIP: Painting on the back of fabric gives a very subdued effect and can make your subject matter more prominent. Be sure to turn over fabric during the auditioning step!

Topsy Turvy: Island Batik Blog Hop

 

“Cool Cat” is a colorful art quilt that is fun and easy to sew. I used three colorful fabric groupings from Island Batik with a panel from my stash from Indonesia. I had been saving the panel for 10 years, waiting for the perfect fabric.

 

It was so fun auditioning the colorful groupings "In Full Bloom", "In the Summertime", and "Quilted in Honor". As you can see, many of Island Batik fabric groupings can be used in the same project. The fabrics were outstanding for this "Cool Cat"

Anyone can enjoy piecing these easy Log Cabin blocks with all this wonderful color. My pattern, “Topsy Turvy”, can be used to accentuate any panel or large print fabric. Best of all, creating art means not having to match any seams! To enjoy making this project for yourself, visit my website www.svartist.com to purchase the pattern, "Topsy Turvy". All of my patterns are quilter-tested. Additional pictures showing the steps will be sent with your purchase.