Tufting

This makes great 'grass.' I have my fingers crossed that I will actually manage to upload a scan of the article!
(In a readable form would also be useful)!

I GOT FISH...

Nothing to show this time... In between the seasonal madness I have thought about my fish... I am endeavoring to 'come to grips' with my skill base and tailor both my ideas and quilt to match... I am afraid that 'my eyes get too big for my stomach' to coin an phrase my mother used to say... In other words I have all these grand ideas and no way of executing them. But I have been 'hunting and gathering' look at other art quilts and fish - never has there been a time when fish have interested me so much - except on an a occasional Friday night wrapped in white paper accompanied by chips!!!!! I am also bearing in mind not to frighten myself into a standstill by looking at other art quilts... I guess you all know the wishing and sighing stage - 'I WISH I could do that followed by the inevitable long sigh!!!! This is usually followed by a 'downing of tools' - after all I couldn't possible DO that so why bother... BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!!!

P, my partner had an idea about the shape of my fish - he suggested looking at origami folding... I have considered it and it doesn't seem such a bad idea - after all this is an art quilt not a biological study...

If nothing more at this stage this venture has sparked my interest at looking at other work and 'thinking outside of the square'...

How are we all going???? What are we all up to???

art quilt challenge

I've done it . Not sure how. but here are my jugs and pots pic...........Margaret

Art Quilt Challenge

S. O. S......... I would like to put my picture in ,for everyone to see, but although I had some instructions from Jane, I haven't yet been able to do this. Frustration should be my name. My picture is at present on an Email from my granddaughter... I shall move it, and save it, in readiness........... Margaret...

my picture

I now have my picture on Email, and if I can work out how to send it ,it will soon be on show here. I may need help !!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR , Margaret

Very quiet here.

It's very quiet here but I suppose it is due to the Christmas madness. Hopefully lots of us are enjoying a holiday. My days off are being spent trying out new techniques which may get used in this challenge. Still don't have my picture so I am coming up with all sorts of ideas for everyone else's!!!!
Aren't the planning stages such fun?
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Art Quilt Challenge

Art Quilt Challenge
Originally uploaded by Jam_mam.

This photograph is my 'inspiration' from Jane for the Art Quilt Challenge. I am really pleased with it - I like the colours and the subject and the shapes. I don't have any immediate ideas but if anyone would like to make suggestions, please feel free to do so. Not really going to start anything on this until after Christmas but it is great to have it here before then, bubbling away in the background. Thanks Jane :)

Transferring posts from forum (I hope)

trying ....Yes....you can buy soluble by the metre but it is also sold as "laundry bags"....used in hospitals and the like when dirty linen is placed in it and of course then dissolves when in the washer. I'm not sure there is a name for the result, it as it is more a technique. Basically the soluble (Wash Away it's often called) forms the base of the piece you want to make....you then add whatever you want on top....wool fleece, fancy yarn, snippets of fabric. Depending on the size you are making you can adhere all the bits with bonding powder which makes it easier to carry to the machine. You can also lay tulle or chiffon over the top if you want a non lacy piece. The important thing is to stitch ALL over it, free machine or grid using plain or fancy thread, this is all that is going to hold it together. When finished wash away the soluble. Laundry bag type requires very hot water so you need to be aware any natural fibres will shrink. There is Wash Away that dissolves in cold water. I think that sort you can find in Spotlight. The resulting effect is fabulous. I have found an article on the stitch I mentioned...it is tufting with the only skill needed is being able to do a herringbone stitch. If you want to pm me am email addy I can scan it or even put it on blog if others are interested.

Cobweb felt is just a lighter version of the heavy stuff. You can make it quite whispy or denser...whatever you like. Very quick too... Wet towel on the bench to stop everything moving lay down a piece of bubble wrap lay down a piece of net (tulle you buy for tutu's etc) lay down some wool fleece the length you want and pulled apart so your felt will end up fine....place several pieces vertically across to whatever size (larger than you want the finished piec as it will shrink) lay another layer, same or different colour, horizontally decorate this if you want with more coloured fleece or silk fibres place another piece of net over this hand sprinkle on hand hot water until very wet rub all over with cake of soap using your hand work the water and soap all over, circular movements turn whole piece over and do the back when it looks like it is holding together rollup the bubble wrap and roll on the bench, undo and turn 90deg, roll again test to see if fibres have felted......the net will pull away easily take off the net, rinse well, put out to dry. If you don't like the look of it, push and pull it, add more and refelt once dry do with it what you will The whole process takes only minutes, any longer and you are about to make dense felt.

Hope this works transferring from the forum!

My thoughts on my piccy

I really do love this picuture. I can see myself there. Just over the fence picking apples in the orchard - or is that cherries.

I, like Sam am not planning to alter my piccy much as I really love it as it is. What I am thinking of doing is making it into 4 post card size pieces. Which would alter your perspective of this scene quite a deal.

I havent thought much on the techiniques I owuld use, but I agree with Linda that felting would be a grreat medium specially for the trunk. I thought that even b4 I Pinup mentioned her cobwed felt.

My skills are very basic and I was just going to applique mine but I might try a little beaading and definately some 3d work in there somewhere.

Love to hear some otherideas onwhat you would do with my piccy.

Gail

Sambo's ute...

I GOT FISH...

Here is a very rough sketch from my visual diary of an idea for the 'rainbow fish' quilt - that is its working name... My idea - at this stage is to have fish emerging from the end of the rainbow - the fish closest to the front will be whole, 3D and embellished - the further back the fish the less detail it will have until one will be half visible and a stitched outline only. I have had a very quick read about the symbolism of fish, dolphins, rainbows and mandalas and there is a definite theme which have 'connecting' elements for me. I guess the more I get into this the more ideas will develop and very likely change. That is why I have begun the visual diary - a first for me - as I am interested to see from this point how far my ideas go and what changes. I am thinking at this stage I want to proto type one of the fish - as a closer look at the original picture I see that the fish look to be 'swimming' in a set direction - once I have that I think that the natural swirl of the rainbow will fall into place. At this moment I am thinking fabric paint for the rainbow. I have had a thought that I want the centre to be round and the outside borders to be square as is the formation of a traditional mandala. Not sure yet where the dolphin will come in - but he is an important part in the scheme of things.

I have found some fabric in my stash that will be perfect for the fish - it was a furnishing sampler which had a swatch of 32 colours plus a huge piece of the pale blue which may end up as the background. Very early days yet - so I guess we will see... I can anticipate a lot of work ahead. But as the saying goes - a thousand mile journey begins with a single step...

Each time I make an entry to this thread I intend to print it off and put it in my diary as a constant record. And yes, it is the week before Christmas...

Globally Challenged

I have finally got my batteries charged and am able to post a pic of my pic. I have changed the name of my piece which will now be "Globally Challenged" which will still be four panels. Glad to see everyone using the blog and getting the hang of it. I myself am very new to this as well so bear with me when asking questions as I probably don't know the answer either but will endeavout to find one for you quickly. Is every one having fun yet or are you all still cursing me when I am not around :)

I GOT FISH...

Here it is girls - my fish... I have a lot of ideas 'running' around. My first thoughts after I saw the picture - apart from 'crikey' - was the arc of the dolphin and the colours of the fish - it made me think of a rainbow. Then that thought 'travelled' onto 'round' and things that go round. I am really into symbols - so what was round and colourful and a symbol - mandalas. A few years ago I was really into mandala art - not making - more looking. The concept and philosophy behind mandalas fasinate me. I am not sure where all these thoughts are going or if they are just the first of many, but that was my inital reaction and I wanted to share it with you. Whilst I feel 'challenged' by this challenge it also excites me as I have taken a big step into the unknown. I am a very basic crafter - but because this challenge is 'outside the square' for me-in as much as I only have a picture as my starting point - the rest is up to me - that really inspires that part of me which is the artist. The promise of things to come - I feel a bit like Dorothy on the yellow brick road to Oz.

artquiltchallenge2006

my picture has arrived, and will give me a headache I'm sure, but then it is a challenge isn't it. Margaret

Gails Piccy

Hi all My piccy arrived today. I really love this piccy I can see textures and light and shade and all sorts of interestingthings. Now to see how I can make a masterpice formthis.

Gail

Linda's picture

This must be my umpteenth go at posting a picture. I hope a dozen almost indentical posts don't arrive all at once!! The picture is growing on me and the more I look at it, the more ideas I am getting. Sounds silly to say but this picture looks much more 3D than the magazine page. 

Hello All

Hi everyone. Loads of really interesting stuff on this and I need some time to get up to speed but I am really pleased Belle forced me (okay, mentioned it once) to join in as I was having a 'no swaps' year - yeh, right! So off to do some homework with the lovely links everyone has provided, Maureen. but please excuse me if I am a little hard of understnading on thsi one as I am flyinf by the seat of my pants! I'll post a piccie of my piccie as soon as it arrives - thanks to Jane for another brilliant idea :)

Further along.

Further along showing four main pieces being 'auditioned'....you will notice in this pic that the right hand piece is soooooo not working!

Success at last! Here is the beginning stages of Scream. You will see in the book at the back how small the pic was to begin. I photocopied it to A2 size (half of it A3 then other half and stuck it together) A2 is plan size photocopying so expensive as it needs special machine. I then traced the major elements onto vilene using a dark marker.Then I broke this into what I saw as the main elements. In this case there is top....the sky, the brooding colour below, the pier (the diagonal lines) the remaining right side and Scream will be last. Then I traced this tracing onto another piece of vilene. You can cut this into the pieces and use this to begin sewing snippets of fabric on but I actually used a third piece of vilene so I could have some overlap (more of that later). In the pic I have made two of the fabric bits, loads of pieces using the colours of the original pic......the yellowish piece is the sky and that is firstly sewn all over with straight stitching, accented with fancy stitches and painted with an oil stick(not shown in this photo. Over this I placed net to blend it all together. Same principle with the bit below.
I'll stop now to let you absorb that!

The Challenge for Maureen

 

This scene arrived in the mail today..........mmmmmmmm! When I see what Ted and Joy have to manipulate,I think I got off easily!
All I'll say at this point is I LOVE the pic,but I'm NOT planning a choc box cover....I've got a few ideas I'd like to experiment with! 

My Art Quilt Challenge picture arrived in the post today. After days of anticipation and imagining using all of my colourful beads.....................ummmm...........not quite what I was imagining. This will certainly be a challenge as I am determined to use beads. 

hi,
the_hutchinsons signing in :)
it finally worked yay!!!
nat

Hi

Hi its Gail herre, just checking that I got this thingy working ok.

Gail

Sharlee52...

I am here too !!!!! S/52

Hi ~ I am looking forward to participating in this challenge. I hope to be able to incorporate my beads as much as possible.

Joy >i<

I'm in

Thanks for sending the invite Jane, I'm all signed up, almost raring to go :)

I'm testing too!

Did I do it???

Testing,testing

As we seem to be having problems,this is a test blog to see if comments can be added

2006 ART QUILT CHALLENGE BEGINS

After signing up for the challenge I will send you a picture from a magazine. The challenge is for you to design and make a quilt with this picture, you may use any material (not necessarily fabric) to complete this quilt. It may be of any size and does not need to be a fabric photo of the picture that you have been sent, but does need to have a resemblance to the picture you received. There is no start date as we will not be having partners to swap material with but the finish date will be the 1st August 2006. As usual at the end of the challenge we will post a poll with a prize for best polling entry If you are interested in stepping out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself and your sewing machine please forward your name, address and email addy to me.

Please feel free to post on this site progress pics, helpful hints, techniquesand inspiration, as some of us will need all the help we can get :)