Buttons&Beads&Quilts!

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

This is the last cut out in the series of beaded art quilts where I used black and white circles with spokes in them, (I still have one to finish). It started out much more yellow than it ended up, but then my art quilts always tell me what they want to have on them. I used vertical stripes of black and white harlequin ribbon to play off the similarly colored spokes in the circles. I also used black industrial zippers half way unzipped to add another decorative embellishment. Black and white buttons of all shapes and patterns are scattered throughout to carry out the black and white theme.

In this detail shot, you can see a lot of those black and white buttons that I was talking about. You can also see, however, many of the other colors that were used in this piece. The background fabric started out as a yellowish piece with mottled orange circles, but by the time I sewed on red seed beads, the background appeared more red than yellow. To balance it out, I had added some yellow fabric bands, which you can see to the left of the photo. In that area, the beading is so intense, that 1 sq. in (2.5 cm sq) = 1 hour’s work. You can also see a lot of the butterflies that I added, both applique and metal pins as I love the creatures.

In this second detail shot, I’ve added some green arrows to point to some of the more subtle details that you wouldn’t see otherwise. In the very center are some square buttons that have red circles on them to play off the red circles on the background fabric. I rarely use anything but round buttons, as it’s hard to get other shapes to line up the way you want them to. These, however, were just too cool to pass up, although I only got five, and I’ve no idea from where.

The other two green arrows point to some cylindrical lampwork beads. The body is orange glass and the ends are flat yellow blobs. They remind me of the candy corn that is popular here in the States. This is the last of those beads, and is another case of where I wish I had bought all the store had at the time. When I realized how much I liked them on an earlier piece, by then the store was of course, out of them, and couldn’t re-order more. However, art does make one creative, and if you look to the very far right, you’ll see flat yellow buttons sewn on with 4 strands of red floss to make a cross and play off the colors of the “candy corn” beads. I was rather proud of myself for that innovation.

As I said, I have one more in the series to finish, which was actually the second to be cut out. (Why? ‘Cause!) I certainly have become expert a making spokes on the circles as the white beads are size 6 (larger) than the size 10 black beads. Also, in the bigger circles, I sometimes had to fill in the black with an extra, short line of beads, as there was more surface area in the “wedge” as you move away from the middle. even though I still have a lot of those black and white circles, but I think it will be awhile before I use them again. However, I’ve learned to “never say never”, especially when it comes to my beaded art quilts.

Do you have any shapes or themes that you tend to use a lot in your artwork? Any idea why you use them?

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You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my spiritual healing work at www.transitionportals.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies),  and Twitter.

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