Buttons&Beads&Quilts!

Sometimes, diverse materials, often times acquired over several years, come together to inspire one of my art quilts. “Feathers and Stars, Stars and Feathers” is such a piece. The key piece for the feather part of the theme was the gold costume pin in the lower middle of the photo on the left. Found in a thrift store, I bought it, not knowing how it would be used. I just knew that I had to have it. The barbs in the sides of the metal feather were very detailed so I paid the $8 price to add it to my stash. (My usual limit on an individual object is $5, unless something is really special, such as this one.) Another aspect of this pin was that one side was solid, while on the other side the barbs were attenuated, almost like veins. (You can see a close-up detail of this pin in the next photo below.) I imagine that the woman who donated it to the thrift store would be surprised to find where it ended up not on a scarf, where she probably wore it, but as part of a work of art.

Probably the next acquisition in the sequence was the three iron-on, black, silver, and gold feather appliques.(See the right side of the photo on the left.) There was a gold midrib down the center of each that begged to be emphasized by, what else… but gold buttons. My box of gold buttons is probably one of my largest, and to thoroughly delve into the contents, I often have to upend the box to find the treasures hidden in the bottom. I’ve taken to sorting buttons of the same kind or ones that are similar into small plastic bags, which makes going through the contents a little easier. However, there are always one-of-a-kind pieces that have sifted to the bottom of the box and beg to be included once they’ve surfaced into the light.

There were also some guinea hen, and other feathers that had been glued in a circle on to buckram. (See above photo for a close-up shot.)That material is the  stiff backing foundation used in hats.Those feathered finds were purchased in Mary Jo Fabrics, a store that is now in Gastonia, NC. My mother used to take me to their original store when I was small to pick out the fabrics for my dresses for the upcoming school year. I never know what I’ll find in the recesses of that amazing warehouse. Those feather circles, too fragile to tuck away in a box, lived for awhile pinned to the fiber board where I compose my pieces. There they lived for awhile, along with quite a number of other ephemera, until called into use.

At some point, the feather elements had reached a critical mass and were clamoring for me to start the piece on which they were to reside. The question was what to include with them. I didn’t want a poofy piece, which could have been the result of using feathers as a theme. I don’t remember now why stars seemed the perfect counterpoint at the time, but I do have a large box of star buttons and costume jewelry which I’ve collected. There are certain design elements that seem to get used a lot in my work, such as flowers, circles, lace motifs that can be cut apart, hearts (if they’re not too “sweet”), and of course, stars. So, stars it was, some of which were scattered and some were repeated in lines to complement other stripes on the quilt’s surface.

I never know when one of my find’s will be the pivotal piece in a composition. I love juggling  a lot of diverse materials on a quilt’s surface. People often say that they could look for hours at one of my quilts and still see new things. The trick for me is remembering where something belongs when it falls off. Over time, and if the piece has been displayed for awhile, gravity pulls against the threads, cutting them until something falls off. Some times, it’s obvious where the fallen item belongs,due to the dangling threads that used to hold it in place. Still other times, I just have to find a new place for the fallen piece. Then, I spend a lot of time gazing at the details in my piece, too, as I pick a new site for the lost button or bead.

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this piece. Please take a minute, fill out the form by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!

You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com

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