Tag Archive for art quilts with buttons

“Feathers and Stars, Stars and Feathers”

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

To find out how to buy my artwork, please check “How to Buy my Art Work” in the pages section to the right of this blog.

“Dreamscape – Purple Thoughts, Purple Dreams”

I have mentioned in previous blog postings how vivid and lucid many of my dreams are. Some of them are so real that I can still “see” them years later. Such is the case with this piece, “Dreamscape”. (41”W x 38”T x 1”D or 104 cmW x 97 cmT x 2.5cm D).There was a strong tree in the scene, much like a Tree of Life that is prominent in many cultures’ beliefs. It’s branches stretched up into the heavens, and its roots twisted deeply into the ground. Shining and golden, the wood of the tree sparkled with an inner glow. There was no mistaking that this was a magical tree with great powers, just waiting for its ancient knowledge to be revealed to those who would take the time to “listen”.

Of course there were flowers, some made of silk, some made of buttons, scattered among the branches, as I adore those petaled gifts of nature. Some are falling through the air, as if a breeze had loosened a few from the outer limbs. Ribbon roses are scattered around where the trunk touches the earth to suggest a lawn. I know that I would certainly like to lie in that bed of roses. To add texture to the tree itself and simulate a gnarly bark, I used countless gold buttons, many of the same kind. I like having the luxury of a large stash of the same kind of decorative element to lavish on a surface to get the concept across. If you were to see this piece, I imagine that you would definitely be drawn to touch the bark. Hundreds of gold bugle beads were sewn vertically to further suggest the up and down flow of xylem and phloem tubes in the tree, even though structurally they would be deep inside of th trunk.

In the detail shot on the left, you can see how thoroughly the background has been covered. (I so liked this photo that crops of it are used throughout the web site. I was experimenting with fabric paints and found a particularly intense gold one that I used a swirl pattern to stamp onto the background fabric. While I susually cover most of the background fabric with intense beading, this fabric paint was pretty thick, mkaing it hatd to sew through. However, you can see that there’s still a lot of intense beading going on.

I have found that each real tree in nature has its own voice when I put my ear next to the trunk. Some of the bigger trees speak as though they have a great deal of knowledge. Some trees are young and frivolous, and still getting used to their surroundings. Other trees sound as if they’re mute, choosing not to share any secrets with me. I think that this tree that I showed from my dream will have a lot to share with those who will listen with their hearts.

 Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this piece. Registering is just to prevent spammers, not to collect any of your information.

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

To find out how to buy my artwork, please check “How to Buy my Art Work” in the pages section to the right of this blog.

Me and Thee – “Diving Deep into the Stream of Love and Connections”

There are many ways with which to connect with another person,  but probably one of the least known in western society is through energetic connections. Energy exchanges are well known in many eastern spiritual practices. These powerful waves that move from one person to another are probably best known here in the west by those that practice Tantra. Those toe curling experiences can be extremely powerful when practiced by those who know how to do it safely. This art quilt is dedicated to one of those headlong dives into the Stream of Universal Connection I experienced with another.

If you look at the upper right of the full shot on the left, there are two parallel ribbons diving from a cloud of ecstasy into the Stream of Love and Connection. These represent two lovers as the energy exchange around them, moves rapidly back and forth, back and forth between heaven and earth. The glowing light around them represents one way that many have described the energetic experience they’ve shared with another. The exquisite beauty of the time shared, sometimes stretching into hours between those who have developed their connections into an art form, can be a mind and life altering experience.

In the detail shot on the left, you can see a better shot of the two streams of energy from the lovers as they dive from the clouds . I used a very sheer, golden edged, white ribbon that was extensively couched or sewn to the background fabric to allow some of the main material to show through. Just about all of the pale blue sky has been covered with long bugle beads to create a textured surface. It’s subtle details like this that I’d like to think make my work interesting enough that if you saw it from across the room, you’d want to walk over to see it better. As you got closer and closer, there would be more and more details to see. I’m often told by others that they could look for hours close-up at one of these larger quilts, as I have so many embellishments and textures.

In the close-up of the stream on the left, you can see just how many buttons and beads I often add into a piece. On the far left, are the pale blue, domed buttons that show up in the full shot above as shining pebbles in the stream. I like to repeat the same design element, usually buttons, whenever I can, and these particular buttons worked well to serve as pebbles that had been well polished by the moving water. On the right, on the edge of the stream back, are some of the green oval, shell buttons that I used to simulate leaves. Coupled with them are a wealth of other buttons, silk flower leaves, lace flowers, and many other materials to depict the expanse of beauty in my personal “Garden  of Eden”.

I have been fortunate to have had many life experiences that have enriched my heart and soul and influenced my art work. I hope that by seeing some of the visual records of my personal journeys, it will inspire you to take some of your own.

 

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

To find out how to buy my artwork, please check “How to Buy my Art Work” in the pages section to the right of this blog.

 

A study in contrasts – “Angels of Darkness, Angels of Light”

Images and titles for my art quilts often combine in strange ways. This piece was the curious coincidence of finding some fabrics of angels that came in several “colorways” or fabrics that have the same print, just different main colors, and a magazine how-to article on making amazingly detailed butterflies out of seed beads. The fabrics had little stylized, almost paleolithic, images of block shaped angels, which I beaded around. My attention, however, was lavished on the butterfly angels. I adore butterflies, and have used them in a lot of my work. I found an old bracelet, whose bars, when cut apart, formed great bodies for the angels and almost moon faced buttons to be the faces. When you look at the detail photo below, you can see how complicated I made some of those angelic insects. Some of them have lighter colored wings, as the one on the right of the detail shot below (an Angel of Light). However, if you look to the left of that same detail shot, you can see an Angel of Darkness, with the same moon shaped button face. I used both images, dark and light, because for me, there are lessons to be learned in all aspects of our lives. I also used glass rondelles for the faces of some of the smaller butterfly appliques I beaded to make “little sister” angels.(see the purple images in the middle of the detail pic directly below.)

There were also a number of bronze colored, starburst metal stampings that I used thoroughout the surface embellishment. I’ve used metal stampings before, but these were rather large, about 2.5in or 6.5cm. While I often have to drill holes in metal stampings, these came pre-punched and were smooth in appearance. However, even though I sewed them on with six strands of embroidery floss, gravity has cut through the threads as they’ve rubbed against the metal while the quilt was hanging on a wall. I would suggest to anyone choosing to incorporate this form of metal embellishment to use either nylon sewing thread or fine fishing line to secure the forms and then cover over the nylon with the more decorative, colored embroidery floss.

In this detail shot, you can see some of the heavily beaded fan shapes that I incorporated more along the bottom of the quilt. I love fans and have a collection from all over the world. in “charm school” back when I was a teenager down South, I actually learned the proper ways to carry and hold a fan. (That’s a skill that I don’t get to use very much these days.) I used these forms to add an ethnic look to the overall feel of the piece. The long cream colored beads in the middle fan of this detail shot are actually made out of animal horns. There is also a horn buckle in the lower middle of this detail shot.

I like contrasts in my art work. Even in the title, I find the part “Angels of Darkness…” to be evocative. I find that most people don’t find anything useful in their dark sides, the dark aspects, the scary places we work hard to avoid. For me, however, it’s standing up and facing those fears is where I find a lot of my own personal strength, and now, I’ve created a visual landscape in which to do so.

Why not comment about your own experiences with dark and light and how you’ve overcome those challenges. I feel that we all grow when we share, so help us see another insight besides what I’ve written above.

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

To find out how to buy my artwork, please check “How to Buy my Art Work” in the pages section to the right of this blog.

“Laughter” – a Poem Comes to Life”

The titles and images for my quilts come from various sources. Sometimes, I have the image first, sometimes I have the title first, and often, I’m playing with fabrics, start on the piece, and then the title comes to me. The name and image for this art quilt. “Laughter’, came to me after reading a poem by the same name from the Sufi poet, Hafiz. In his work, the sky is laughing. I felt the concept of a laughing sky to be so compelling that I had to create it with fabric and beads. The ribbon that winds through the piece was meant to represent the whimsical quality of laughter. I used several types of ribbons, from opaque solid to sheers, just as there are many types of laughs. The beading symbolizes the bubbling-over quality of giggles. As a child, I would run my fingers through boxes of beads, letting them to sift through my fingers, and imagine that I heard laughter. I know that that act of sorting beads still makes me smile and is very soothing as I ply through my boxes and bins of treasures before starting a new piece.

To compose this art quilt, as usual, I didn’t have a drawing, but rather just began pinning the pieces of fabric and ribbon in place. By working intuitively, I can let the piece dictate to me what it wants to be, rather than me trying to force my will upon it.  I find that when I allow the work to flow through me, that I can get my best results.

If the sky is going to be laughing, of course, there are going to be some stars in the image. You can see some scattered throughout the full shot above. No matter that this sky is brightly lit, and in reality, the stars only come out at night. They’re still out there, and I can use my artistic license to include them as I choose, no matter what the daylight is like.

In the detail shot above, you can see a large piece of costume jewelry that I used as one of the vortexes from which the movement spins. Flowers have always been important in my work, and so I have a large collection of pins and silk flowers from which to choose. There are also large circles of a sheer black fabric that have magenta. metallic circles scattered across it. That’s one piece of fabric that I wish I had bought more of, but that’s the nature of fiber art. Sometimes, a favorite material just can’t be replaced. One of those magenta and black circles in the middle of the detail shot is almost covered by a rhinestone earring. I am fortunate that many of my friends are on the look out for me for old jewelry that they come across. Shi-sha mirrors from India are another favorite way of mine to get shine into a piece. and you can see some scattered across the bottom of the detail photo.

“Laughter” is still hanging in my house, and I smile every time I come down the stairs and see it. It’s just one of those happy pieces that still makes my heart dance.

Have you had an experience, a poem, or some other source of inspiration that makes you smile. Why not tell us about it, as I think that we all grow and learn when we share with each other.

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

To find out how to buy my artwork, please check “How to Buy my Art Work” in the pages section to the right of this blog.