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An All-Over Background for Embellished Art Quilts – Yikes!

January 25, 2016 / Nancy Smeltzer / No comments

Art Quilt “Fiesta” showing background fabric before embellishing

When I was leaving my home and studio in Maryland 1 1/2 years ago, I wanted to try some new ideas as I cut out 3 pieces to sew. I had no idea how long it would take to resettle and have access to my supplies again, so I basted the pieces together, sewed on the major ribbons, buttons,and large beads, and gathered up the small beads and other materials needed to finish these quilts. To make things a little more interesting, I decided to try some all-over patterned backgrounds as I love making embellished art quilts. Maybe I’ll re-think that idea of “all-over” next time.

I had found the perfect background fabric with gold and darker pumpkin stripes, which to me suggested streamers and suggested the theme, “Fiesta”. I had also found some iron-on appliques that matched the twisted nature of the background (see the red and purple fat streamer in the left of the above photo.) However, I’m never one to leave a blank area uncovered for long, so the few streamers of metal gold beads, as seen above, were just too bare. I know, when in doubt, add more beads!

Bigger gold beads used to portray laughter

I got tired of sewing on the same size gold beads, was running out of them, couldn’t find any locally, and an exhibition entry deadline was looming. (Ah, the pressures on an artist!) I then thought to simulate laughter at this fiesta I was creating by sewing on larger gold beads, which I had more of and which filled up the area quicker. I was really kicking myself for choosing this all-over background fabric at this point. I didn’t HAVE to embellish the whole thing, but being obsessive, well… and since I don’t bead/quilt on a frame, the fabric gets wrinkled unless it’s heavily beaded and quilted.

Background fabric entirely filled with yellow and gold beads.

Here’s a photo of where I had beaded in a small section without too many of the insights that I spoke about above. The yellow stripes were embellished with a yellow bead that fortunately I had enough of to finish the entire top, as I won’t be able to replace it. That’s one of the problems of working with buttons and beads is that you fall in love with one, use it for a few years, and then it stops being made…sigh! When I truly get to become queen, such things won’t happen. I’ll have an endless supply of my favorite supplies.

What insights have you learned when working with the materials that you use in your media. Don’t make us start from scratch and re-invent the wheel!

Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or 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!… and PLEASE tell like minded souls about this blog! The more readers and contributors, the more I write because encouragement helps the words flow!

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.

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

Making Decisions on a Beaded Art Quilt

September 25, 2014 / Nancy Smeltzer / No comments

Closeup on the purple and black harlequin ribbon

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

In the past, I’ve showed you my works in progress, but they’re rather far along by the time that you see the photos. This time, I thought I’d let you in on some of the thought processes as I go along, and how I do what I do.

A few postings ago, I talked about the beginnings of “Sunflowers and Dragonflies” beaded art quilt. Here are some macro shots and my thoughts as I was going along. In the middle of the purple and black Harlequin ribbon running down the middle, I started by outlining the purple and black edges between each diamond. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but the purple and black fabric to the left of the blue button with the black rim sticks out quite a bit. Ribbons make great lines on an art quilt’s surface, but it’s often hard to get them to lay flat. By beading, I’m quilting and sewing on the beads at the same time, and as a result the surface flattens by the time that I’m finished. I would like to fill in all of the purple diamonds with these seed beads (size 10), but there’s a lot of ribbon and not so many beads, so after outlining all of the purple diamonds, I may fill them in completely or at least some of them.

Fabric with and without lines covered with blue crystal beads

This next macro shot shows the use of the blue rondelles in the center part of the art quilt. You can see what the fabric looked like before I started filling in the lines between the rondelles with the same blue crystal beads used to fasten them in place. At first I wanted to fill in the oval blue shapes with the same blue, crystal beads. I also considered filling in the triangles between the rondelles with an aqua seed bead a little lighter than the ones already being used. I had set aside some paler, aqua beads for that purpose, (my stash of most of my beads is in storage, as I’m in the process of moving), but when I started sewing them on to the fabric, they were too gray looking. It’s really hard to tell exactly how a seed bead will look on fabric until it’s laying on top of it. I usually take a straight pin, thread a few beads on it and place it where I want it to go on the fabric. That’s why I rarely order seed beads on-line as the colors on the monitor can vary so much. If I decide to fill in those blue triangles more, I need a more teal colored blue bead, so I’ll have to wait until my studio and I are reunited.

Seed beading on sunflower petals

This third macro shot is of one of the sunflower petals. I’ve used two colors, a flat yellow and a warm brown crystal bead. When working with seed beads, there are never enough colors to match the thousands that are found on fabrics, so I try as best as I can to match those on the fabric. When I was setting aside yellow beads, I included a wide array, but at least for this section, only the two seemed to work for the petals. If you look to the left and the right of the two petals that have been beaded, you can see that I came pretty close to matching up the colors. However, sometimes, the beads are wider than the lines and shapes on the surface of the quilt. It’s then when I have to make artistic decisions to whether or not to cover up and cover an area with one color or the other. By looking at what is already there and squinting my eyes to get the overall effect, I make choices as to whether or not more of one color is needed than another based on what the original fabric had on it, or sometimes another color choice completely different that I feel adds to the look that I’m trying to acheive.

I’ve said before that using seed beads as intensively as what’s in the sunflower petals takes a long time. 1 sq in (2.5cm sq) takes one hour’s work, so this is not for those who want to make a quilt in a weekend. However, for me, there’s a Zen-like quality of beading like this, which gives me peace as I work.

What were some of the “take-aways” that you learned from reading this blog. I’m working on a series of inexpensive lessons on how I quilt and would love feedback on any thing that you liked, want further explained, or thought was totally useless.

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

Category: Art Quilt Techniques / Tags: art quilt, art quilt blogs, beaded art quilts, embellished art quilts, Nancy Smeltzer

Sunflowers and Dragonflies – Another Beaded Art Quilt

September 19, 2014 / Nancy Smeltzer / No comments

Sunflowers and Dragonflies – beaded art quilt

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

I’m in the process of down-sizing and moving to another state, so the first room I started packing was my studio as I knew it would be the hardest (all of those little button and bead jars!) Since I had no idea when my house would sell, or how long it would take me to move, I cut out 3 quilts, which would give me enough to work on for a year. I attached the buttons and large beads to them, and then set aside most of the seed beads I would need to sew on their surfaces. Then, the rest of the studio was packed into boxes and placed in storage until it’s time to move. I’m already missing some of my things, and have had to by a few small items.

Part of the title for this piece comes from my mother’s love of sunflowers. Her screened in porch had sunflower pillows, and sunflower trivets and coasters, and sunflower everything else you could think of. When I was cleaning out her closets after she died, I came across some fabric that had sunflowers that were meant to be made into pillows, so I kept the fabric, never thinking I’d be able to use it, as the flowers were so big. (5.5″ or 14 cm). It’s appropriate that I started writing this blog on her birthday. She’s been gone now for two birthdays, and I thought a lot about her today, and how she always encouraged me in my art work.

Detail of sunflower and dragonflies

This detail shot shows a close-up of one of the sunflowers and the dragonfly appliques scattered all over this piece. I usually add on butterflies, but I found on eBay a good price on about 50 of these, so I bought as many as I could afford at the time. I find that I like having a lot of the same kind of object to repeat on the surface of an art quilt, and this piece has LOTS of dragonflies.

This photo also shows some of the problems in using ribbons as embellishments on art quilts. I love to use them, especially if they have a pattern, like the purple and black harlequin piece, but you have to be very careful to line them up as straight as you can, because no matter how carefully you’ve pinned it, the ribbon will slide some as you sew it down. That’s when big buttons need to be sewed on to distract your eye, so when I’ve moved into my new place, one of the first things to be unpacked will be the studio.

Detail shot 2 of the beginning of a beaded art quilt

In this other detail shot, you can see the green ribbon that I think I have a life-time supply of. I loved the little picot edging on it, and so I bought as many rolls as I could afford of this antique ribbon. The store has gone out of business, so I probably can’t get anymore, but it’s shown up in a lot of my pieces over the years. To the right, is a blue fretwork like pattern with an aqua rondelle (flat bead) in the middle of each motif. These particular ones I love, but I can’t find anymore with the aurora borealis finish (AB) on them in my usual sources. I think it’s because the AB finish is not as permanent, or maybe it’s more expensive, but since I love shiny things, I’ve looked high and low to find more. I used up the last of my stash on this art quilt, so unless I allow myself to wander on eBay, I probably won’t get anymore.

What are some of your favorite materials or motifs that you like to use in your artwork?

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

Category: Beaded Art Quilts / Tags: art quilt blogs, art quilts, beaded art quilts, embellished art quilts, Nancy Smeltzer

Iron-on Butterfly Appliques; A Way to Embellish an Art Quilt

May 21, 2014 / Nancy Smeltzer / No comments

Commercial Applique of a Monarch Butterfly

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

In my last posting, I wrote about my collection of butterfly costume jewelry pins that I’ve used quite a bit for embellishing my art quilts. However, there is also a large number of appliques of the same insect that can add another dimension to your work. While usually flatter than most pins, appliques tend to also have a lot of detail, are more easily accessible, and are usually cheaper than pins.($1.50 – $4 US). This monarch butterfly applique seems to be the most popular here in the States, showing up in many craft stores in the applique section. On this one, I was fortunate to have some black glass leaves with gold veins. They made a perfect extension for the tips of the upper wings and the bottom of the body. This use of a leaf on an insect hopefully will remind you to look at your materials in lots of ways, not just their original intended use. Amber Swarovkski crystals are added on to add sparkle and shine.

Large yellow and orange iron-on butterfly appplique

Large yellow and orange iron-on butterfly applique

From the same quilt is a different kind of butterfly applique. This one is similarly colored as the Monarch, but I’m not sure that it is one. I only added 4 hematite colored rondelles to the center of each wing as the glue on the back of these iron-on appliques make them very hard and stiff to sew through with the small size needle that is needed to secure the seed beads in the center of each flat bead. I HATE to use a thimble, having tried just about every one out there on the market, and I always feel restricted when I try to use one. However, sewing on these appliques makes for unusual marks on my middle or “pushing” finger. If I sew a lot of these iron-on appliques on, I get a pocket of skin on the tip of each finger that pulls away from the rest of the layers underneath. Eventually it becomes hardened and I have to peel it off. Now, that’s an occupational hazard that you usually don’t think about!

Iron-on yellow skipper butterfly appliques

Finally, from the same quilt, are these little (1″ or 2.5 cm in width) yellow skipper butterflies. I added tiny doll clothes buttons that are readily available in many craft store to the center of each wing.I used black quilting thread to attach the buttons to emphasize the black stitching that was already on the edges of the butterflies. You can also see an enameled metal, yellow butterfly pin to the lower left of the appliques, as if the smaller ones were baby versions of the larger pin. I like to repeat color, sizes, and shapes to help tie a composition together.

I went to Google “butterfly appliques” and saw a thumbnail of an image that I liked. It turned out that it was from an article that I had written awhile back on iron-on appliques in general. I guess that’s pretty flattering when you find your own stuff by accident and like it. I did find a page that was selling butterfly iron-on appliques with sequins on them. Having learned the hard way, sequins melt if the iron is too hot, so I would definitely sew those appliques on to any surface I was using. My favorite iron cleaner, whether it’s getting off melted sequins, or glue from under appliques is Dritz Hot-Iron Cleaner. It comes in a small tube and usually on the notions wall in a wide range of craft stores and places that sell sewing irons.

While appliques come in a wide range of subjects, I am especially drawn to those of butterflies. Even though it’s a pain to sew them onto fabric, I feel that they add a textural interest to my art quilts that I can’t achieve any other way besides beading a whole butterfly. That is incredibly time consuming, so I think that I’ll stick mostly to my appliques and pins.

What motif do you find yourself using over and over in your artistic compositions? Why did you choose that symbol?

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

Category: Materials for art quilts / Tags: art quilt blogs, art quilts, beaded art quilts, embellished art quilts, iron-on appliques, Nancy Smeltzer

Leaf Embellishments on Beaded Art Quilts

December 3, 2013 / Nancy Smeltzer / No comments

Nancy Smeltzer, MFA

This posting is about leaving it to the leaves! This time of the year, here in Maryland, on the east coast of the USA, I hate living in the woods. There’s a mountain of leaves that needs to be cleared away and this year, having been so sick, I couldn’t keep up with it. However, those feelings don’t carry over into my beaded art quilts. I use a lot of leaves of various sorts, as many of my pieces are based on garden themes. The photo above shows an enameled metal green leaf pin that I probably found in a yard sale or perhaps was given to me. I surrounded it with gold plastic buttons that have a green center, as I like to repeat bold colors such as what’s on the leaf pin out into its surroundings.

This next photo shows some shells that were dyed green and cut to vaguely look like long leaves. There are three of them shown in the middle of this pic. The natural darker striations in the shell didn’t take the dye the same way as the lighter areas, and so make for interesting ripples on the surface. Again, as in the first photo, I used a lot more green buttons to carry the color out further onto the surface of the quilt, and to suggest that these are all part of a forest scene. Needless to say, my green button collection is one of my largest ones.

Finally, here are some of my early attempts at dyeing fabric. I took maple leaves, painted them with green paint, and then pressed them on to white fabric. After they dried, I then ironed the leaves on the back side (so that the iron wouldn’t get messed up) to set the dye. I was able to get a lot of the veins to show up, as I had put the paint on the back side of the leaves, where the veins are thicker. However, this piece was done about twenty years ago, and the quality of fabric paint was not where it is today. Every brand I tried at the time made dull, flat looking colors, which weren’t very appealing to me since I could find commercial fabric with brightly colored leaves that I could just cut out and use.

As I said, I use a lot of leaves in my beaded art quilts, as so many of them have garden themes. My selection ranges from gold to all shades of green, and come in plastic, metal, glass, and beads. I’m always on the lookout for ones that are different from what I already have, and must admit, that the thrill of the hunt has overtaken me quite a few times.

Do you have a favorite material that you like to use in your medium? Do you have some other way of acquiring them besides just buying them?

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

Category: Materials for art quilts / Tags: art quilt blogs, art quilts, beaded art quilts, embellished art quilts, Nancy Smeltzer

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Buttons&Beads&Quilts!

Tag Archive for embellished art quilts

An All-Over Background for Embellished Art Quilts – Yikes!

Making Decisions on a Beaded Art Quilt

Sunflowers and Dragonflies – Another Beaded Art Quilt

Iron-on Butterfly Appliques; A Way to Embellish an Art Quilt

Leaf Embellishments on Beaded Art Quilts

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