Field Trips in Fiber - Adventures in quilting, hand dyed fabric and fiber art.

Fiberactions Challenge - Departure

Departure

16 x 20

When the theme word was published 2 months ago, my first inclination was to "depart" from my symmetry theme. I considered it but I just couldn't because I am enjoying working with symmetry and I don't want to depart it! So, I started reviewing some of the other techniques withing symmetry that I have been wanting to try.

For this challenge I chose to explore bilateral (horizontal and vertical) symmetry as a departure from the traditional kaleidoscopic approach that I have been taking. I added a twist by throwing in a limitation. Every peice of fabric is a 3" equilateral triangle. That made it difficult to find patterns on the fabrics that would blend into 2 neighboring fabrics, but using bilateral symmetry at least made one side easy!

I did some pretty heavy quilting on this one using metallic and rayon threads to help blend the transitions between fabrics.

Asthetically it's not one of my favorites in the series but from a skill development point of view, it's one of the best!

Check out all of the other Fiberactions emtries on the Fiberactions blog.

Fiberactions Challenge - Embellish

Embellish

16" x 20"

I know.

Let me explain.

The subtitle of this one should be "struggle". This is the first theme word that we've had that was a verb. I don't know why but it really threw me. I didn't want to just make another kaleidoscope and embellish it. So I converted the word to a noun: embellishment.

em·bel·lish·ment/emˈbeliSHmənt/Noun

1. A decorative detail or feature added to something to make it more attractive: "architectural embellishments".

So, what is a quilt embellishment? It's anything really. Of course, beads, yarns, crystals, foil and paint all come tom mind. But what's the most basic embellishment?

Thread.

But is color also an embellishment? I think so and that's how I wound up doing a quilt with only one embellishment: white thread.

Hence, a whole cloth kaleidoscope.

Not once during the past year and a half did I ever consider that I would do a whole cloth quilt for one of the challenges but this was perfect for me. I believe it meets the theme and it also introduced another new skill for me. This is my first ever whole cloth quilt! It's also the first feathered wreath motif that I've quilted and been reasonably satisified with.

Two other firsts include doing vast amounts of pebbling and serious curved cross hatching. Both, it turns out, are reasonably easy to master.

I enjoyed this one so much that I even did a real hand-stitched binding. I'd show you the back but it looks really similar to the front....except for the faint blood stain.

Please go over to the Fiberactions Blog later today and see what everyone else did for the challenge. I expect lots of bling!

Fiberactions Challenge - Impression

Impression

16 x 20

This is the 7th in the Fiberactions Challenge series. This one really showed me how important it is to develop a series - whether it's series of art or just a series of lessons. Several ideas and techniques that I have been exploring came together on this one. Of course I had to keep with my underlying technique for the whole series, symmertry. But with this theme I wanted to see how subtle the symmetry could be. I thought about archaeology and how difficult it must be to find anything while sifting and digging through mounds of dirt. Everything must seem to look the same. I eventually settled on a fossil-like image.  I consider this one a "fix" of the Stretch Challenge because I used a similar technique....but in a better way.

Be sure to check out what everyone else did for this challenge at the Fiberactions blog.

Fiberactions Challenge - Environment

Environment

16 x 20

This is the 6th in the Fiberactions challenge series. This is actually my first full kaleidoscope in the series. I really enjoyed making it.  As I said on the Fiberactions post, I was making this one to look less like a star (with sharp points) and more like a flower blooming.

Thsi kaleidoscope is made up of 8 wedges. Each wedge is made completely and then the wedges are sewn together. This is a close up of one wedge with the seam lines highlighted. There are 30 individual pieces of fabric in each wedge, 240 in the whole kaleidoscope.

I put a sample of each fabric I used on the back. One of the fabrics (in the lower left corner) was used for two motifs. All of the others were used only once.

After I finished it I just couldn't love the 16 x 20 format. I posted it in this format on the Fiberactions blog but, after pondering it a bit, I turned it into 

a pillow!

Now I love it.

Had I known that I was going in this direction I would have saved the quilt back to use for the pillow back. I had some silk shantung in my stash to use for the piping and

some Ultrasuede for the back. All-in-all, it's a pretty "expensive" pillow from a time investment. I don't usually make or use pillows but I will use this one!

Fiberactions Challenge - Transformation

We are offically half way through the Fiberactions challenge and I am still enjoying every minute of it. You wouldn't think that given that I wait until the last minute to do mine! But I have always worked best to a deadline. However, in this case, I did have another plan and I had to change it. A couple of weeks ago I had a big allergy incident at the dentist and that ruined my energy level since. I just couldn't get my original plan done so I did a simplified version.

With this challenge I wanted to revisit the techniques that I used in the Communication challenge. I did that and made some improvements. So I suppose you could say that the transformations is happening within me. I am becoming more confident with the symmetry technique and starting to make them unique to me.....a little anyway.

Transformation

16 x 20

I know. It's a Christmas piece. I know that it's not "art" to most people but I like it. Chris LOVES it.

I have a big collection of symmetrical fabrics and I had this one Christmas print that I have tried to use in almost every kaleidoscope quilt I have made. It has never fit. I made myself use it on this one. Fortunately it's mostly used up now!

On this piece I quilted the background first and then applied the "ornaments". The binding is from a coordinating striped fabric. I like the frame effect.

Here are a few detail shots.

Please check out all of the other Transformation pieces on the Fiberactions blog.