When the word "Element" first came to mind I was in an art gallery and I thought, "What are the elements in these pieces of artwork that make me like them?"There are the elements of art that the artists think of when they are creating the artwork and then there are those things that really draw us to those pieces that speak to us. Every place I go I try to visit a museum, art gallery, quilt show, festival, or craft venue. I have many creative friends and family members who always share the beautiful things they are making and it feeds me.
A room with pictures was where I wanted to go with my quilt. How was I going to do that since I don't really draw? I did do a drawing, but it was just for an idea since that drawing was never going to come to life.
For artwork I pulled some stamps from a vast collection that my sister brought to my mom's house one summer. The first step was to get the paper and glue off of the ones I wanted. Then I stitched a frame with a satin stitch on muslin. Libby Lehman taught a class where she showed how to miter the corners by dialing the width of the satin stitch down and back up. My corners are mitered on the frames, but since I used a solid brown it doesn't show and in some places that is a good thing.
I used tacky glue to adhere the stamps to the muslin and to turn the edges under. Stitching just inside the frame attaching them to the wall made the frame stand out so that there is a shadow under the picture. The cream colored wall makes the pictures (stamps) show up the best. I found the wood like fabric and knew that was going to be a great floor.
To get my "thoughts" out there I wrote them on white fabric and cut them out like thought balloons and randomly placed them on the quilt. When I showed my work in progress to one of my fellow artists in the studio area, she suggested putting in the baseboard to help it give more of the feel of a room. She also suggested that I just write the words on the wall. Hmmm. When I put the baseboard on it helped a lot. I decided to quilt the words on.
Now to get "Me" into the quilt. I like red and found a fun print for my blouse. Then there was the head. Ahh, the back of the head would make it so that you would be looking into the quilt. No eyes, nose, or lips to deal with. I cut out a head just so that there would be a shape to work with. I put 2 different colors of brown thread on the machine and threaded them both through the needle. Then I squiggled and wiggled. There were 2 layers of tear-away stabilizer under it so that it wouldn't draw the fabric all up.
This was a fun project and it stretched me. I really wanted this look and it has turned out, but I didn't know if I could get all the components to work with me. It is nice to see something come together.
