In art school as at my Journal Quilt Connection, I was given the topic of "shoes." I picked out tap shoes, stuffed some shiny fabric wings I had sewn and glued them to the heels. My tap shoes would again be the reference for this month's journal or art quilt. However, the creation of this "comfort" quilt for Material Mavens was totally UNcomfortable.
I chose the background and back fabrics spontaneously. I found a shiny black fabric from which I free-hand cut patent leather tap shoes. Problem. The black fabric cannot be sewn easily. I secured the shoes with a hot glue gun after stitching the silver "stage" to the background, batting and backing. I pulled the backing over the quilt edges to bind them, a bit prematurely. I cut down the old wings from art school and glued them to the shoes, but the heat from the glue gun removed some of the color from the wings. No matter. I glued on beads for some glitz, trim, or taps. I wanted to stitch in free-motion my dance routine: One, two, three, four, five, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, One, Kick-Hop, Two, Kick-Hop. Repeat. However, my sewing machine didn't like my writing with stretchy invisible thread, so I quit after a bungled line. Instead, I cut free-form notes out of the shiny black no-sew fabric and glued them down. I felt I should wrap the entire piece in pink tulle, sew it to the binding edge and pink it near the seam. Then I believed I should layer more beads over the seam. I put beads on the front and back.
The quilt has sweet comforting memories encased. However, during a work crisis, I accidentally deleted this blurb on "comfort" which I had just written and had to rewrite it. Time for COMFORT!
What a striking impact this quilt makes, Linda! I love the bright colors and the dimensionality of it. But most of all I love the concept on which it is based--the comfort of the arts! A lovely concept, and you have captured it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThis ALMOST makes me want to get up and dance!
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy piece, even if you faced so many "creative opportunities" while constructing! You so nicely overcame the difficulties as a viewer would never have guessed!
Linda, how fun this piece is! I love the tap shoes, the bows and the wings. You obviously found comfort in this theme and executed it so well. The color scheme is so perky too. I can just see you tapping away!
ReplyDeleteLove that you associate comfort with the arts. For me, the arts and feeling comfortable and satisfied are one as well. The dancing shoes are perfect, instantly you feel the joy of dance with the wings even making it more apparent. The colors are great and the whole piece just works.
ReplyDeleteComfort in the arts is a wonderful approach to our theme. A feeling of JOY exudes from your colorful, glitzy embellished piece. This is a fun quilt to view although it sounded less so as you problem solved! You earned the 'badge of patience and perseverance' on this project but it was worth it. :D
ReplyDeleteI just love your shoes. We all feel the comfort of the arts. It is so important to our lives.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda - I enjoy looking at your quilt, and I thoroughly loved your dialog about how you moved through the process of thinking about the quilt, and finally getting the quilt to comply with your thoughts. I can't tell you how many times I've had a really great idea that just will not under any reasonable amount of begging, pleading, or coercion, etc. do what I want it to do. And how many times has my rotary cutter taken on a life of its own to cut into pieces / parts the things I'd so painstakingly made. ARGHH ! Your quilt made me smile - your story brought me comfort :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are obviously a very talented lady. I have always admired those of you that can produce music, are comfortable with a paint brush, can dance and I bet you have a lovely singing voice as well. I can do none of those and have always said that when talents were given out, I was still arguing about my hair color. In my younger life it was red..........A beautiful quilt executed so masterfully.
ReplyDeleteRita, dear local friend, believe me, YES, Linda does have all the gifts that are captured in this quilt! Well, I've never heard her sing, but I know she does, for fun, and maybe it's worth listening to? I'll never forget the surprise b.day party Linda and 2 others gave for my 19th b.day. She had decorated the empty dorm room with caricatures of our favorite prof,of whom we four were something of "groupies." Her talents know no bounds!
DeleteDear Ladies,
DeleteYou are too kind. I like to harmonize and belonged to a sextette where I was a blender....but I assure you my voice is gone...croaky. I can hit the notes...but voice quality is TERRIBLE...so sad. I know, because I had the crazy idea to video w my iPhone my singing and playing. HORRIBLE! I tried 5 times with ZERO improvement.Live and decline hahahaha.
Goodness Gracious! So many amazing talents. I've always wanted to dance, but the grace just isn't there. I like to blame it on the hip, knee, feet or any other body part that won't cooperate. The trials and triumphs that went into making this quilt were great to hear. You certainly made it all happen and the results are just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that I have had problems in the past where I too had things typed up and then they got deleted or Not deleted. Now I write my post in a word document and copy and paste it into the blog when I am ready to post. I now have all my little write ups in a folder and it makes it easy if I want to send it on to someone, refer back to it or use it in a presentation. They could also go with a photo of the quilt in a book when I make one with all my 12 x 12 quilts.
DeleteHi Linda, I am sorry to be commenting so late on your tap shoes quilt - been "up to my ears." I love your "comfort in the arts" depiction. I, too, tap danced and remember all the "one kick-hop, two kick-hop …" routines. As usual, your humor comes through on this happy quilt. I, too, get so frustrated some times, but the payoff is in the learning. Great job!
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