Open - Toad Shoes
11" x 14"
Fused commercial and hand stenciled cotton fabric.
OPEN was my submission for, at the time, the drawing for the last Material Mavens quilt.
When thinking of an appropriate theme, I kept saying to myself "When one door closes, another opens"
( Alexander Graham Bell ), so I thought OPEN would be fitting. As we now know, that door did not close, just shifted a bit, thanks to Nedra!
When re-thinking my Open options, I came up with 'open-toe/toed' shoes and as I am a confirmed shoe addict, this was perfect. I believe both open-toe and open-toed are correct terms, however 'toed" looks odd to me and so that became toad. These Open-Toad shoes are based on a favorite pair of black and white shoes purchased in London in 1986 and even though they no longer fit, I can not bear to part with them!
I cut a toad stencil to print my black and white fabric which I was pleased with, but then could not find a fabric that I liked for the insole, so I concentrated on the background fabric instead. I auditioned a few black and white fabrics, finding one in particular that worked, but decided I should print my own. I spent the better part of three days printing lots of fabric, but when I was honest with myself, none of them worked as well as the commercial fabric I had originally chosen. Using a fine, thin white cotton for the insole with the background "show-through" worked also, as it did not distract the the toads, but added just enough subtle texture.
I love your toe or toed :) The insole fabric is perfect. I think it's wonderful that you still have the shoes.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Andrea. This is such a clever interpretation. I love your TOAD shoes. I, too, love the open-toe shoes as they are so comfortable to my well-heeled and well-worn feet! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis just cracks me up AND impresses me with your artistic creativity!!!! You win MOST Clever for this one!! ADORE your
ReplyDeleteBritish label Toad shoes!!!! Love the stark contrasts!!! BRAVO!!
As you may recall, I am a lover of puns, and this is the absolutely perfect pun on "open toed" shoes! What a clever and beautifully executed quilt, besides. Just Love it! As for me, I am always eager for spring to come so that I can start wearig my sandals. Their open toes mean I have to get frequent pedicures, a luxury that I allow myself now at this advanced age of mine!
ReplyDeleteAndrea, This is precious. It was fun to read the title and then really take a look at your quilt to find the toads. It was fun to learn what techniques you used to create this special quilt.
ReplyDeleteBRAVO ! ! ! As others have said, your interpretation of "OPEN" is extraordinary! Thank you for your description of what it took to "Make" the "Open Toad" shoes and for all the details you let us know about !
ReplyDeleteEXTRAORDINARY!!
Perfectly adorable! Love some open toed shoes!
ReplyDelete