Design Exercise: Getting Our Sushi On

BAFA members decided to select a piece of commercial fabric, and cut it into fat-quarters for each participant (Fig. 1).  We each then created a fish from the fabric (Fig. 2-10).  Since it was a low value contrast fabric, some of us used the backside of the fabric.  I did that too but then gave up entirely and took advantage of the muslin backing and paint. My fish design was drawn using a photo of a group of dead Red Snapper as inspiration.  Others drew their own or pulled a pattern off the net.  When I stepped back to look at my finished fish, it reminded me of Sushi so I called it Getting My Sushi On.  I thought all our results were terrific and so imaginative.  We all got our Sushi on with this exercise.
Our next step with this exercise is to get it onto the most imaginative background we can.

Selected Fabric                                               Fig. 1

Beth Mayer                                                    Fig. 2

Dot Collins                                                    Fig. 3

Jerry Lynne Domingue                                  Fig. 4

Kathy Risinger                                               Fig. 5

Sherry Walker                                               Fig. 6

Susan Cornell                                                 Fig. 7

Lisa Johnson                                Fig. 8

Nancy Dickey                                                Fig. 9

Getting My Sushi On                    Fig. 10

Presenting Alice Challenge Quilts to GTQG

Seven members of the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild presented their Alice in Wonderland challenge quilts to guild members present at the day and night meetings.  They talked about their inspiration, creative goals, techniques and materials they used for the work they created (Fig. 1-7).

The following day, five of the members presented a hands-on, mixed media workshop.  Melinda Stanton walked us all through computer searches and apps for the I-pad to aid in finding inspiration.  Michelle Walker did a hands-on 15 minute fabric landscape sketch, all improvisational.  I did a hands-on create confetti fabric and gave a free-motion stitching lesson.  Susan Cornell did quick landscape sketches and work with Pro-Chem Paints.  Dot Collins did cartoon drawing and work with pigmented ink.  It was a very full day and fun was had by all (Figures 8-18).

Three of the girls had never created an art quilt before (Fig. 2, 3, and 5)

Alice II              19x30                 Fig.1

Michelle Walker                              Fig.2

Melinda Stanton                                  Fig. 3

Janet Coggins                                             Fig. 4

Lisa Johnson - Property of W. Rabbit         Fig. 5

Susan Cornell - Lobster Quadrille                 Fig. 6

Dot Collins                                                    Fig. 7

Susan working with Pro-Chem Paints

Fig. 8

Creating Confetti Fabric                Fig. 9

Confetti Flower                         Fig. 10

Confetti Flower                        Fig. 11

15-Minute Fabric Sketch           Fig. 12

                                              Fig. 13

                                                                     Fig. 14

 Landscape Fabric Sketch with Confetti - Fig. 15

                                                                     Fig. 16

                                                                     Fig. 17

                                                    Fig. 18

                 

Alice In Wonderland Book Challenge 2016

This is my second go at an Alice in Wonderland challenge.  The first was several years ago while a member of Beyond the Borders, a Houston-based art quilt group (fig. 1-2).  This new challenge was sponsored by the Golden Triangle Quilt Guild in Beaumont.  I worked from one of John Tenniel's (1820-1914) original illustrations for Alice in Wonderland published in 1865 (fig. 3).  Homage to John, I used fiber and color to create a dream world, giving the realistically depicted Alice a taste of her new simplified, whimsical and surreal environment (fig. 4).

I worked with my own painted and confetti-created fabric.  Dyed cheesecloth (thanks to Fiber on a Whim) was used to flesh out leaf shapes and give ground to Alice.  Commercial fabric and a bit of tulle for Alice's shadow rounded out the fiber used.  Free-motion zig-zag, blanket, straight and bobbin stitching were used to add to the overall fantasy, texture and dimension.  Pigmented inks were used to highlight, shade and otherwise add a little contrast to a mostly medium-value work.  My landscape was deliberately created to look like Alice landed on an alien planet!

Alice Down the Hole for BtB       fig. 1

Alice's Odyssey   BtB Members                     fig. 2

Alice Meeting Cheshire Cat-fig. 3

                                               

Untitled          19" x 30"               fig. 4