Mixed-Media "Birthday Card"

marti13 wrote

on 23 Jun 2009 2:25 PM

Mixed-media quilt is 5 x 7 inches, "faced" instead of traditional binding.  Fused dupioni silks on a Hoffman batik background; size 11 seed beads; unknown size of metallic beads around the eye areas; and Jacquard Lumiere Pearl White fabric paint in the centers of the eyes.  Mask pattern was found on a copyright-free internet site.

The quilt will be sent in lieu of a store-bought birthday card to an internet friend I "met" on a technical computer forum.

This is not fine art, as the eyes are not the same and other areas are not symmetrical.  This is a "Marti playing" quilt and a personal challenge to only use what I had on hand.  I did very well until I didn't have enough metallic beads on hand for around the eye areas.   I ran off to purchase metallic beads.  Of course, I found other beads that I wanted!

Dale Kathryn wrote

on 23 Jun 2009 2:38 PM

Hi Marti - We haven't chatted before, but between trips to bring in laundry (before it rains) and eat cherries (before the birds get them), I decided to check QA. I'm not sure if you intended to post a photo of your mixed media "birthday card", but if you did, it didn't work and I would love to see it!

marti13 wrote

on 23 Jun 2009 2:54 PM

Tee Hee!!!  Thank you.  Post edited with photo included this time. 

Dale Kathryn wrote

on 23 Jun 2009 3:39 PM

Thanks Marti! It looks like "Marti playing" was successful - and that you had fun!

marti13 wrote

on 23 Jun 2009 3:55 PM

A lot of fun.  I did learn that I will not try to bead around that many small shapes.  Sometimes I was beading through several layers of fabric and fusing material, which was difficult.  However, I did finish the piece. 

Muppin wrote

on 24 Jun 2009 5:35 AM

It's great!  I love it!

Belinda Spiwak wrote

on 25 Jun 2009 3:14 AM

Marti, that is really cute. I would love to get something like that. So personal.

createandsew wrote

on 26 Jun 2009 7:00 AM

The card is wonderful!  What fusible did you use for the silk?  A friend and I are "learning to art quilt" together - she just raised the question of how to use silk. . . The mask concept is great for the fabrics you chose.  What a great card to receive!

Rae

marti13 wrote

on 26 Jun 2009 7:15 AM

Fusible:  I used Lite Steam-A-Seam 2.  I used the cotton setting on the iron (no steam) instead of the silk setting; and of course a silicone pressing sheet.  I found a package of many colors of dupioni silk and also purchased some half yards for a project I worked on last year.  I started with the mask pattern and knowing I wanted to use silk, went from there.

marti13 wrote

on 4 Jul 2009 12:11 PM

The quilt birthday card arrived in Montreal Canada!  Yeah!  My friend loves it and wanted to know how to put in on the wall  (straight pins was my answer).  It is so much fun to send quilted things to my cyber friends. 

denisemarie53 wrote

on 11 Jul 2009 4:54 PM

marti:

My friend loves it and wanted to know how to put in on the wall  (straight pins was my answer). 

Here's something I've done with lightweight fabric pieces:

1. Handsew two of  those 1" white plastic rings that you can buy in the curtain/sewing notions area.  They really are called "Plastic rings"  The you can run a small dowel between them to keep it from bowing and hang it invisibly from small nails or picture hangers.
2. Paint a stretched canvas slightly larger than the quilty.  Use a coordinating paint to set it off or something neutral.  Tack the quilty to the canvas and hang as picture.
3. Or if you want to float the quilty on smaller canvas, prepare as in #2.  It will then appear to be invisibly floating on the wall.