"Butterfly Ribbons" (29.5”T x 26”W x .5”D) ...I feel that butterflies are some of the happiest creatures on the planet. I even had one light on my outstretched finger once. Therefore, I had been collecting commercial iron-on butterfly appliqués for a while, mostly Monarchs. With the addition of butterflies, this piece grew to become a work dedicated to found objects from fabric stores. There are also a number of 60s retro flower appliqués as well as some interesting tulip ones that look like small postage stamps. I also wanted to play with lines as a framework for the composition and ribbons make easy lines to add on to a piece. There are also two strips of “Le Tigre” labels as I bought a life time supply of a close-out of some clothing line’s sew-in labels. The juxtaposition of tigers and butterflies seemed very funny to me as I was forming the quilt’s surface.
In creating this piece, I pinned up the yellow background fabric onto a wall of my studio and began the cutting and pinning process. I was surrounded by a wealth of possible inclusions for the piece, so it became more of what not to use than what would be added. My hand quilted pieces are very portable, so I try to make them small enough that I don’t need to use a frame. Still, the extensive beading makes the pieces distort as the work progresses, especially the lines. At the end, where the piece gets blocked into its final shape, there needed to be a lot of fudging with buttons added on to distract the eye where the lines aren’t exactly straight, I hope that these discrepancies will add to the handmade charm of the piece, This work was given birth through the efforts of my eyes and hands, not stamped out by a machine.
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You can see more of my art quilts at my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com