Now that the holidays are behind us, and my decorations are finally put away, it’s time to get back to work on my current art quilt. This one is giving me a bit of trouble because it is really too big for my current workspace. In California I had a huge design wall that could hold a queen size quilt and a 4 foot x 8 foot tabletop workspace. The space in my Porto studio is quite a bit smaller and yet my first project was conceived to be BIG.
This project was one that came through a guided meditation, and I saw it as a very large piece, filling the space at the end of a gallery, The tree itself is 40” x 60” and it fits on my design wall, (just barely). Once added to the background the whole piece will measure around 55” x 80” and I have been having to tape the hand painted background onto my bedroom wall in order to see the whole thing at the same time. I think it is time for me to accept my new studio limitations and start making smaller art quilts! lol.
Here is a bit of the evolution: I started with the tree drawing which went through 3 versions. As I would complete a drawing I would then enlarge it. I kept the branching largely the same but kept lengthening the trunk in order to elongate it for what I wanted to acheive.
For a long time when I wanted to enlarge my images to create a pattern, I would take my drawing to Staples and have them print out a large copy on their printer for architectural drawings (the ones they used to call blueprints) but as my local Staples got busier and they couldn’t print them out on the spot, I searched for another option. I found it with Rasterbator.net an online service that allows me to upload a photo of my drawing and then I can print it out any size I want on my home printer. It uses a fair amount of paper and ink, something I am more aware of with the dinky printer and ink cartridges we bought here, but still a very convenient way to go.
This project is turned edge applique for the tree. I didn’t want to have to reverse the design and I wanted to make it easy to remove the freezer paper, so I pressed the freezer paper to the RIGHT side of the fabric and drew a 1/4 inch extension to press under. I then carefully turned the edges under so only the freezer paper showed from above, clipping the curves and inside corners where needed. I used a hot iron and a light application of acid free glue to keep the turned edges in place. Where one section of trunk butted up against another I turned the piece that would go on top but did not turn the edge of the “under” piece. I used a very small zig zag stitch to sew the trunk areas together (here shown in black so you can see it) matching the thread to the fabric. Once sewn I turned the pieces over and trimmed away the excess fabric.
The root section was created using fewer fabric color changes and required more painting, but was still done with turned edges. Here you can see it with the freezer paper pieces still in place, and the painting progression.
The leaves are painted Tyvek and modeled after those of a crabapple tree at the end of my block in California. I created 2 shapes in 2 sizes and then reversed the pieces to get 4 leaf variations. I stitched the vein lines onto the leaves before cutting them out, then they will be attached to the tree in a way where the edges can flutter to add movement and changing reflections. The leaves have been painted with metallic paints and will change color as they go from one side to the other, moving from gold to red to represent how we are born with perfect knowledge, are indoctrinated by society and “formal learning” and then, hopefully, gain wisdom.
I still have a lot to do before this one is finished and have given myself a deadline of Feb 15 to have the top completed some of the quilting done, so I had better sign off for now and get back to it. I’ll fill you in on the rest of the process once the quilt is finished.