Friday, July 20, 2007

Inspiration and Design

Here is an Australian print I used as the inspiration for two small journal sized quilts.



I have been taking part in a local informal Art Quilt Group for the last 3 months. This group of quilters includes some awesome talent. I learn and am inspired from them even when they are using techniques I am not currently using. I am not, at this point in my life going to make bed quilts. I love their "tailored" and perfect paper-pieced rendering of their drawings. However, I am not using that method and I don't have the time or patience to put perfectly mitered 1/4 inch binding around each art quilt.

I believe that many quilters are artists even when they use traditional patterns and methods. Art goes beyond skill alone but can certainly utilize skill. This gets into the area of "craft" and Art, how the two differ where the two intersect, a perennial question!

I am currently working with raw edges, free-motion machine stitching, felting, and an overall sketchy and messy look. I am painting with fibers!

In other words, I feel like the odd one in this group but still very welcome and more at home here than in the larger quilt guild.

Last month we isolated a 2 x 3 inch area of a printed fabric and used a sharpie to trace the lines of the design on a piece of clear acetate. We were challenged to take this home and create small quilt 9 x 12 inches to show at the next meeting. Here are my examples.

8 comments:

Alis Clair said...

I'm sure they learn from you too. They can't fail to pick up on the way you put colours together.
Lovely to work with other people too isn't it.

Terri Stegmiller said...

What a fabulous idea to create a new piece of art. I love both of your pieces and the colors are so yummy!

gunnelsvensson said...

Hi Molly! I really love your art, you know! I often feel like the odd one in my own groups; am I a quilter or an embroider or what? And I don´t want to do big bedquilts anymore, but I don´t want to called me artquilter as well!

molly jean said...

Gunnels, I just call myself an artist and you are too!

Anonymous said...

Your work is stunning!! I love how you used the print for inspiration. The end result is amazing!

I, too, have been fooling around with fabric art and feel that the fabric art collage is more of an artistic expression than regular quilting. I think that the raw-edged look is very popular now with collage artists, so keep up the good work. Your pieces are absolutely gorgeous!

Beach Girl said...

I come to your blog and find rest in your art. Oh, how I wish I could create like that! I did
"doodle" a cute little crab at work.....

Popping in to say HELLO!

Vanessa

Jane LaFazio said...

That was a good idea for a class exercise,(which I might steal) and you did a GREAT job! I'm saying that in my persona as art quilt teacher for the past 2-1/2 years!

Gata púrpura/Nathalia silva said...

I love yours artworks!
You are a great artist and person!
Sorry for my english, is very bad =S
A greetings!

Nathali