Tradition v Hi Tech - Embracing the Digital Age

I've been posting images of the latest moth quilts I'm making over on Instagram but there's limited space for much description there so here's a bit more explanation about a couple of them.........

You may remember this hand stitched hexagon quilt that I've been slowly piecing for some months now! You couldn't get more traditional if you tried and I think it's worth all the many hours it's taking! I love this quilt so much that I wanted to use it creatively towards a new work. I'll be displaying it finished just as it is but there's so much more I can do with it!!

So I imported the photograph of the hexagons into the Procreate app on my iPad and superimposed one of my moth images over the top. In Procreate you can alter the opacity of an image to allow layers beneath to become visible whilst still keeping something of the detail in the top layer.  In this version I duplicated the moth image a number of times, reducing its size and twiddling with the colours too, to add a row of small moths along the bottom of the design. It's a great way to fritter away hours of experimentation because you can save what you like and discard what you don't! I decided having hexagons all over the quilt was too busy, so I erased those in the background, leaving only those that added pattern within the moths.

But of course I didn't want a blank white background so I photographed a page from a very old book about moths and butterflies and layered that behind the image I'd created. Here you can see the result being printed on a wide format digital printer.

And here you can see how I've added black borders to frame the image and provide space for some relevant text that I'll be adding next. The fabric has been screwed up in my work bag which explains all the creases - a quick ironing and lots of quilting will put paid to that!

When you are working digitally it means you can explore other options! I thought it might be a good idea to try a small quilt before launching into the big one. This is a detail of a smaller version of the same design - I'm part way through. This one has text stamped on the border on using copper metallic paint.

And you can see how I've hand quilted every hexagon with a Madeira Cotona thread and free motion quilted some of the background with Madeira's Aeroquilt. Today I'm hand quilting each letter and when that's done it will be back to the sewing machine with a variegated thread to deal with the rest of the borders.

I've counted up and discovered I have 5 quilts on the go and not a single one complete so no time to waste - I'm back to my studio as soon as I've brewed a coffee!

Bye for now - Linda x

This Is Everything We Are

I get really irritated when I visit a blog and only find apologies for why there haven't been more posts of late! For that reason we'll gloss over the fact that I haven't been here since January!! I have been posting on our DMTV blog so please check that out if you want to catch up with what we've been busy with recently. I also post on Instagram several times a week if you are missing me!!

Here's one of the projects that's been keeping me occupied. This is a small version of a much larger quilt already in the pipeline. We're working towards our exhibition at Festival of Quilts this summer and we've called the exhibit, 'This Is Everything We Are'. You can read our artist statement on Laura's blog if you'd like to know what's inspiring the work we are creating for the show.

This particular piece is a digital print of a design I created on my iPad. I've superimposed a photograph of a moth over a photograph of a hexagon quilt I'm making and added a layer of descriptive text from an old book behind that. I've added smaller versions of the same image along the bottom of the design and tweaked the colours and transparency to make them more interesting. The three layers have been tidied up so that some areas are erased and then they are merged ready for printing. I'm hand quilting each hexagon with a Madeira 30 cotton thread but plan to machine stitch much of the background. The black border you can see is where I plan to add text.

Probably in much the same way as you can see here on another of the moth quilts I have in progress. The black border fabric is the same as the black and white fabric you can see in this quilt - it bleaches really well so some of my text might be discharged rather than applied with fabric paint. I have to sample that first to see how it works! There are three of these quilts in various stages of completion and I've posted more images on the DMTV blog.

I have five quilts on the go at the moment. I don't usually work that way - I'm one of those people who like to finish a piece before I get diverted by something new and more exciting. I am finding though that it's making me more productive - I can have some hand stitching to kill time when I'm out and about and frantic free machine quilting when I'm in the studio and can focus. It doesn't look like progress is being made but all of a sudden several pieces are done - at least that's what I'm hoping! In between all that there's DMTV! If you subscribe to our online TV you'll recognise this chap. What you haven't seen though is his friend.

Yes he did get finished! I loved having a doable project like these kingfisher portraits and will certainly be making more. There's no shortage of subjects in our garden at the minute. It may still be chilly but the birds have decided it's spring and I can hardly get any hand quilting done as I'm distracted by their antics on the feeders outside my window!

Thanks for reading today. I'll be back again soon - Linda x

Mixed Media Moths

I hadn't planned to start a new mixed media panel this week but while I was tidying stuff away in my studio I unearthed some lovely paper bits and pieces.

These two sheets of handmade paper were some we had dunked in an indigo vat years ago and promptly forgotten about!

They'd been stashed away in a crate with some of my painted papers and some coloured photocopies of symbols that I had waxed for a project inspired by all things oriental.

My old favourites, the hole punches made short work of cutting a few squares in two sizes.

Then it was time to audition a few waxed paper moths that were also lurking in the bottom of the crate. Should the squares with their button details go in a column on the right or on top of the large waxed rectangle of text on the left??

On reflection I like them better arranged on the left and a layer of orange fabric brings a flash of colour that helps balance the composition. Just need to attach the moths now and it will be done. Amazing what you can concoct when you only intended to tackle some of the heaps in the studio but I have to confess - I never did manage to make the room tidy!

Bye for now - Linda x