51" x 51"
This is a whole cloth quilt. You could call it shibori, but I called it tie-dye. I tie-dyed it and then over dyed it with another set of circles. Because I was experimenting, I decided to make two identical or nearly identical large pieces and used the second piece for the back. The fish are made from almost all commercial fabrics. They are 3 dimensional, stuffed, quilted, embellished and are fitted with copper wire on the inside to make them 'bendy fish'. They have copper wire pectoral fins, painted eyes, no mouths. Each set needed it's own original costumes, so I went to town decorating them. It was a fun project. Not all the fish can be seen in their entirities because some of them are diving below the surface so only their tales show. Others are just coming up to the surface, so you can only see their heads. The blue masks for the fish in the circle on the left were each custom fitted for each fish and made from a collapsed mondo play ball.
Some of the center fish have custom made tiaras...they are extremely proud to be the 'chosen ones'. You may ask about the single fish on the right side, but it is really up to the viewer what he is doing there... Last, the 300 fish were hand appliqued after they were made, and as you can probably imagine, that was not the fun part. The thread kept getting tangled on fish parts for EVERY stitch. This quilt has not been seen in public yet. Both Husqvarna Viking and Quilt National had their chance, but passed. I think it will be difficult to ship if it ever gets to travel, but I remain hopeful!
This quilt was quilted with YLI variegated cotton thread, YLI silk threads, and Superior King Tut variegated cotton thread. The beaded skirts were commercial, but individually fitted!
This is a whole cloth quilt. You could call it shibori, but I called it tie-dye. I tie-dyed it and then over dyed it with another set of circles. Because I was experimenting, I decided to make two identical or nearly identical large pieces and used the second piece for the back. The fish are made from almost all commercial fabrics. They are 3 dimensional, stuffed, quilted, embellished and are fitted with copper wire on the inside to make them 'bendy fish'. They have copper wire pectoral fins, painted eyes, no mouths. Each set needed it's own original costumes, so I went to town decorating them. It was a fun project. Not all the fish can be seen in their entirities because some of them are diving below the surface so only their tales show. Others are just coming up to the surface, so you can only see their heads. The blue masks for the fish in the circle on the left were each custom fitted for each fish and made from a collapsed mondo play ball.
Some of the center fish have custom made tiaras...they are extremely proud to be the 'chosen ones'. You may ask about the single fish on the right side, but it is really up to the viewer what he is doing there... Last, the 300 fish were hand appliqued after they were made, and as you can probably imagine, that was not the fun part. The thread kept getting tangled on fish parts for EVERY stitch. This quilt has not been seen in public yet. Both Husqvarna Viking and Quilt National had their chance, but passed. I think it will be difficult to ship if it ever gets to travel, but I remain hopeful!
12 comments:
Thanks for showing how stitching and other embellishment can elegantly complement a shibori-style quilt. You've given me some more ideas!
Kathy, your work is AMAZING! And labor-intensive! What vision, creativity and persistence!
I love your colors, your sense of humor and your beautiful work. Thanks for sharing this. I'll be back.
Stacy in Miami
stacywest.com
Kathy, Another amazing quilt! I haven't tried dyeing yet (second semester stuff); but this is inspirational enough to make me want to try. I hope I get to see this one in person some day. When I grow up, I want to make quilts like this.
It is nice to finally see this with more detail shots. I think it needs to go into the whimisical category in houston next year. My psychic vision shows a blue ribbon next to it!
Kathy, this is so beautiful...the work is utterly amazing. I love your art.
I like the idea of texture and fabric 3-d embellishment on a quilt. I have done a few borders with folder flowers. Your fish have inspired me. Thanks for sharing.
What FUN! What a LOT of WORK! WONDERFUL! Thank you for showing it.
wonderful!
Wow, Kathy!
This is amazing. I want to see it 'in real life' - I'll trade you some buttons (sneaky grin).
Sher
What an absolutely amazing piece of work! It's so inventive, with such great color, and the title is so perfectly droll! And I love the synchronization of the fish -- I can just hear the counting of the instructor, "and heads up 2 3 4 and tails up 2 3 4"!!
Fabulous Kathy! I love your work, and admire your vision. You put such passion and personal feelings into your pieces. Thanks for sharing that. I enjoyed all the work on your site. The journal quilts were very touching. I also love your masterful use of color.
Loved seeing this quilt in person at the Dallas Quilt Show! I had a hard time getting up close to it because it had such a crowd of admirers around it. It definitely put a smile on everyone's face.
I love your colors, love the embellishments. You've inspired me. Thanks!
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