Fiber Art - From Conception to Completion!

People often look at art quilts and say, "wow, how long did that take to make?" It's a well meaning question but typically difficult to answer. Taking a design from conception to completion can take many paths. In my case an idea will pop into my head where it will roll around as I try to work out the construction and design details. Once I formulate a plan I start to sketch, next comes auditioning of fabrics and sometimes the creation of fabrics specifically for the piece. Then the construction of the work begins, the quilting gives it life and perhaps some embellishments and finally the binding and sleeve. So you see it's difficult to say how long an individual piece takes to create but the journey is well worth the effort!

I do my best to stay connected to my buddy Sharon as our busy lives take us in many directions during the week. We've been fairly consistent over the past 7 years in meeting each week for our "weekend walk". We catch up, swap stories and enjoy being on a woodland trail. During our walks I try to keep an eye on our surroundings looking for inspiration for new work. As my passion for surface design continues to grow I would come home from our walks and create a "weekend walk" inspired piece of fabric. For example I'd collect pine needles and stamp them onto fabric or perhaps the color combinations I saw would go into an ice dye bath. The below piece was designed and created from fabrics that resulted from my experiences on my walks with Sharon. It was fun to create and filled with happy memories!

Weekend Walks With Sharon

36" X 29.5"



The techniques used when creating the fabrics are confetti dyeing, iced dyeing,
discharge, stamping, stenciling and silk screening



Detail of silk screened and quilted leaves