skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Psychedelic Peacock
Okay, after about three full days of work, pretty much non-stop (when I wasn’t cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving kids around, walking the dog, or sleeping), here’s where I stand on Psychedelic Peacock. All the planning, drawing, tracing, cutting and fusing are done! It is ready to thread sketch! Well, after I get the stabilizer ready.
In the shot above, you are only seeing the middle section (about 36" in depth, since that's the width of my work table). The shot below shows a bit more of the bottom. I know that the spines look really strong right now because they are so light in value, and the background is black. But they will get partially covered up with a lot of brightly colored thread, so I think they will recede significantly in the next step.
I am liking it a lot, and I usually end up liking my pieces much more when I’ve done a lot of free-motion stitching on them, so I’m excited to move on to the next step. But it may be challenging, because I don’t have a long-arm or mid-arm machine and this is a big piece (48" square), and it is pretty stiff, due to the fact that there are large areas of fusible adhesive in it, and there will be interfacing behind the whole thing. Wish me luck!
I actually made it about 52" square to start. The heavy thread sketching I do tends to shrink pieces up a bit, and I can always crop it down a few inches at the end, if need be.
Posts
I can't wait to see your stitching, I know how wonderful your stitching is and how much depth and shadows you create with it. I was thinking that free motion would be easier with stiff backing? I have different weights of fusibles, so wondering what one is best for machine quilting art pieces.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
You've come far since I saw it this afternoon. Way cool Susan!
ReplyDeleteLove all those normal everyday things you gotta do before you can actually create. My dust bunnies have been calling me names behind my back. Can't wait to see it finished. It will be fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving this so much! I do have a question. I know that you sometimes paint the fabric and other times you choose to use fused down fabric. How do you determine which method you will use? Is is based on size? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, The interfacing adds wonderful stiffness that keeps my work from drawing up when I thread sketch. But on a big piece, it can make managing the quilt top difficult. I'll let you know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteDeb,
ReplyDeleteThese days, I am working using two main techniques – fusible applique (like most of the pieces in my new book) and wholecloth painting. In this case, I wanted a solid black background, so fusing fabric was probably the best choice. But the main reason I did fusible applique on this piece is that it is a project for a fabric company! Not sure how much I can say about it at this point; I'll share details when I can. :-)
Debbie, I forgot to answer part of your question! I usually use "Pellon 910" or "Heavyweight Shaping Aid." Both are fairly stiff. I don't tend to like the fusible stabilizers; most are too lightweight for my heavy thread work.
ReplyDeleteReally awesome, Susan! Just lover how you've interpreted the colors in your own way. It is stunning and I'm sure will look even more stunning after you apply you wizardry of thread sketching.
ReplyDeleteI am eager to see how your amazing stitching will enhance this piece! The vibrant colors are wonderful and really pop against the black background. I love the look on his face!
ReplyDeleteYour peacock is so beautiful! This week I've been collecting images of peacock to make sketches for a job, coincidentally when I opened your blog today and saw their work. It's inspiring! I follow closely, you are amazing, I hope one day achieve a level as good.
ReplyDeleteA big hug and success always!
I'm waiting patiently to see the thread painting take this peacock onto another level - it's amazing as it is at present but having seen your other works (only online unfortunately) I'm sure it will really start to take on a 'life' of it's own very quickly
ReplyDeleteHey Susan! Awesome challenge piece! I really love how you used all the different colors in such a pleasing way.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I already asked StudioE and they're fine with blogging or videos. After all, it's all advertising for their beautiful fabrics!
Wow! What a quilt. I love it. Can't wait to see the thread work you do.
ReplyDelete