Indian Corn 2

“Indian Corn 2” by Susan Brubaker Knapp – 15" x 20" (2010)

This is Indian Corn 2, a piece featured in my upcoming book, Point, Click, Quilt! Turn Your Photos into Fabulous Fabric Art. It is scheduled for release in mid July.

The photo on which this piece is based (below) is my mail basket (an old oyster basket I bought years ago) with some Indian corn in it. I love the juxtaposition of the man-made pattern of the basket with the organic pattern of the corn kernels. I bought this Indian corn at my favorite local farm stand, Carrigan Farms in Mooresville. They always have the most gorgeous Indian corn, and I love going there every fall to take photos and pick out my pumpkins and gourds. 

Original photo by Susan Brubaker Knapp

I am often asked how I decide what to thread sketch and what to quilt. The thread sketching takes place on the top layer (the quilt top) and goes through this layer and the interfacing (usually Pellon 910) only. The quilting takes place later, and goes through all the layers (quilt top, interfacing, batting and backing fabric). This piece is a good example of why I do what, and when.

In this case, I wanted to add the strands of corn silk, and I wanted lots of detail and color on the kernels. I did this at the thread sketching stage, because if I had quilted it, those areas would have receded, and they needed to come forward. I quilted the lines defining the kernels, because those areas needed to recede. Make sense now?

Detail of Indian Corn 2

If you would like to get more information about when my book is available, just e-mail me at susan@bluemoonriver.com and let me know. I’ll add you to my mailing list and let you know when you can order it.