Cicadas on Yellow

“Cicadas on Yellow” is a piece I finished this week, and am in the process of facing. I loved painting these guys so much that I’d like to do a few more pieces featuring them. These are the annual “dogday” Neotibicen cicadas common in North Carolina. This piece will be about 21 x 24" and I’ll price it once it is faced. White cotton fabric, acrylic textile paint, cotton batting, cotton thread, cotton backing fabric, interfacing. Wholecloth painted, free-motion machine quilted.

Two more smalls

Here are two more small pieces I completed in the last week or so, each about 8 x 11". Both started as ink drawings based on original photos. I scanned the black line drawings and had them printed on fabric at Spoonflower, then painted and free-motion stitched them. I love how all of my cross-hatching shows through the paint on these pieces, so that they have lots of texture. I’m making these pieces to have some original work at lower price points for the Orange County Artists Guild open studio tour this fall. 

I'm teaching at Bernina World of Sewing in September!

I’m only teaching two classes this year because of COVID. I’d love to have you in one of them!  Bernina World of Sewing in Raleigh has opened up a spacious classroom next to the shop, and we will be able to spread out to work. Questions? Please contact me. To register, please go to the shop’s website, or contact them. 

Bernina World of Sewing

Raleigh NC

Sept. 25

Wholecloth Painting: Botanicals

and

Sept. 26

Thread Sketching: Still Life with Three Fruits

Bernina World of Sewing

6013 Glenwood Ave

Oak Park Shopping Center

Raleigh, NC  27612

919-782-2945

info@berninaworldofsewing.com

Sept. 25

Wholecloth Painting: Botanicals

Students will learn the basics of creating wholecloth painted quilts based on photos. Students can choose from the four botanical projects shown above, and will work from line drawings and my photos to recreate the image using acrylic textile paints. Afraid to try this technique? Don’t be! My students get great results. We will cover:

• selecting the right photos for great results
• which paints and fabrics to use and why
• how to transfer your design to fabric
• painting and blending techniques
• quilting considerations

Sept. 26

Thread Sketching: Still Life with Three Fruits

Learn how to add highlights and shadows, and blend colors using thread sketching to create a realistic still life. Students learn how to:

• cut pieces from fusible adhesive and fuse them to the background
• stabilize the fabric surface
• choose the right threads and needles for thread sketching
• adjust tension for the correct stitch
• add color, highlights and shadows using thread
• quilting considerations

Smalls

Here are two little pieces I made recently. They are both smaller than a piece of paper. Both started as drawings based on original photos. I scanned the black line drawings and had them printed on fabric at Spoonflower, then painted and free-motion stitched them. I love how all of my cross-hatching shows through the paint on these pieces, so that they have lots of texture. I’m making these pieces to have some original work at lower price points for the Orange County Artists Guild open studio tour this fall. 

Three Goldfish

These three goldfish pieces are based on drawings I made years ago. These are small pieces; each is no more than about 11" wide. 

Palmetto

“Palmetto”
about 20x15"
Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp 2021

I’ve always loved the amazing shadows cast by one frond of palmetto on another. Palmetto is native in North Carolina, but only thrives in our southernmost counties. It is common on Bald Head Island, where my family often vacations. 

This piece is wholecloth painted and free-motion machine quilted. White cotton fabric, acrylic textile paint, pigment ink, cotton batting, interfacing, cotton thread.