Big Chicken quilted!

“New Zealand Chook #4”
Copyright Susan Brubaker Knapp, 2013

Hooray! “New Zealand Chook #4” (a.k.a. “Big Chicken”) is threadsketched and quilted!

I really like the graphic pop-arty feel of this, and the bold colors. I added a little extra batting in the bottom of some of the feather sections to make them have a lot of texture. I did not quilt the comb, though, and it is a pretty big area; I hope it won’t sag without quilting. I heavily threadsketched it with a small meander, imitating the lumpy texture on the comb. It puffs out really nicely without quilting, and I didn’t want to quilt it flat. 

Now all that is left to do is to face it and add hanging sleeves for the slats. If you have never faced a quilt, I have a downloadable PDF tutorial on my blog, and on my website here. I recommend the non-mitered facing for beginners. It is much easier than the mitered version, and looks just as good.

I have a “Suffolk Sheep” painted and ready to stitch that is the same size; I think they will make great companion pieces, hanging side by side.  

Dear readers, I hope you are not getting too tired of looking at all these chickens and sheep. There is a reason for this madness; all will be revealed in a few months. 

New Zealand Chook #2

I have been working on a series of small wholecloth painted pieces based on a photo I took of a chicken in New Zealand (where chickens are often called “chooks.”) This is #2, painted and stitched. The three I have completed are nearly identical except for differences in their background colors, which are all different shades of green. They are all about 7" square.

I am really liking these small pieces, and plan to do some more small ones based on photos I took of sheep! After that, I might do a big version of this chook.

Here are some detail shots:

New Zealand Chook #1

New Zealand Chook #1
Copyright 2013 by Susan Brubaker Knapp

Just finished painting a tiny little art quilt I am calling “New Zealand Chook #1.” “Chook” is a New Zealander/Australian word for chicken. It is based on the photo (below) I took last Sunday near Rotorua, New Zealand while having lunch with my friend Alison Green. I don’t know if it is a hen or a rooster, but it wanted our crumbs, and it had some attitude! This piece will finish to about 7" square. 

Here is a detail shot:

 

I’m going to get started on the stitching soon, and will post a photo of it when I am done.