abstract – Daily Fiber

Taking a Break from Quilting

Posted on February 21, 2023February 20, 2023 by Laura Kate

The last two weeks have seen me working intensly on two quilts. One is finished (yay!) So today I am taking a break from quilting, if not from thinking about quilts.

It’s time to get more watercolor postcards painted. I have some new watercolor paper made especially for postcards that I am excited to try out.

A sample of this 100% cotton paper by Winsor and Newton was included with an order from Dick Blick. Since I liked the sample, I decided to buy this packet of 15 sheets. It seemed affordable and is the perfect size for postcards.

In perusing my library of reference photos, I came across an image of a quilt that really appealed to me. I described it as a log cabin flag quilt. I saved it with the idea of making a similar quilt.

But now I think it’s the perfect subject for a geometric watercolor painting.

I started by dividing my paper vertically into three columns. Determining that the angle of the flags is sixty degrees, I drew several intersecting lines. The painting process was slow and relaxed. When I was satisfied with the color, I grabbed a black watercolor pencil to reinforce the lines and darken a few of the blocks. Done.

What do you think? It’s not a slavish copy, more of an interpretation. Where the quilt has patterned fabric, I chose to allow colors to mingle.

I used all my reds, which included Pyrol scarlet, alizarin crimson, quinacridone red and magenta. Blues are cobalt and prussian. Rounding out the paints were quinacridone gold and Winsor green blue shade.

colorwork, painting

Decorating the Patio – WIP

Posted on May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 by Laura Kate

While rooting through the garage this week, I found this frame.

I decided that I could make a decor item for my patio, which also could hold various gardening implements on a row of hooks. But what I really wanted was to fill the opening with an abstract painting of geraniums. Something like this:

I picked up a remnant of solid white cotton twill. It seemed to be sturdy enough to stand up to outside conditions. After I washed and dried the fabric, I cut a piece approximately 3 inches wider and longer than the frame opening. Now the fun starts.

My fabric paint choices included green, emerald, red, and yellow. I mixed some violet into the yellow to make a gold color. After about twenty minutes of messing around I had a nice background painted.

To give a little variety to the patches of color, I scrunched up the fabric.

And here is my panel, fully dry and ready for further paint layers.

I’m excited by this result, and keen to work on this fiber object some more.

painting

Finished Object Friday – Belize Memory

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Laura Kate

Today I finished my first attempt to capture a feeling in watercolor.

On December 12th, I wrote this entry in my Belize journal, describing the boat trip back from the reef after snorkeling there:

“On either side of me the sea rolled by, with bright, transparent turquoise water punctuated by amorphous, dark green forms of sea grass and coral clumps below the surface. After the first several miles had passed, I began to detect bits and pieces of the shoreline. They came in the form of striated horizontal lines, looking like a slow fade from one color to the next. First sea green, then turquoise, followed by the strip of land separating the bay from the lagoon. The land was dark, with bumpy forms of vegetation. Beyond and above that was a cool blue strip of atmosphere. Was it mist, fog or ordinary clouds? I couldn’t tell. Eventually I detected the purplish forms of the mountains, overlapping each other and rising from the mist.”

I’m relatively happy with this painting. It captures the way I felt about what I saw that day. Working abstractly was an experiment. I might try to paint the scene again using a more organic style.

This is also my first painting on Arches hot press paper. It took a little getting used to. Pigments used were Winsor green, Thalo blue, Prussian blue, quinacridone gold, quinacridone red, carbazole violet and Payne’s gray.

hand embroidery, quilting

Finished Object: Sunset Abstract

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Laura Kate

It took only a few days to determine and apply the surface decoration on this piece. And I have stretched the truth a little in calling this one finished. I have sewn on a wide border that still needs machine quilting, and the whole thing needs to be mounted to an artist’s canvas. Since I can’t purchase that item until pandemic restrictions are lifted, I am content to call this object finished.

This is a detail I altered from the original image. In my photograph there was a road in the foreground. I changed it to a stream and depicted it with sunlight glinting off its waters. I achieved this with metallic yarn sewn on with couching.

Here is my trick to get my running stitch straight. By using painter’s tape to mark my fabric, I could hand stitch while watching TV. Also I don’t have to remove marks.

Close up of lower right section showing sun. Clouds and stream are reflecting the sunset. The triangles were stamped onto the fabric using metallic paint.

I feel pretty good about this fiber object. It communicates well the idea of sunset and its color range. I like the balance between the elements and the level of detail. And it allowed me to practice my piecing and embroidery skills.

quilting

Abstract Sunset Progress

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Laura Kate

By the end of Monday’s work, I had finished the piecing the fabric to my abstract. Rummaging through my spools of trim, I found some bronze colored satin cording. I couched it into the location of the sun, making this round object disrupt my perfectly angular image.

The next step is to decorate the surface. I always have to take a long pause at this stage. There are just too many options available to me – paint or embroider, hand or machine quilt, add more trims?

And how about all those embroidery stitches on my Bernina?

While I ponder my options, I will just enjoy the wonderful geometry and colors of my work in progress.