Monday, January 14, 2008

January Journal Quilt - Summer Sun

I am taking part in a monthly Journal Quilt and the theme for January is 'Seasons'. Even though we have had a bit of rain lately, Australia is still in the grip of a very long drought and, with summer in full swing, days of sunshine aren't exactly what we need right now. So I've decided to try to capture the heat and the intensity of the Australian sun.

Here are the materials I started out with. I ended up using the silk tops (rovings), the four at the bottom, but not the wool tops (roving), the two at the top. The quilt sandwich is two pieces of my favourite hand dyed orange from Dyed and Gone to Heaven with a double layer of black felt in between.

I used the threads but the yarns I ended up untwisting and just using the eyelash strands for texture and not colour.

So, I started with the lightest of the silk tops and worked out to the yellow silk top.

Then added the threads and yarns.

And the DMC stranded metalics were added for sparkle but not colour.

Once I laid out all the fibres, I pinned Solvy on top to hold them in place during machine quilting. For a piece this size, it takes just over two bobbins to quilt. I used a silver metalic thread in the centre and a yellow/orange variagated thread for the rest.

I dunked it in cold water to dissolve the Solvy, and here is what I ended up with.

It is a bit bigger than A4 size, so the next step will be to trim it back. I was thinking about putting a binding on it but maybe I'll machine finish the edges instead.

And, to me, it does look like a hot, baking sun. Does need some beads though.

9 comments:

Joyce said...

Your sun looks so HOT! It makes me nervous about going to Oz. Lol. If it were paper I'd say try burning the edges but that probably wouldn't work on fabric.

Faye said...

I'm not sure how I'd finish it off Margaret, but I just wanted to say how awesome I think it is... Great work!
cheers - Faye

Lindi said...

It's great, Maggie. Really looks like a hot summer. I wouldn't bind it. I think the sun would look too confined and tamed. I rather like the raw edge that is there now, so I'd do something to retain that look. It suggests to me how untameable and powerful the sun really is.

Lisa said...

Wow that is a really imrressive looking sun. I agree with Lindi, I wouldn't bind it in any way, just a rough zig zag round the trimmed edges.

Lisa Walton said...

Hey Maggie - that is stunning - now I know why your back was aching the other day. Definitely needs beads though although I always say that don't I?

Lissa Jane said...

Maggie
that definately looks like HOT to me... You have exceeded yourself here! I LOVE it!!!


Lissa

Janine Matthews said...

WOW - I like it, fabo

Quiltmoose - Dagmar said...

Wow - your sun is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the process of creating it!!

Cathie said...

Wow - I love this. I'ts really gorgeous - it glows with texture. A few hot fix Swavroski crystals added here and there would be cool. I wouldn't formalize it with binding - maybe some really rough and textural couching of some fiber along the edges. Spectacular!