Challenge 42 - Landscape and Manipulated Fabric

Challenge # 42
Guest Hostess – Linda H. MacDonald of WY
Challenge Description: Create a piece emphasizing fabric manipulation in a landscape.
Nature Theme: Landscapes
This can be any interpretation of a landscape - coast, desert, mountains, plains, jungle, farmland, and even a cityscape. .
For cityscapes and abstractions one of my favorites is Ludmila Aristova: http://web.mac.com/ludmila.aristova/Ludmila_Aristova/Gallery/Gallery.html See her work published in Quilting Arts Magazine, August/Sept 2009, Issue 40 (page 30).
A few other landscape quilters found on Google are: http://www.doughtydesigns.com/index.php , Eileen Doughtyhttp://www.quiltedvalley.com/index4.html , Katherine Ferris Nicholsonhttp://www.labadiefiberart.com/ Denise Labadie’s work, is also on the cover of Machine Quilting Unlimited (July 2009)
Composition and Technique: Fabric Manipulation
Fabric manipulation is defined as using a technique that changes the look and feel of a piece of cloth with the assistance of a threaded needle. You can create puckers, folds, waves, puffs, projections, and openings with stitching by hand or machine to make a new surface on a flat piece of cloth.
Historic techniques include: gathers, pleats, tucks, smocking, cording, stuffing, and of course quilting. Use one, or a combination of techniques, to add texture to your landscape.
For a modern approach to shirring or smocking try the new shrinking threads http://www.shoppersrule.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-INCSRTHRD or try the new Texture Magic by Superior Threads.
A great reference is The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff (1996). While I couldn’t locate Colette Wolff on a website, see the Shibori Girl site for information about the book.
Folded Fabric Elegance (2007) and Quilted Elegance (2009) by Rami Kim also have good ideas, but are geared more toward clothing. If you want to make dimensional flowers in your landscape, a good book is Cindy Zlotnik Oravecz’s Into The Garden (1995). Here is a free tutorial on ruching: http://www.roserushbrooke.com/how-to-ruche.html from Rose Rushbrooke.
Additional Fabric Manipulation and Trapunto sites: http://www.cathyfranks.com/id17.html
http://www.miss-laurence.co.uk/Artwork/Textile_and_embroidery.htm
Textured fabric http://arleebarr.squarespace.comFabric origami http://www.instructables.com/id/Fabric-Origami-Quilt-Block/
Some examples of fabric manipulation found on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/fabricmanipulation/pool/
Have fun manipulating your fabric!
Linda H. MacDonaldhttp://macsplace.net/quilt.html mailto:lov2quilt@gmail.com