The sad thing was that the quilts were hung with nails. I was orrified but when I pointed out the fact the organizers replied to me that they were doing it right, that a famous quilter told them to do that, that nails were small and so on. No way for a new hanging method.
I asked for an opinion in the QuiltArt mailing list and someone told me "life is short and you have to decide whether to spend it fighting or making art!"
This made me think that I can also fighting making art, and so my quilt for challenge 50 was born.
The haiku is:
The grey sea sadly foams
Where the quilts are crucified
At ignorance walls
(hope the syllables count is correct)
And here is my quilt:
The photo is one of those I took on the beach during the meeting, printed on fabric and quilted, the "wall" is fused, the little quilt is a recycle, I made this little quilt to try a new technique months ago and then I left it unfinished. I've finished it with back and binding, I've sewed it to the other pieces then I've ripped it to insert the big nail. Finally came the bloody drops.
In this quilt I've tried 2 techniques new to me: I've attached the binding with blanket stitch (don't like it too much), and I've used satin stitch to close part of the quilt (but it came out wavy, any hint about that?).
Every coment and hint will be appreciated.
Hi Silvia,
ReplyDeleteA good way to express your views!
This is a bit long, but might help with the question about the wavy edge.
When you do a satin stitch edge, do you use a blind hem foot? One of the reasons why it is wavy is because it has been stretched...possibly because it was going too slow and you pulled it or because the pressure of the foot caused it to get stuck a bit as it went along.
I find a blind hem foot helps to keep the edge from stretching. The stitches form over the bar of the foot and so are less likely to cause the stitch to tunnel. There is also a bit of groove under the foot which means the edge doesn't get pressed so hard against the machine, so it stops the stretching.
Another thing is to go round once with the stitch length at about 1 and then go round again with the stitch length about .6 Somehow it works better than to have a very short stitch the first time. It kind of smooths the way, and going round the second time fills in the gaps.
I will also post this on the list.
Sandy in the UK
A very clever way of using your art to express your feelings. The drops of blood are very effective.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean by using the satin stitch to close part of the quilt. If you are using a satin stitch just on the quilt top, you need something under the top to stabilize it so you keep the top smooth. Does that help?
Nancy Schlegel
sandy: I've replied to you on list, but I wish to thank you also here. I'll try with the blind hem foot :)
ReplyDeletenancy: thank you for your comment.
I'm sorry my description isn't clear... let's see if I can clarify :)
the whole work is made from 2 big units.
First unit: the photo plus the light brown wall.
Second unit: the colorful quilt plus nail and bloody drops.
Every unit is made of top, batting, back, and with finished edges.
I've used the satin stitch only on the edges of the first unit.
The second one is finished with binding.
After having finished the two units I've stitched them toghether with hidden stitches.
When I've satine stitched I was working on top+batting+back. I think the problem is more about foot pressure and fabric traction than about stabilizing.
I've to practice. :)
thank you for comment!
Silvia,
ReplyDeleteWow! A totally cool way to protest a wrong and create art at the same time. Your message comes across loud and clear and your quilt has great visual impact. Not to worry about syllables and wavy edges. I really like this quilt.
Anne S. in Walnut, CA