Challenge #97: Barcode Art

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge 97, September 26, 2014

Challenge Hostess: Meena Schaldenbrand

Title: Barcode Inspiration

Theme:  Use of barcodes

Technique: High contrast fun

Due date: October 4, 2014

Barcodes are composed of black and white thick and thin lines on many purchased products. UPC barcodes use strong lines. QR barcodes use geometric shapes.

For challenge # 97, use barcodes to create high contrast fiber art. 

What do bar codes mean?   UPC is short for Universal Product Code, 12-digit barcode which allows retailers to manage sales of a product. UPC codes are valid in the United States and Canada.  EAN codes are a 13-digit barcodes valid in all other countries. 

Barcode explanations:
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/collages/diagram/index.html

QR codes (Quick Response codes) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Quilts:

http://livelovequilt.blogspot.com/2012/07/qr-barcode-quilt.html

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=QR%20bar%20codes

Other Art Examples:

Barcode Gallery:  http://www.cnet.com/news/barcode-gallery-qr-codes-become-wall-art/#

Turning them into art: Scott Blake
http://theinspirationgrid.com/barcode-art-by-scott-blake/
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/collages/index.html
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/videos/index.html
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/index.html

12 Coolest Works of Barcode Art by Grace Murano
http://www.oddee.com/item_96851.aspx

Art in Aisle 5: Barcodes Enter Expressionist Period

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303823104576391973120779678
or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-1

Variations on barcodes: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/barcode-art
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/funky-barcodes-spice-up-packaging-ii

Art barcode graffiti
https://www.google.com/search?q=bar+code+art&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2FETVKXvCs2uyASCsoHIDg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=578#tbm=isch&q=art%20barcode%20graffiti&revid=2125053464&imgdii=_
or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-2 

Barcode "Clock"
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/clocks/barcode/index.html

Free download of decorative font

http://www.1001fonts.com/barcode-font-font.html

A Fast Friday Fabric challenge based on the barcode http://meenaschaldenbrand.blogspot.com/2013/12/just-when-caterpillar-thought-world-was.html  or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-3

And one more thing -- have fun with this!

National Honey Month

This is not done yet, as you may be able to tell..lol

I have no less than THREE other pieces started for the challenge but kept changing my mind. First was Elephant Appreciation Week, then Good Neighbor Week, then Bathtub Race Day before finally settling on this one to complete.  I am posting the WIP photo because I feel a bit guilty that as hostess this month I haven't posted anything yet!

Originally this was going to be the honeycomb quilt hanging from a thin branch with some bees on it. But it has taken on a life of its own.  The honeycomb was drawn on a yellow mottled batik, then colored in with colored pencils, and then "honey" was painted on with acrylics, I fused it to batting, then fused that to more fabric so it is very stiff, hemmed the edges (using pliers,,,used the extra heavy fusible...sigh) stuck wire through the top hem so I could hang it and stitched the bottom edges together to make the shape I wanted.

Nailed the branch to a 2x4, THEN decided to make b/w checks on that with acrylics. The honey jar is an empty one I had here and the honey is painted canvas I put inside it. That will have a label when done also.

The bees are painted canvas, pipe cleaners and trimmed pompoms, still need to make wings and antennae, they won't all be on the honeycomb, I plan on having one on the branch and maybe one on the honey jar or "flying" under the comb, not sure yet,

I will post a photo when this is complete, but did want to share something with you now :-)

Update: I have been able to squeeze enough time out to finish one bee! Have great hope that the rest will be done before the next challenge :-) Here is a photo of the complete bee, I have since painted along the outer edges so it is black and not the light color that you see here.

Suicide Prevention Week

12/30/14  I decided to get this piece truly finished before the end of the year.  I strengthened the text, and put the quote on a separate piece of fabric as a tombstone,  I used a pillowcase backing with a hanging sleeve, and a black fringe on the bottom.  I trimmed the drapery and put Fray Check on the edges, and decided not to actually sew it down but let it flare a bit.

_____________________________


Size: approx. 24" x 18"

About the time I posted this challenge, I saw an article in the editorial page from someone who had been stopped from suicide, and it mentioned National Suicide Prevention Week.  Sept. 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day, and the national week is the week including that date (though the article gave a later date for the week).  The recent death of Robin Williams immediately came to mind.

I took a photo of him that I found on-line, photo-shopped it, keeping his eyes blue but changing everything else to grayscale, and printed it on white linen.  I used wood grain fabric for the coffin, and wrote it the words.  I added the rose, done with foil, in part because the words weren't quite centered in the space, but it does seem to balance the picture.

The quote, ironically, is Williams' own words.  Who knew he was struggling so much in his private life?

Normally I would mount this on foam core, wrapping the edges evenly, but I am not completely happy with this piece.  I welcome any suggestions.

The Optimist

Positive Thinking Day is Sept 13. 

The Optimist is about improving life with a positive attitude.

Materials:   Light bulb, cloud with rain beads, ladder, and thumbs up charms. Key. Doily.

Technique: Designed in Make the Cut software, printed on fabric. 3D Attic window. 

Ole'

When I saw the list of possibilities for this challenge, it motivated me to start and finish a quilt I had been planning for a long time. So it became a celebration of National Spanish Heritage Month and National Chicken Month.

I have been saving fabrics that looked Mexican, and I will add this to my series of roosters that I have been working on this summer.

This measures about 17" x 18", and is all commercial cottons, fused and machine quilted.

I enjoy using fabrics in unusual ways, and the tail feathers are from a Laurel Burch print of horses, and the wings holding the maracas are from a very colorful tropical fish fabric...

It was lots of fun, fussy cutting each and every feather, and seeing it come together as I added them on, one by one. 

This was a great challenge - very open-ended and accessible!