some time ago, I had a request for a unicorn…. here they are…..
applique, trapunto, inktense pencils, fabric medium, acrylic ink, couching…..
a little bit of monochromatic fun
The Unicorns
Category: machine embroidery
Parrots
These feathered folk will soon be out of the studio and on their way to new environs… with just one more to complete, the set of 12 will shortly be hanging on my client’s wall! I have had such fun making these 8” square textile works… next up, some bigger works and barely a bird in sight! I say that because while I intend not to include any birds, you just never know when one might sneak in…..
Share this:
Benefit Auctions
Being a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates, I decided this year I would submit a couple of small pieces for auction, to help in a small way to raise funds for the SAQA exhibition programmes, and I guess it is another platform where people will see my humble work….. These are the two pieces – the first, postcard sized, is an Eastern Yellow Robin for the Spotlight Auction, and the second, Silver Gulls, is for the Benefit Auction. I had fun making them. The postcard is already on it’s way to America, if it hasn’t already arrived, and the other will be soon winging it’s way to Lisa Walton , vice president of SAQA who has kindly offered to take the Oceania Membership Group’s donated quilts to the USA.
Eastern Yellow Robin for SAQA Spotlight Auction
Silver Gulls 12″ x 12″ made for SAQA Benefit Auction 2018 Cotton Raw edge applique, couched velour yarn, machine stitching
The past 10 days have also seen me quilt and bind a charity quilt top – one of the Linus quilts – made by another Queensland Quilters member, so I will be handing that back this coming Tuesday at the QQ Inc March gathering. Just a teeny contribution…. and it keeps my hand in just a bit with the machine quilting…
Then there were a couple of tiny miniature pieces I did for fun, that were not birds for once!!! I have had these tiny frames in my stash for years so with a bit of the old crackle medium and acrylic paint I dressed them up a little and made these wee gifts…. 2″ x 2″ and 2″ x 2.5″ respectively!
Sunflower for Kim (What else?) Inktense on cotton duck, thread sketched
Fish for Brenda (of course!) painted vliesofix on hand dyed fabric, thread sketched with metallic polyester thread.
I have a mind to have a go at the Coastal Threads Art Prize, “Coastal Fringe” if I can get my act together… I have yet to finalise my subject, but with a March 30 deadline I will be on to it this week! Next on the list following that is a commission! Exciting times.
Share this:
Demonstrating at QQS and the Jesus Birds
Recently, I was demonstrating some of my textile art practise at the Queensland Quilt Show. I had a great time meeting many lovely and different women, all of whom were very kind and admiring of my work. I was blessed with an amazingly large area in which to display my quilts, and it felt wonderful to be able to work away surrounded by them. The quilted model of our holiday cottage, the bach, featured as well along with the panorama quilts of the view.
Showing the front of the bach
Side view and panorama
The artist!
Works on display
With my QQS show Pictorial Open entry ” Tinchi Tamba/Pine Rivers with it’s 2nd prize ribbon
It was a great deal of fun and I really loved being able to show people how I go about making a small textile artwork. I have continued working on the pieces I was demonstrating, and here are a few of the progress photos, which may interest those of you who attended the Craft and Quilt Fair in Brisbane last week.
laying out the fabric pieces
Pinned
Basic stitching commenced
Lilypads laid on. Note the water has been stitched more heavily
Sewing down the lilypads. The water will be stitched further
Jacana Adult Applique
Jacana thread sketched ready for trapunto
Jacana chick sketched on fabric with inktense pencils and fabric medium
Thread sketching commenced
Thread sketching completed
Showing trapunto by machine
Detail showing birds appliquéd in place.
There is still some detail to add – perhaps to the lilypads, and a few flowers and buds to make and add: the snowflake waterlilies that abound and upon which the Comb Crested Jacanas nest, feed and appear to walk on water! Hence the colloquial name!
Keep an eye on my blog, as I will post photos of the final work once it is completed!
Share this:
Art as a full time occupation
October 2016 was a heady month. That was when I won the Best of Show at Queensland Quilters Inc.s annual Quilt Show, with my art quilt Cudgera Creek.
I had spent the previous few months, and much of October and November, trying to perfect my ruler quilting ( a whole different thing altogether) because I pretty much suck at traditional quilting, both by hand and machine. Oh, I can do it, just not very well, and there are some amazing amazing quilters out there who make it look easy. (It isn’t). But after pulling off the big event with my art quilt, well, that’s clearly the direction I really ought to head in!
Besides, I LOVE making my art quilts. Thus, it’s been head down and tail up for the past 4 weeks (already!) since the holidays ended, and we all headed back to town and commitments….and I’ve so far loved every minute! This year, I said to myself, will be a year of ART. The thing is, if I want to be an artist, then art has to be my new full time occupation.
Recent work: a selection of drawings – I have a long way to go.
Rainbow Bee Eater
Galah
Azure Kingfisher
Masked Lapwing
Black backed gull
Tui
Textile pieces below: I have more, but I can’t reveal them yet… soon though! I have so far completed 3 textile pieces this year. The main one is this work in progress below, (35″ x 35″) which I intend to enter in an upcoming local art competition…. the Rosella in “Good Morning” is my donation piece for the planned Queensland Quilters Silent Auction – keep an eye on their website for further details. QQ website Dimensions are 8″ x 10″ and it is ready to hang, mounted on an art canvas.
Work in progress, Anfractuous Continuance series
Sold
Detail, “Good Morning”
There are more in my head! Also, I intend to take some classes…. I need more skills with composition, water colours, and landscape painting…what to put in, what to leave out, what to move where, etc! Not to mention getting the bird shapes right. If I can master these, I think they will be invaluable assets to have when designing my textile art pieces. I plan to immerse myself in art practice.
Sue Duffy Designs 