Abstract Dragonfly

Using Photoshop, I enlarged a photograph of a dragonfly taken while camping in Pukeroa forest last year. I then cropped the picture just leaving the tail rudder.
After enlarging this to A4 size, printed and transferred the design to freezer paper.
Shiva paint stiks – green, blue, turquoise, copper, and white – coloured in the rudder onto yellow fabric. Once dried, free motion zigzag to fill in , and created a more rounded 3D effect. It looked like a green bunny!
Rummaged through my scraps and found some ugly fabric that needed to be used up, and cut 3 more rudder shapes. Also over laid the checked fabric with a plastic film found at Ajays Emporium, it totally changes the fabric – wow.
Somehow I managed to run out of double sided vilene, so just glue sticked them down onto the yellow fabric. Once dry, echo sewed with contrasting orange and green threads, down the rudder shape. They all looked like bunnies, is that abstract enough?
I just left the edges unfinished, outside my comfort zone a little, I really wanted to buttonhole them down!
Using a variegated crochet thread and Lana needles, top stitched the rudder shape diagonally across all 4 rudders, and then quilted the whole thing down with orange thread, echo quilting the diagonal and the other edge. After quilting, the raw edges lift, and add shadows unexpectedly to the quilt.
Decide not to center the piece but to cut it to size with more yellow back ground on the left, to bring out the yellow showing through on the painted rudder.
They still look like bunnies though! Albeit, upside down ones.

Collage - Dragonfly Series

After lots of research, I have learnt that the animal symbolism of the dragonfly deals with prosperity,good luck, strength, peace, harmony , and purity
As a creature of the wind, the dragonfly totem represents change. It's iridescent wings are incredibly sensitive to the slightest breeze, and so we are reminded to heed where the proverbial wind blows - lest we run into stormy weather.
Dragonflies are also creatures of the water, and any creature whose habitat is in, or around water carries symbolism relative the subconscious, or "dreaming" mind and thoughts.
Dragonflies carry messages that deal with deeper thought - and they ask that we pay attention to our deeper thoughts and desires.
Further symbolic insect meaning of dragonfly comes into play when we observe the dragonfly's mode of transportation as it skitters across the top of water surfaces. This implies that our deeper thoughts are surfacing and we must be mindful of the outcome we wish to have.
The dragonfly is a reminder that when our deeper thoughts rise to the surface we must pay attention - there are lessons to be learned, and we are also reminded that what we think is directly proportionate to what we "see on the surface." ...In short, our thoughts (even the deeper ones that we might not be as in-touch with as we are with our conscious thoughts) are responsible for what we see in our lives - in our physical surroundings.
The dragonfly gives us a very powerful meditation tool. Close your eyes, and focus on a thought - let it rise to the surface of your mind's ocean - see that thought float lightly up to the water's surface. Now upon the top of a smooth, calm glass-like surface - visualize that thought moving across that water - sliding across - smooth and fast.
This exercise is useful when we want to visualize positive outcomes in a situation. We see the thought of hope happily moving across an ocean of peace (peaceful mind) and skirting to a perfect outcome.
Lastly it should be noted that the Dragonfly lives a short life, and it knows it must live to the fullest with what it has. This suits my philosophy best, of having fun, and living in the now.

I want the A4 collage to have the words that Dragonflies symbolize, so need to print these onto fabric. Decided to use cotton that I had dyed green purple d blend of yellow through to red.
In Publisher I just typed in the words in a text box, changed the font colour and just made the font larger. The colours I will print in are purple, orange, red and green.

Prepared the fabric by soaking it in a ¼ cup of white vinegar to 1 litre of water. Let it soak for ½ hour and then drip dry on the outside line. Ironed the fabric onto freezer paper and cut to A4 size. Had to change the printer settings to “Transparency” but it printed okay onto fabric.

Spent the rest of the afternoon out in the sun, cutting up the fabric and arranging them on a fusible stabilizer. Once happy I just ironed the collage onto the stabilizer, and using metallic threads free motion zigzagged over the joins. Changed to silver thread and quilted an outline of a dragonfly wing, but I am not sure how effective this is, especially in the night light.

I found some left over orange piping, from a box of scraps a friend gave me. Have never used the stuff before, so this is perfect for the border. Left over yellow fabric completes the border. I like the piping effect, so will use it again in the future. Added a few beads over the dragonfly clipart, just for texture.

Stetching the brain again

I need to stretch myself, as I have become complacent and predictable (who would have thought, maybe it’s my age) so l I have joined the Yahoo internet group dedicated to NZ and Australian art quilts. I know I will learn a lot from these talented artists, and looking forward to sharing my knowledge with them.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Aus_NZartquilters

The group has a monthly A4 sized challenge around a theme and technique, and I am going to try to do these challenges around a series of dragonflies. I have always admired these insects and their zest for life, and have always wanted to do a quilt with dragonflies – here is my chance!

My first challenge is around the theme “Seasons”, and the technique is Embellishment, so I want to try more free motion embroidery on the machine.

I think Angelina fibres will be perfect for the wings, and I feel a Summer theme with a dragonfly flying though the tall rushes and grasses towards water.

The wings were created using sliver, gold purple Angelina, and the body using yellow and red Angelina.
Water was made by collaging a dark, medium, and light blue fabrics, and then laying different novelty threads on the top. I held these down with Press n Seal, and couched the threads down in a loose grid. I used a small stitch, as I found it perforates the Press n Seal and makes it easier to rip off, instead of a longer stitch. It looks like a stormy sea or sky, I love stroking the yarns.
Found some left over “bird of paradise” fabric, and ragged cut the top to look like grass. Sewed the fabric to the sky, and reinforced with small stitches, where the dragonfly would be cut out of the sky. A sharp knife around a freezer paper pattern of a dragon fly made quick work of the sky and grass.
After a bit of fiddling laid a scrap of yellow fabric under the body of the dragonfly, and gluestik the wings and body into place under the sky and grass, sort of a reverse appliqué, but cut out the dragonfly shape first, then laid the Angelina underneath. I am not sure if white fabric was a good choice under the wings, maybe grey or red would have been better?
Dark purple thread zigzagged outlined the dragonfly, and variegated orange / brown topstitched the grass. Only a small amount of quilting around the wings and where the sky/grass met.
Decided the dragonfly needed a bit more “oomph”, so zigzagged freely with mustard thread to create depth in the body and rudder, and then brown around the outside.
Perhaps I need to put some beads to give the body more definition?

Japanese Inspired

At club night we randomly pulled out of a bag, 2 x 5 inch squares, and one 3 inch strip the width of fabric.
The challenge, make something with these, using our own fat quarter of fabric, plus batting, plus backing.
The fabrics I pulled had an Asian feel to them. So I felt I had to have a go at some Japanese inspired patchwork.
After auditioning several fabrics, I found a terracotta that echoes the colours of the 5 inch squares and the 3 inch strip.
Using Japanese stylized patters on Ramon symbols, of the Gong, Clouds, and Commas, and the plum blossom.

After tracing the patterns onto freezer paper, used a craft knife to cut out the patterns, and then ironed the freezer paper onto the right side of the fabric and cut around the Ramon shapes.

The plum blossoms were cut from the 3 inch strip, and then the left over fabric ripped into strips for nine patch squares,. 2 strips were ripped from the fat quarter for the nine patch contrast, which I just kept joining together into one long strip.

Machine appliquéd the Comma, Gong and Plum to the remaining fabric of the fat quarter. The nine patch strip was sewn to the side of this remaining fabric, and voila, the piece was finished.
It needed more, so made a reverse stencil of the Ramon symbols and painting them onto the backing fabric (same terracotta colour as the front).

Using Shiva paint sticks, I frottaged over a left rubbing plate for texture, then shaded the outside of the patterns.

I choose blue and cream, to fit with the colours of the fabric.

Also with masking tape, created a nine patch pattern and frottaged cream paint stik as well.

Once, dried, ironed to heat set, and outlined each symbol in matching thread. Popped a zipper into the two halves, and sewed up the cushion.

My very own Japanese patchwork.

My Place Challenge

I am buzzing out, 4 Seasons in 1 Day selected for the My Place challenge. It has gone off to South Africa, then Australia and finally will come home next year.
Wow. Here is the link to see all the quilts, there are amazing works of art. Cannot wait to see them in the gallery.

http://myplacequilts.com/