I am an avid reader of fantasy fiction. As a child I was immersed in the Land of OZ series by LF Baum. Not only did I love the stories but I marveled at the fantastic illustrations of John R. Neill. Later I traveled with Ursula Le Guin to Earthsea and Anne McCaffrey to meet the Dragon Riders of Pern.
The idea of a dragon theme quilt came to me immediately. Trying to figure out how to incorporate plastic and paper into this project kept me from starting my quilt top for quite a while. I tried thinking in an abstract mixed media sense but kept coming back to my original theme. Once I had the idea of a reflecting pool it all came together.
The dragon reflection in the pool is drawn on card stock using colored pencils. I quilted the batik fabric then covered the dragon image with the plastic from a Ziploc Freezer Bag. I tried a cellophane type of bag first but the stitching perforated the plastic. The plastic in the freezer bag is very pliable and stands up well to the machine quilting.
I worked on the quilted dragon head separately. I drew the quilting details on the top fabric first using a pencil. Next I layered the top with batting and a muslin backing. I machine quilted the scales on the dragon head and neck. Once that was complete I applied Daler Rowney acrylic inks over the top of the quilting, a technique I have wanted to try for a long time. The inks covered the pencil lines, toned down the turquoise blue quilting thread and added a vibrant shimmer to the dragon. I added 2 more layers of batting under the dragon's head to give it more dimension. The head is appliqued it in place using a straight stitch.
4 comments:
I knew it was yours Chris. I love your style even though this one takes us to a different place I can see YOU in it. Wonderful way of taking us there too. Clever use of plastic and paper. Your dragon is such a handsome guy. It all comes together so well. I must try sewing on freezer bags!
Chris, what a fabulous quilt! It is a real stunner, and I suspect that is because it reflects another of your passions. Thank you for the detailed description of your techniques - clearly well thought through and lots to inspire here. It took me a while, but I love that the dragon's "reflection" is not a true reflection at all, but suggests that through the "reflecting pool" a whole other place exists - very "Alice through the Looking Glass" (My childhood equivalent to you "Wizard of Oz"!)
Handsome dragon and great use of paper and plastic.Thanks for sharing your process and ideas. The freezer bag sounds like a good material to use for future projects.
I too, have always loved fantasy novels for their ability to take me to another place; and your quilt is perfect for this illustration.
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