Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Four-In-Art: Q4: Light: Illumination



Today is the last reveal for Four-In-Art.  Last in all the ways.  Last in the year and last in the five year adventure that I've been pleased and lucky to have been a part of.

I plan on some retrospective posts on the previous years and quilts, but today is all about

Illumination

My mind immediately went in two directions when I saw the challenge for this quarter.  The first was the way the sky was illuminated just after sunset, almost like a reverse rainbow.  And I could have done that and probably been pretty happy with it.  But what I really wanted to do was make an illuminated letter.  Medieval style.


Enter the William Morris R

I searched online for an illuminated R that I liked that was copy right free.  I came across the image below.
It is one in a series of letters that William Morris of England designed in the 1800s.  You should read about him.  He apparently started the Arts and Crafts movement in England.  He was also very interested in illuminated medieval style lettering and printing.

The quilt itself is reverse applique, and to describe all the time and the technique I will devote a maker post to this quilt in the next couple of days.

The gold is a lame, the rest are quilting cottons.  The black is a batik.  The whole thing is quilted with Superior's invisible poly on top and black Aurifil on the bottom.


 Just a fun birdhouse print on the back.  Great for hiding stitches.....  A label is coming, I promise.  The batting is actually a fusible fleece.  I'll go into detail in my maker post.

Finished size: 14"x 15"

Please visit everyone else in this delightful group:



Blog Address
https://www.flickr.com/photos/toot2
http://www.knottedcotton.com
http://www.opquilt.com
http://www.rainbowhare.com
http://www.patchworkbreeze.blogspot.com
http://www.rachel-thelifeofriley.blogspot.com
http://quiltalicious.blogspot.com


6 comments:

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

This is a stunning piece of work. I love your William Morris letter. It literally shines out of your quilt. And it's also a masterpiece of reverse applique :)

Catherine said...

I'm always so impressed by your determination to tackle something different :-) You've made such a stunning piece here, and I'm looking forward to reading how you made it.

Nancy said...

Such a beautiful piece. I look forward to your maker's post. I am curious to know if you used a reverse applique technique used in Chilean molas, or another method. I know it is a tedious process. I congratulate you for undertaking it.

OPQuilt said...

Wow--I had hoped to do an illuminated letter, too, before my mind went careening off into the heavens. I realize, though, that what you have done is far superior to whatever I could have conjured up. I'm so dying to read your maker post and to figure out how you got that to shine right there on the quilt. This is so lovely, so wonderful, Rachel!

Thanks also to you for being one of the founding members of this art group. It wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you and Bette jumping in with me!

Quiltalicious said...

O H M Y G O O D N E S S ! ! !
Your illuminated quilt is totally stunning. Thanks showing how you made your quilt in the follow up blog posting. It really is a beautiful sight to see that your made an illuminated manuscript quilt. I think it's amazing to see how many different techniques you combined for your quilt. It's just totally lovely. Can't wait to see what creative projects you do in the future!

Betty said...

Rachel, this is perfectly stunning - just pops! And that amount of reverse applique should give you a direct pass into heaven. You always seem to approach these challenges fearlessly and produce such wonderful works - congratulations on another huge success. I've thoroughly enjoyed creating along with you in Four-in-Art and wish you many more years of happy quilting!