I turned to science and history and read the book Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells, by Helen Scales. I learned so much, and I wrote about some artistic inspirations from that book here, but I still didn't have a good idea.
Finally I got an idea I really liked, and it was going to involve some thread painting. But then my sewing machine decided to have problems with timing, and threads and needles kept breaking.
I pulled out a spare machine, and while looking for its auxiliary parts, I found a big bag of industrial zippers my brother gave me when he down-sized. It reminded me that I have always wanted to try using zippers as trim, as does the Zipper Queen, Jamie Fingal.
And since I couldn't find the parts to the back-up sewing machine anyway, I decided to postpone finishing my great idea, and switch to a small, hand-stitched piece. So here it is:
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| The Sewist's Universe |
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| Hook and Eye Galaxy |
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| Snap Galaxy |
Now I don't know why trying this zipper technique spoke to me. I didn't want to do any of the other techniques I had seen in Quilting Arts, because they had "already been done". But this technique, which is highly associated with one particular person, seemed like a fun one to try. Maybe because I had this giant bag of zippers and I just wanted to either use them up or pass them on. And I could add on all the odds and ends of notions that were taking up space in that drawer as well.
The background is fabric I dyed two years ago. The spirals consist of grommets, eyelets, beads, snaps, hooks and eyes, and metallic threads that have been handed down to me. I added a string of inexpensive battery-powered LED lights. (I would never leave these lights on unattended, I just wanted to see how they would look.)
I don't think of this as a finished piece. I think of it as a practice piece that would answer questions for a planned show entry. Where do the difficulties lie? Should I tweak the composition? How much beading should I add? Should I use multiple colors of metallic thread? Would complementary colors spice things up? Or distract from the image?
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| Maybe I would settle on a simpler composition for a finished piece. |
But I had fun making it, and I am happy that I tried out the new-to-me materials of the zippers and the light string.
This absolutely captures the feeling of galaxies and gas clouds - it's amazing, and such an exciting piece to look at! I love the colours and composition and wouldn't change it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I had lots of fun making it, trying new techniques and solving minor challenges along the way.
DeleteThis topic brought out such a wealth of responses, they are so much fun to see!
You have really brought all of these disparate pieces of kit together in a spectacular way. Definitely one with your own stamp on it too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And if I ever do actually need a snap or hook and eye, I can just snip one off the hanging! :)
DeleteI love everything in this piece. It's beautiful and captivating. The zip binding is perfect and I love the way you've embellished with eyelets, snaps etc. I don't think you should call it a practice piece. I call it a brilliant and original art work :)
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you so much. But there are lots of craftsmanship issues that I would have been more careful with, if I intended to put this in a show -- such as overlapping the ends of the zippers, etc. Maybe I should just call it the first in a series. :)
DeleteThis is GREAT! How much of the same empherma do I have that you used in your galaxy!? Plenty. This should be written as an article for Quilting Arts magazine. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I probably would never have thought of the concept without the many issues of Quilting Arts that I have read and re-read! :)
DeleteSuch an interesting piece. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts behind this and love the details you have put in. Really lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! It was fun to work on, and great to use up all those odds and ends of notions!
DeleteI agree with Janin, This is not a practice piece. Have you thought of surrounding it with other galaxies if you feel it isn't finished? I was excited to see how you used the grommets. This is a fine piece of art and should be entered is some competitions.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I did love those grommets -- I just painted the batting behind them and also painted some cheap buttons to match, and that was fun.
DeleteThank you for thinking it could be entered as is. But it has serious stitching problems where the zippers are attached, and a lot of the notions too. If I were really going to enter it, I would watch my craftsmanship. Instead I was watching a new grandbaby and just trying to get finished for the reveal day! :)
This looks like a finished piece to ME! You certainly captured what I envision the Galaxy would look like close up. It's actually amazing that you consider this a practice piece. I can only wonder what your REAL piece will look like. I am all about recycle and reuse so I applaud you for using those zippers too.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there will ever be a REAL piece, because I am not a show-enterer, but if I were, I would try to have delicate little stitches and a beautiful back. :) You will notice I did not show the back of this piece. But thank you so much for your nice words!
DeleteI LOVE this piece and it certainly looks finished to me! I guess we are most critical of our own work!
ReplyDeleteI love how you’ve used zips, buttons, hooks and eyes, oh, and the light string is definitely the icing on the cake!
It’s wonderful, Gwen!
Barbara x
Thank you so much! I have been so happy with how this group pushes me to come up with more creative ideas, and I am looking forward to working on the Improv theme!
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