Friday 1 February 2019

Texture: Bubbles and drips

This is the first reveal of 2019 for the Endeavourers.  Our theme this quarter was 'Texture', and this was a lovely one!  I so enjoyed thinking about the possibilities, and getting stuck into playing with fabric.

When I make a quilt for The Endeavourers I usually start by looking up the dictionary definition of our theme.  It kickstarts the thought processes and it's interesting sometimes comparing the entries in different dictionaries.

In this case, some dictionaries focussed on what you might think of as the obvious definition which describes texture as the tactile characteristics of something, which are experienced through touch.  Others added the idea that texture can be experienced visually too.  And others added another idea - that texture is the quality you get when you combine different elements, for example in literature or music, or even in life - you could say the way in which the elements, or strands, are 'woven together', which is a nice fabric metaphor!

Anyway, I started off by thinking about the tactile qualities of different fabrics and how the texture would work in a piece inspired by the visual texture of bubbles and drips in condensation on my window.  I find these patterns very beautiful and had been thinking for a while about how I could experiment with trying to capture some of their quality.








I sewed this strange piece using velvet and cotton,  and then added more texture with bubble quilting.   It looks quite organic and didn't seem to want to be square.





I made the larger white bubbles using a trapunto technique and the black ones using velvet behind 'portholes'.  The contrast in all the textures means that running your fingertips over it is strangely satisfying!







Having made this piece quite early I was still having so much fun thinking about the theme and was so interested in its possibilities that I made lots of experimental pieces which have started to form another quilt.   I was starting to hope that I might have been able to post it here instead but a disaster in quilting means the entire thing is waiting until I can face unpicking it.   I will finish it!  As always I am grateful for the opportunity this group gives to really think and explore.

























18 comments:

  1. I love your interpretation of the condensation and bubbles on your window. It's very dimensional and your quilting, trapunto and portholes all combine to make a very tactile piece. It's a shame we can only see pictures and not feel all these quilts! I'm also very intrigued by your further photos. I hope you will continue to work on that quilt and tell us more about it when you have time :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Janine - what an inspiring theme! :-)

      Delete
  2. Oh, I do like your photos of condensation. And what a wonderfully innovative choic to show texture! The porthole for the velvet circles was a good way to incorporate that texture in the white stripe. I only wish I were able to run my fingers down your piece to feel it!

    I am intriqued by the folded fabric project and am looking forward to seeing it when completed. Please, do post it here to as a follow-up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nancy - I will do. I really got enthused by this theme!

      Delete
  3. I love your interpretation and it totally reflects the feeling of that inspiration photo. The velvet gives it so much dimension.
    I hope you share your other quilt once you finish it I love every single detail about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Martha - I will post it once I have got over the horror of the unpicking :-)

      Delete
  4. What a great starting point for a successful quilt - I think it looks all the better for having undulating sides as it fits the design better than straight lines

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm glad I didn't square it off :-)

      Delete
  5. Your bubbles are really unique. You seem to be very observant of things around you, a real gift. The off white blocks are really dramatic In the slanting light.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been looking at those drips for such a long time and wondering how to use them!

      Delete
  6. I love the idea of texture as resulting from the layering of different elements together. That is something I need to remember.
    Both of your pieces look so calming to me; the tactile qualities come through even though we can't really touch them! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this came across in everyone's work. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all get together in real life?!

      Delete
  7. A brilliant interpretation of the theme Catherine, I love the mix of textiles and techniques that you have used to create this piece.

    ReplyDelete
  8. From the inspiration photos to the first piece leading into the 3d texture of the second I love it all. So glad we have this group to challenge us and inspire us all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd really like to run my hand over that quilt, just to feel the texture. You grabbed the inspiration of water droplets really well, I think. How fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ok, just testing this comment thing again. However, seeing those water droplets is making me ponder the new theme again. Not sure what I will do with that.

    ReplyDelete