Seven Improv Art Quilts

On September 29th I began a journey that ultimately created seven improv art quilts. These Seven art quilts were among the 16 quilts I recently finished.

Hand-Made Fabric

AQ # 24: Multi-Cultural was created using the second section of hand-made fabric. Added to that were additional segments of cotton fabrics, hand-dyed burlap and over-dyed wool. The burlap, with an open-weave, rough texture, and the wool with a soft, fuzzy feel both add elements of interest not achieved with a cotton only surface.

The Units

This unit by itself could have been declared finished. Instead I decided to draw out the orange and gold colors by layering them as backgrounds behind the over-dyed wool. The edges of both were purposely fringed. The fringe adds even more texture. The final layer of my piece is a solid black 100% cotton fabric. This layer serves two purposes:

• The first is to provide a resting place for your eyes and
• The second is to draw your eye inward.

As you eye travels toward the center, the bright colors explode, announcing their presence.

The Sandwich

Behind the background is a sandwich of black fusible fleece and a layer of black cotton. Using my Pfaff sewing machine I secured all seven layers together with rows of color-coordinated, variegated thread. The variegation gives yet another element of interest. I like how sections of color jump off the fabric. They add far more detail than a solid colored thread ever would have.

On the black background I utilized a solid black thread because I didn’t want this quilting to take away from everything else. I wanted it to be functional yet silent.

Finishing Touches

After removing the excess fabric surrounding the outside edges I added facings. The facings were wrapped to the back and secured with hand-stitching. The use of a facing rather than a binding gave my quilt a clean, flowing edge. In it’s finished state, AQ # 24: Multi-Cultural measures 19″ x 15″.

The Character

This quilt is loaded with elements of texture and color. Together they form an eye-popping multi-sensory experience.

It is Finished!

AQ # 24 Multi-Cultural is now finished. This means that I have now shared eight of the 16 that were recently completed. It’s also the second quilt to have been made using my hand-made fabric. Links for the other seven quilts are listed below:

• AQ # 17: The Chosen Nine
• AQ # 18: Four Friends # 1
• AQ # 19: Four Friends # 2
• AQ # 20: Rising Star
• AQ # 21: Backwards
• AQ # 22: Crossroads
• AQ # 23: On the Fringe

Thank you for visiting today!