Monday, February 27, 2012

"I will lift up mine eyes"

Well, here is my first offering to the International Quilt Challenge http://internationalquiltchallenge.blogspot.com
The theme for this challenge is Architexture.
"I will lift up mine eyes".  Thread sketching on silk.  A3 size.

The quilt was constructed with a base of white homespun and cotton batting, covered with layers of white, cream and pastel strips of different weights and textures of 100% silk, from the stash for eco-dying.  You can see this underlying structure in the photograph above of the completed quilt, taken on top of the lightbox.

This then is the finished quilt as it will hang on the wall.
The image of the cathedral ceiling is sewn/sketched with black thread.  Running through my head was the mantra "anything I can draw, I can sew". (More of a prayer than a confident statement)
Having only joined this group within the last 2 weeks, I didn't have time to take my own photo, so the quilt is based on a photograph by Jan van der Crabben, accessed through Wikipedia, and covered by the "Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence" which allows the sharing or adaptation of images with attribution.  (The resulting works, such as this quilt, are then covered by the same licence)

I like the raw edges of the quilt and didn't want to confine it with binding (how appropriate that word seems in this context!), so I  gave the "idea" of an edge with some gold embroidered trim in the top left hand corner, with lines of sewn gold thread extending along the top and left edges.


I finished the opposite corner with a lace truncated cross - again discovered amid the stash of silks.
The rose window was not in the original photo, and I emphasized it as the focal point by cutting some gold silk to roughly fit the shape, under the overlying strip of white silk. I hope it is like looking at a glorious dawn or sunset through the window.
Wonderful and thought-provoking theme.  I am looking forward to the next one with this group!

4 comments:

Felicity said...

i love so many things about this piece - the layers, the structure, the details, the transparency. it's breathtaking :) i especially like the lightbox photo

what a brilliant start! xx

Lynn Cohen said...

Very beautiful in all ways! Wow!!!
Glad I found your new blog! I look forward to watching you create.

sheherazade said...

Your work is very, very beautiful. And i like your mantra!

Ineke said...

Sorry, a bit late but I love this!