Meanwhile, I am sad to say that the Men Quilt Too show has been cancelled due to lack of participation. One of the rules was that the quilt was never to have been shown or blogged about - to make it a fair show and NOT a popularity contest. Apparently that was just too hard for most guys to follow. I made my quilt and have never posted it. But today as the show is cancelled, I am happy to be able to share it with you. This quilt is all about embellishment. Let me present:
String Theory
From the very start of this quilt I was inspired. The base fabric, a batik, has lots of visual texture. In making this quilt, I wanted to add to that texture. I also wanted to add more color to intensify the visual impact of the quilt. I also happen to love bright bold colors.
As I worked on this quilt I noticed a flow begin to develop. Areas were stitched, not in a planned order, but rather as inspiration came. I let the quilt “tell me” what it wanted rather than trying to plan everything out. Symbols that have personal meaning, such as the spiral, were incorporated into the design. There are a lot of organic shapes that emerged as the quilt took form.
Various areas were filled with hand stitches but also some machine stitches. In places, threads were woven through other stitches. Much like our lives, the combination, working together added strength to the whole.
I sometimes used more than one thread in the needle as I had sewed. This allowed some subtle color shifts that would not be possible with a single thread. It also created a few challenges in the hand stitching. It was a great learning process for me.
I chose the title String Theory for a couple of reasons. In science, string theory is a contender as a “theory of everything.” It is a way of attempting to describe the natural world and its wonder. I am fascinated by the higher sciences. The second reason is that every part of the quilt is made up of strings. Some of them are visible and some are hidden. I found the wordplay in the title appealing to me creatively.
As I worked on this quilt I noticed a flow begin to develop. Areas were stitched, not in a planned order, but rather as inspiration came. I let the quilt “tell me” what it wanted rather than trying to plan everything out. Symbols that have personal meaning, such as the spiral, were incorporated into the design. There are a lot of organic shapes that emerged as the quilt took form.
Various areas were filled with hand stitches but also some machine stitches. In places, threads were woven through other stitches. Much like our lives, the combination, working together added strength to the whole.
I sometimes used more than one thread in the needle as I had sewed. This allowed some subtle color shifts that would not be possible with a single thread. It also created a few challenges in the hand stitching. It was a great learning process for me.
I chose the title String Theory for a couple of reasons. In science, string theory is a contender as a “theory of everything.” It is a way of attempting to describe the natural world and its wonder. I am fascinated by the higher sciences. The second reason is that every part of the quilt is made up of strings. Some of them are visible and some are hidden. I found the wordplay in the title appealing to me creatively.
Here are some detail pictures.
14 comments:
I love String Theory! I hope you enter it into a show somewhere. It is absolutely inspirational! I would love to see it in person one day... but I live on the other side of the US from you!!! Boo hoo!!! It is just too cool!
Congrats Gene! Too bad about the show, but I do love your quilt and it is definitely all about the embellishment!!
Breath taking! Inspiring, way awesome, beautiful. I love your quilt Blue Gene! Sorry about the men's quilt show. I agree with a previous poster...you must enter it in a show! Have a great weekend!
Gene.. The quilt is awesome! You are now officially a crazy quilter! :)
Very, very nice! There may be machine work here, but what I see most is handwork. Yes, it is a lot like crazy quilt embellishment. I don't know the term " string theory". I'm off to google that and learn, as well as pop in at your guest blog appearance! Off I go........
OMG, it's science! Way to go, the perfect title for this quilt. Maybe I missed it, but how big is this quilt?
Just gorgeous!
Wow, fabulous!!! Bummer on the Men's quilting being cancelled :( Off to check your guest post!!
String Theory is really nice!! I love all of the hand stitching and the flow is so good from area to area.
OMG...Gene, you outdid yourself on this one. It is absolutely fantastic!
YES! YES! YES! You've got to submit this to a show or Art magazine.
You've inspired me again.........
I'm sorry the show was cancelled, but I am thrilled to see this beautiful quilt. It is stunning. I love the combination of machine and hand stitching and the bold colors.
Gene, this is lovely! I think you have found your niche. Look at these if you haven't already: http://www.carolannwaugh.com/
Sorry to hear that the Men Quilt Too show was cancelled. Your quilt is stunning and I love the name :)
Love, love, love it! I bet it's fun to touch and caress too! Love all the big bang theory stuff too! All the guy quilters I know are very mathematical and scientific! Thanks for sharing your lovely quilt with me :)
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