Monday, October 15, 2012

Men Quilt Too /On Tour - want to join me?

Today is the Men Quilt Too Show linky party. For my usual readers some of this may be a 're-run.'
 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.

Here are some detail pictures. 



Please feel free to browse my full blog for other quilts I have made. And I hope you like what you see and decide to become a follower.

The Big Little Blog Book Tour – Starts Next THIS Week!

Yes I will be a stop on the Tour. I won't be there next week I will be on the tour on October 30th.  I am the next to last stop.  (I am thinking "save the best for last" - like dessert. ha ha)

I haven't yet decided if I will be writing about the book or doing a demonstration or ???? So you will just have to wait and see.
The Book is on Die Cutting fabric and covers all the major brands of cutters.  You will want to follow this tour.  Trust me.
Here’s the lineup of tour hosts!
Wow...just look at that lineup.  I can hardly wait! I am just as curious as you are as to what I will be sharing.

7 comments:

Linda said...

Your quilt is beautiful! I love the name and the meaning behind it.

Mrs. Sew and Sew - Karen said...

I am still loving that quilt Gene! Awesome! Have a great week!

Barbara said...

Me too, still loving that quilt!

Barbara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I always love looking at your work Gene.....especially your abstract designs.

Lynette said...

Hey, Gene - this is really neat. Besides featuring my favorite colors, the thread play fascinates me.

Angie in SoCal said...

When I saw the thumbnail I was very intrigued. Wow - it's beautiful. Thanks for sharing.