Monday, August 15, 2016

Coloring Quilt

The lastest episode of The Quilt Show has quilter Sherry Rogers-Harrison showing how she makes her "paint-liqué" quilts.  She quilts a wholecloth quilt and then paints it with various paints to resemble appliqué.   This thought had already occurred to me. An earlier episode showed a lady who makes tiny quilts and paints the blocks with fabric paint pens.  (Ahem, I ordered the pens in 2012 - and played with them a teeny bit.)

I had a practice piece of quilting carefully stored away (okay, okay, it was laying on the coffee table....sheesh.)   So I grabbed it and looked at the back - Yes!  I had used a nice plain fabric in mottled tan for the backing.  I pulled out my paint pens and started playing. Hey!  This is fun.  After a bit, it looks like this:
Artistically, I see the swirls with the "hook" as the thorns on the rose bush.
I am going "modern" and will not paint all of it.  But honestly, it was difficult to stop. At this point I need to decide just how much more to add. Then do that, and call it finished. As I really love this one, it will become something....not sure what yet, though.
The rose was a motif I tried out on this, but it makes a great focal point.  I did a closeup, but it shows every painting flaw.  So, I probably shouldn't show it.  But I don't mind not being perfect, so here it is.
Actually it looks nicer in person. The camera flash enhances the light and unpainted areas.

Have you ever tried painting or coloring on a quilt?  I think I may do some practice pieces and try some other paints with artist brushes.  If it works out well, I may paint the "Wild Quilting" piece from Saturday. 

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8 comments:

Tangos Treasures said...

That's so cool!!!

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Great post. I have never used paint pens on a quilt, but I have used them to decorate various articles of clothes. I have also used crayons on fabric many times. The was stays nicely after being heat set.

I don't see much use in the current adult coloring book craze. Now you have your own version of THAT and a useful one. Love it.
xx, Carol

Barbara said...

Ditto, Carol, I can't run fast enough from those coloring books when I see them in the stores. However, your combination of talents here is great -- painting and quilt-making.

Linda C said...

Looks cool, Gene. I haven't done any coloring on a quilt other marking a few small things with a pigma pen--turkey feet as I recall on a fall wallhanging because I didn't feel like embroidering them.

I DID however, participate in a medallion quilt pass around where one person had drawn up and colored in a SW looking round rather than piecing it as the rules called for. It was kind of pretty but not in keeping with the theme that the owner had in mind since he was using Civil Stuff. Plus he was the moderator of it and set the rules for how wide and the technique that was to be used. Painting was NOT it.

I think it would have been fine on her own project but not when someone entrusted it to you to make. I found the link for it when I went looking. I had to follow someone who insisted on using black poly cotton which was hard for me to work with. On mine she used brown poly cotton as it was a fall theme---never did finish it as that round has got to come OFF.

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

Very nice, Gene - I'm like Linda J - I used a pigma pen to "paint" the eyebrows on my "Turkey Day" wallhanging because I didn't want to embroider them - but other than that, I can't say I ever tried painting/coloring a quilt. Not being that artistic, I'd probably mess it up anyway - so I'll leave it to those like you who are much more talented - ;))

Sarah Craig said...

That is so neat, Gene! I may give that a try myself - in the past I've limited my quilt painting to covering over thread I didn't want to show, but this looks like fun!

Jeanna said...

I think your rose looks very nice. I've never painted or colored a quilt. I love the look, though.

Teresa in Music City said...

This looks like so much fun! I've never been very good at painting, but it would be fun to play with it sometime. It's always a joy to do something new and totally different :*)