Wednesday 31 October 2012

BlacknWhite Cows running amok

Isn't amok a funny word? you should look up the meaning sometime and the background to it.

Anyway, Here are the two Black and White pieces I posted yesterday with the story about the cows I had as a teen.

I added some lollypop trees to fill in the space.

Then I quilted the background, taking inspiration from one of Leah Day's patterns called Landscape. But rather than quilt curves in every 'hill', I quilted 'plow lines' in different directions in selected 'fields'. You can see what I mean by looking at the back of one of the pieces. If you get close enough to see the quilting in the first place, it helps to move your eye around the piece.

This is the first time I have done much stitching on the screen printed black with white screen ink fabric. This was an experiment some time ago. The black, I learned, took forever to dry and then I had to use another fabric to 'blot' it when I heat set it. (The blotting fabric is what the pale print fabric turned out to be that I have been using.) The white on black didn't seem to be a problem...at the time. But since trying to stitch it for these last few days, I find it crumbles a bit and goes powdery in the areas where you stitch. and because the black fabric is a tighter weave, the areas with thicker white paint can sometimes cause the machine to balk at stitching through. I think I am going to find a way to use it up without alot of stitching, and then screen some replacement fabric with textile paints.

Anyway, here are both completed.

I think one will be Cows in My Field - which referrs to phone calls from the neighbours when the cows escaped.

and Cows in the Woods - which is what they did when they were supposed to go sedately down to the creek to drink.

So, now to fill out the forms and (SHOCK) sendthem off early!

I think I will do the last blue fruit - I have started it - for the Contemporary Quilt journals, and then November sewing will be focussed on something else.

Edit: I have linked this post to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday

3 comments:

The Inside Stori said...

Love it....I'm a true sucker for bovine quilts....thanks for sharing!!!

Mary Schroeder said...

Love cows running amok. Amok is a wonderful word.

Nina Marie said...

ohoh - another cow quilt - my husband was just saying - hey are you going to finish the calendar cows?? Might have to get them out now that you've moooooo -ved me to get moooootivated! - (groooaaaannnn!)