Nearly seven years back, I blogged a post titled “Insights Into A Gridaholic’s Process” with this illustration of a grid of squares I printed off and filled in with various pencil markings to build patterns and fillings for future consideration. I photographed the sheet, then tucked it away somewhere, and I’m sure it will come to the top again, but in the meantime I have this image of it.
Hand drawn marks for patterns or fillings in surface decoration, including quilting.
Rediscovering it yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see I’ve used quite a few of them either as hand stitched parts of a surface design, or as hand quilting patterns. (I don’t do much machine quilting now, except for occasional non-decorative quilting that isn’t seen or obvious) Clearly some of these things are glued in my mind, and several could be really interesting as part of a repeat block/grid design; others could be adapted for ‘sashing’ boundaries outlining grid units.
“Spirogyra” 12″ x 12″, 2024 SAQA Auction quilt (September)
My 6″ x 4″ submission for SAQA’s 2024 Spotlight Auction (online, April) All pieces are presented ready for framing, in a cellophane envelope showing through a 3.4″ white matt border, hence the ‘rough’ looking edges!
I have another sheet template I can print off for larger units, with six squares to an A4 page, that I use for improv repeat unit diagram ideas, and these examples to show how I use this –
An arc, add another, add a line, add another…
Further more complex variations of the above – all of which and more I used for this new quilt for our own bed, 2019.
The project I referred to in my previous post continues. I had already decided to make this a 100% recycling of materials project because the gifted materials make it possible – but it is challenging.
Many who use recycled garments in their art include details like belt loops, button holes, pockets and collars, showing the work’s made from a recycled garment, with clues to its former life. Because I don’t want my wool art quilt to say ‘garment;’ or ‘coat’ to the viewer, I laboriously deconstructed the two coats. I’ve been making samples on the small bits, but for the moment I’m not cutting up the larger areas until I’m more sure of the composition.
The entry rules require the wool composition on both the back and the front to be at least 60%. The red fabric is 50% wool, and the black 70%, so I’m considering some kind of red/black checkerboard grid, but I might put that on the back, because I also have a 65% wool cape which I might use for the front if I further develop a radial design that I’m considering, too.
Whatever I do, though, there will be added woolly elements, so time to show some of the things I’ve been playing with:
Some of the stitched element possibilities I’m considering
Wool wound around my fingers and stitched down.
Overcoming my hesitation, today I cut into one of the knitted samples for a section of rib knit, which frayed wonderfully.
In a recent post, https://www.alisonschwabe.com/weblog/?p=7560, I wrote of my interest in the basic symbols, among them + x and o, that humans anywhere on every continent come up with when mark making on any surface, regardless of cultural background, age and level of education. Here I’ve doodled a cross over a circular shape.
I sketched this idea with a couple of quick notes just to mentally keep hold of it until I had time to play with it, knowing that (1) I wanted to audition sheer fabrics, the half cut word ‘transparency’ reminding me to explore overlapping sheers to create pattern shapes (2) I noted the bronze nylon organza which I used bit in the previous work, of which I still have plenty (3) ?white? referring to potential background fabric, but no, not this time anyway. (4) the words ‘repeat pattern’ and ‘blocks’ signal I was thinking about some kind of grid layout.
But grids are not necessarily rigidly linear and square; they can wobble, be intermittent, and there are different types and shapes. And different sizes of grid can appear on the same piece of work.
There’s a lot to think about just there, and to help me clarify my plans for this work I’ll be looking a bit closer this afternoon at the numerous images on my Pinterest ‘grids’ board
The fabrics are the same pale grey, BUT the centre piece was tea dyed, since I decided I’d prefer a putty coloured fabric rather than grey to go against the beige-off white wall where it might go when it’s done.
Taking just a few minutes each, these small (4cm-7cm) samples were done over a couple of days recently. What they tell me is that I need to follow on with this idea, and that the background probably needs to be stitched and quilted with metallic threads. I do love a bit, or a lot, of glitter! Again, going for the shimmer effect.
I googled “cross shape imposed over circle” and found lots of varied images ranging from religious symbols to those of political and social movements. One of my sisters commented “Bandaids?” when she saw the first of these, and that offers a possible line of thought…. also they suggest some kind of road or rail crossing signs, or maybe whirling helicopter or drone blades! As I began writing this, I was listening to one of the leading scientists on the Webb telescope project that recently began sending fabulous photos from Outer Space, and when I next looked at it I was reminded of those satellites we see pictures of that have ‘arms’ I’m not blessed with engineering or scientific mind, and don’t know my way around a diagram of one of those things, so this is just a general impression.
More cross-over-circle shapes, ~7-8cm across. I didn’t stitch them because I know by now how they’ll look!
Landscape shapes and textures feature in my art in repeated units of abstract patterns in fabric, thread and other materials, and grids remain an enduring influence of my early, but brief period of making traditional patchwork quilts when I first went to the USA in 1987.
Sunburnt Country 60cm x 40xm 2022. Australia Wide 7 collection.
This work seemed to bring my focus back to grids, which I’ve used since as the framework for several recent small works, including this tiny little 6″ x 8″ piece for the Spotlight Auction at the forthcoming SAQA virtual conference. April 27th to May 7th.
Detail, Untitled. Triangles encased in plastic 5cm plastic squares, on grey, hand quilting,
Detail, untitled, 9 Patch; fused squares ~1.5cm
I have in mind something much larger now, of between 1.5 m- 1.75m, but I’m not really sure how large it will turn out. Anyway, I’m currently auditioning treatments for the surface design:
Fused squares ~1.5cm, metallic gold thread in several configurations.
I feel this work will be about restoring order (grid) and calm through colour (soft, earthy shades) and precious values as represented by the metallic glitter always denotes ‘preciousness’ to me, though of course, “…all that glitters is not gold”.
It ended on Wednesday 10th, though I had made and posted my final 3 samples the weekend before, so essentially, by the monday I was free and keen to start something new. This photo shows the whole collection of 100 mis-matched ‘drink coasters’ 🙂
The whole 100 drink coasters collection – stored in great recycled food boxes.
I have quite a bit of sheer fabric that has always lured me to experiment, but I’ve made only a handful of sheer/transparent works. My stash of sheers is mostly black, white, cream and taupe nylon organzas, but there are some coloured silk organzas, too, left over from a Chungie Lee workshop I took at Fibreswest years ago.
Many modern watercolour paintings (eg Laura Crane) have struck me with their likeness to layered organza, so I fused a few bits of nylon organza, fiddling with that concept, and I like the idea of thread trapped under or between layers of sheer fabrics. I’ll play more with that sometime, but it didn’t all gel enough to take me into a new work using it, not just yet, anyway.
A bit grainy, but fiddling with layering sheer fabric and some thread trapped under it.
A few of my personal favourites
Sifting through my sample collection just decidng where to focus, I realised that the little square surrounded by stitch with a cross stitch in the middle was something that made quite a few appearances in the last couple of weeks of the challenge. I have always had a thing for grids, rigid or more informal; and repeat motifs laid out in grids are the stuff of traditional patchwork. I carry them forward in the way that every artist is influenced by everything they’re seen, done and made before. I only had a short time in the world of traditional quilt making, but that influence is very strong to me. The little repeated square made less plain with added stitched borders and a cross in the middle has become something of a personal motif, and it was telling me ‘do something with it, so I began this new work yesterday.
Detail of new work in progress – fused silk on cream cotton, polyester thread.
These squares are rhythmic and fairly quick to do, and I’m sure I won’t run out of the thread I’m using, as there must still be at least 1400+m on the cone. They’re about ~1.5cm, and at this scale on cream, the metallic thread I thought I’d use just wasn’t powerful enough. I auditioned all my neon threads, and I’m happy with this orange, which is adding a gorgeous cast where I’ve sewn, and that will increase when I get into the quilting. I’m liking how it adds texture that doesn’t flatten down even when ironed – it’s a thick thread, of the kind of gauge used for heavy duty outdoor upholstery, back packs and luggage – and being polyester it’s quite springy. Of course, I bought it for being neon orange.
When I’m further along, I’ll show some detail of what I plan to go with these groups of squares. I never show full views of works in progress, nor of finished ones, either, until they’ve been exhibited and/or sold. I’m feeling very excited about this new direction – an interesting development from the last 3+ months spent in exploring through sample making.
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