I decided to make a piece for the 2017 SAQA Trunk Show. I refer to this abstract piece as an improvisational study.  The guidelines stipulated the size of 10”x7”. I had no idea what I wanted to create so again I decided to let the fabric speak to me and guide me.

I took out my stash of eco printed and naturally dyed fabrics and I auditioned the fabrics. I kept pulling out fabrics, looked at them, fondled them. I let serendipity take over.  It kept changing until finally I just had the little bits that came together and spoke to me. I then continued to play with placement until it felt right. I challenged myself to include a technique I haven’t used for a while so I included a bit of trupunto. I also challenged myself to use more than one hand stitching stitch and to use machine stitching as well.   The stitching then took over. Again I just let the marks on the fabric lead me in my stitching. I didn’t photograph it during the process because I was just so totally engrossed in it.

I called it Improvisation #2: Tranquility.

Why? Because piece to me evokes a sense of calmness and calmness and tranquility was what I felt as I created it. As I looked at it, it also was suggestive of a restive place as it seems to reference trees, shrubs, maybe a pond. Then from a side angle in particular a face appears with a dominant mouth.

I used silk fabric with marks created during natural dyeing and eco printing on fabric process. I collaged the piece and then used very dense machine quilting and handstitched using the stem stitch, chain stitch and running stitch. The printed marks on silk together with collaged pieces and stitching create movement and texture.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating it and it is part of a series I am working on using naturally dyed and ecoprinted fabrics.

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Today it is my turn to share the process of making the piece. My quilt is in the first section of quilts to be auctioned between September 19-25 after the auction kicks off on 16 September with Diamond Day when anyone can purchase any quilt in the entire collection for $1,000.   Each week, a different section of quilts will be available for bidding, starting at $750 and further reduced throughout the week.   You can see the first section of quilts here.   To learn how the auction works click here.  This is a beautiful opportunity to acquire beautiful, unique art quilts by some of the finest artists. There is something there for everyone.

My piece is IMPROVISATION: LOST in the MIST

 I refer to this abstract piece as an improvisational study.  I had no idea what I wanted to create so I decided to let the fabric speak to me and guide me. I took out my stash of eco printed and naturally dyed fabrics and I auditioned the fabrics. I kept pulling out fabrics, looked at them, fondled them. I let serendipity take over.  It kept changing until finally I just had the little bits that came together and spoke to me.

I then continued to play with placement until it felt right. Even after starting to stitch I kept changing it subtly.  It wasn’t photographed  during the process because I was just so totally engrossed in it and forgot to take any pictures.

Ii is called  Improvisation: Lost in the Mist.  Why? Because the printed marks on cotton together with collaged strips evoke a sense of mystery with suggestive images of trees, or maybe a bird – stork or even a person lost in web of the mist.

Cotton fabric with marks created when bundling for natural dyeing and eco printed cotton and silk fabric were used in the piece. I collaged the piece and then used very dense machine quilting and handstitched using the stem stitch.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating it and it is part of a series I am working on using naturally dyed and ecoprinted fabrics. This is taking me in a new direction. It is totally different to my winter series piece which I submitted to the SAQA Benefit auction in 2014 that you can see here.

If you missed the earlier blogs click here to see the links.

Don’t forget that coming up next are:

• 10 September Anne Maundrell com/wordpress
• 12 September Carolynn Collins com/art-blog
• 14 September Lisa Walton fibreinspirations.blogspot.com

To view all the Benefit Auction quilts click here.  Go and view the dream collections here that members have put together to inspire collectors and to see how they can be put together.  Maybe there is room in your home for one or two of the stunning 437 quilts being auctioned.

Finally, I must put in a plug for SAQA.  If you are an art quilter take some time to consider joining SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates).  It offers so many exhibition, network and mentoring opportunities for its members. By adding the discount code “WKS ” to the form and my name (Rasa Mauragis) in the referral field and you will receive a 10% discount on your first year’s membership fee.  If you live in th Oceania region, as one of two Oceania reps,  I would love to talk to you about the organisation.

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SAQA [Studio Art Quilt Associates] has an auction of art quilts every year and this year the Oceania members contributed

Detail Winter #4

32 pieces to the collection.  A full list of participating artists is on the main SAQA Oceania Blog.  I am very happy to share the process for making my contribution  for the SAQA Auction.  I am also very humbled and excited that this quilt is one of a number selected for the live SAQA auction at Houston International Quilt Festival.

Winter#4 is the title of the 12″square quilt I created.  This quilt is the third in a series in response to a postcard and my own experiences of winter in the snow.  Whilst I work on a piece the what if question is my constant companion.  In the case of this series it has been an ongoing nagging question that has stayed with me since completion of Winter#2 and #3.  By now the what if  was focusing on the sky reference in the piece which I had stitched horizontally in Winter#2.  Consequently there was a vertical texture in this section of the piece that keeps niggling me everytime I look at it hanging in my studio.  I had decided to do another piece and then the SAQA auction came up. So I drew up a basic 15″ square orientation sketch for the piece.

I then auditioned fabrics.  It wasn’t coming together until I came across a silver grey serviette.  When I tested it I liked the way it opened up and I liked the way I could use fragments of it, if I needed to, but have not in this piece.  After piecing the background I started stitching the sky reference with running stitch going in a vertical not horizontal direction.  I could not relax with the stitching until I could see the horizontal texture emerge.

It didn’t feel right as I sewed but I persevered and it worked.  At this point I was so glad that I had started with a 15″square.  I knew that running stitch draws up the fabric, from my previous works, but I had at one stage considered stating a little smaller than 15″ square.

Once the sky reference was stitched it was time to audition the fabrics that were to be added to represent trees.  I started with one element.

Then I added the components of the second  element.  It was then time to put down some contour lines with running stitch and recheck the placement of the skeletal trees.  As I worked I was thinking of Antony Gormley’s figures “Inside Australia”‘ that we had seen in our travels in the west.  I realised when working on Winter #2 that my simplification of trees was in a way being influenced by Gormley’s deconstructive approach to the human form.

I then continued with the running stitch until it was all done. All the running stitch was done with DMC threads – mainly variegated  of various shades.  I attached the components of the second element by machine then hand stitched the first element with a loose form of fly stitch.

Having finished the stitching I squared up the quilt and and added a facing rather than a binding to the quilt.  At that stage I had to go back over the notes I had kept from various quilters on how to add a facing.  A sleeve and a printed label put the finishing touches to my piece.

I hope you like my piece Winter #4.  My current what if is pushing me towards trying to make a large quilt building on what I have done so far.  Another side of me is saying move on.  To see my Winter series click here.

I trust you are enjoying the blog hop and please check out Alison Schwabe’s contribution on 5 August and Maggie Gilbert on 7 August.

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