Bronze art quilt

A bit of a gap since my last blog but I have something to blog about at last.

I have spent much of my time mastering the music editing software 'Audacity' and iMovie to create AV's. I have created three so far. It has meant that I have had to browse through all my image files, sorting out the images I wanted to use for them. It is only when I needed to do this did I realise just how many images I have in store.

I did a photo shoot on some antique pocket watches which had the most wonderful detailed and delicate engraving on them. I want to do another AV using these images so I am now trying to find music to go with them. Hmmm.

Now on with the textile part of the blog.

Earlier this year, I went to my town's public park to do some photography and came across a bronze plate sculpture. It was created by a local sculpture who became quite renowned for his bronze sculptures. The bronze plate was a memorial dedicated the the fallen of the second world war. As it is the 60th anniversary of that war it was rather fitting that I use this bronze plate as my tribute to those who sacrificed so much.

I took the image into Photoshop and put a special effect on it.

I decided to make an art quilt of the plate. First I needed to make a pattern so I turned the image into black and white and then applied another filter onto it to crate a more defined contrast. I resized and printed out this image.

I pinned tracing paper over this image and traced the most defined lines. I decided to leave out the scroll across the top and also the text on the scroll she was holding. I went on line and found a Latin translator and devised my own Latin words to put on this scroll. "Never forget their sacrifice"

Once I had the traced pattern I could prepare the fabrics. I had in store some wonderful very dark gold and black sheer but it was a bit too gold so I used some habutai silk and painted it with a bronze colour which when placed under the sheer gave a very effective metal bronze. This was made into a quilt sandwich with 2ox wadding and black background fabric. The traced design was pinned over the top and using a black and gold metallic thread, free machine quilted the design.

When the design was stitched and all the tracing paper fully removed - a bit of a tedious job but not one to skimp - the edges were stitched and then the patina effect applied. I had intended to use a blue metallic paint for the patina effect but eventually I used both blue and green (ver de gris) metallic paints. I gently fingered the paint over the areas I wanted to be patina'd!!

It really did look like the bronze plate in the park.

Here is a close up of the head.

I have now begun my next piece which is very different - not an art quilt - but it will have to wait as tomorrow I am off down to London to Ally Pally. We are staying overnight near to London so that we can get to the show for its opening. I have never been to Ally Pally before and it may be my only visit.

To make this an even better visit - I am meeting up with Lynda Monk (Purple Missus) and we are going to spend the day together. We have never met but have become good friends via blogs and emails. I am taking my copy of her book for her to sign and hopefully she will have her copy of my book for me to sign. I am really looking forward to Thursday. It is going to be a super day. So it is off to bed - packing to do in the morning and an early start.

Cheers everyone.