kites – Hilary Clark Studios

The Kite Perspective, Part 3

The Kite Perspective is finished!

I’m amazed at how pleased I am that I finally made this quilt. I’ve carried the design in my head for close to a decade and to see it come to life was so satisfying.

I considered several options on how I wanted to quilt it. Straight lines radiating out from the center, like a star burst? Follow the diamond shape of the kite, starting in the center and grow the diamond as I neared the edge? Or follow the abstract shape of each piece?

I went with option 3, the abstract shape because that was the finished product I could see in my head. I used a cotton / poly Madeira rainbow variegated thread in both the needle and the bobbin. I would have loved to use metallic thread, but I gave up trying to fill a bobbin after one epic, snared fail.

Stitching short strips of each of the fabrics used in the quilt top created the binding. I used to have mad skills to machine stitch the binding to catch on the back, but those seem to have diminished with all the years of not quilting, so I hand blind stitched to anchor the binding to the quilt. I added little “V” pockets at each corner on the back to hold dowels for hanging. And, of course, added a tail because what is a kite without a tail?

I had such fun making this fun design. I could see mass producing the pattern one day in the near future for others to make their own.

To follow the construction stages for this quilt, please see Part 1 and Part 2.

How do you feel when you complete something you’ve waited a long time to do?

The Kite Perspective (link to poem)

The Kite Perspective, Part 2

When I saw the painting that inspired The Kite Perspective, two things struck me and have remained vivid memories in all the years I’ve carried this design in my head. The bright colors and the abstract shape of each color as part of the whole.

My initial sketch was very geometric.

My original concept sketch — See all those triangles and rhombuses? Rhombi?

However, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted the quilt to be as soon as I finished drawing it. But I colored it anyway so I’d have a visual concept from which to work. I wondered how I could piece the fabric together if I cut it with curves. Until I went to IQF Chicago in June. Where the puzzle of how to build my puzzle was solved.

At the show, I peered intently at the numerous, miraculous works of fabric art and a light bulb went off: MistyFuse and top stitching along the raw edge! As soon as I had the idea, I also did a mental face palm because, really? Crazy simple solution and I’d complicated it in my head.

But this light bulb moment is one of the reasons why I think it is important to attend quilt shows and guild meetings and talk to other quilters. The answer will almost always be found by looking at another piece of art or talking about it with another artist.

In Part 1, I shared photos of the paper pattern I made to cut out the design pieces. I used triangles for the back, so that was pieced with a 1/4″ seam allowance. For the top, I cut the fabric to match the pattern piece, allowing for overlap. I then laid all the pieces on the full size poster board mock-up. Working one at a time, and by piece number, I pinned the pieces together at the overlap, flipped to the wrong size and drew a guideline on what would be the “top” piece. I cut MistyFuse to fit and ironed. Once all the pieces were fused to create the kite top, I top stitched just shy of the raw edge using a corresponding thread color.

Next week: Part 3 – The Quilting

How did you solve your last art puzzle?

Fused, not yet stitched — A little closer

A feast of color for the eyes! (not yet top stitched)

The Kite Perspective, Part 1

Almost a decade ago, I worked for a general contractor who filed a claim for compensation for construction time lost. We lost a month of production due to flooding at the job site from a tropical storm. The site collected all the water from the surrounding area in the large excavation we’d dug for the future building. This “Act of God” issue lingered, unresolved and disputed for months and, as these things tend to do, ended up in the hands of lawyers.

One day, my boss and I went to see our lawyer to discuss the claim. We were escorted through the office suite up a flight of stairs. Hanging high on the wall near the plush mezzanine was a brightly colored kite, which turned out to be a painting.

My first thought?

“Quilt!”

So I’m making my own kite.

Next week: Part 2 – Piecing the Top

What is the most recent thing to inspire you?