Paper Quilts! I’m smitten!
Something happened to me at that Fran Skiles workshop while we were cutting, ripping, burning, painting, inking, monoprinting, gluing, crumpling, folding, stitching, and who knows what else to paper: I FELL IN LOVE WITH PAPER, all over again!
How could I forget my childhood sweetheart? The one I cozied up to any chance I got, and produced pictures with my trusty Laurentian Pencil Crayons (I received a new box every September). I have WAY more stuff to use on paper now!
I cannot explain this urge. Yes, I was already adding paper to my art quilts. But I have gone several steps beyond, perhaps several leaps, and am now obsessed with all that I can do with this humble material. Fancy bought papers? Not for me. I have to create the surfaces, just as I have done with cloth. Plain white copy paper, plain white tissue. These are my chosen main materials. I do continue to glue the paper to a plain cotton fabric (with acrylic medium), but it is simply used for strength. I’ll be posting a few pics as soon as they come off the assembly line (ha!ha!).
I’ve noticed that Judy Coates Perez is into the paper quilt thing in a big way, as well. I especially love what she calls Illustrated Document Number 1. She also has a Mixed Media Paper Quilt # 2, and 3.
Teesha Moore has a charming one.
WaterRose shares a very unique paper quilt (hint: Martha Stewart is involved).
As usual, Cyndi has an excellent tutorial.
Deb Silva has a gorgeous paper quilt on her Creatively Amused blog.
I’m intrigued with Dawn Wilson’s work.
Linda M has made a quilt where the top and batting are entirely made of paper (What’s your Fortune?).
Jackie Gardener is doing some wonderful work in paper quilts as well.
OK, I can stop thinking I have to explain, or worry about facing totally incredulous faces, or questions like “Why would you use paper when there is so much gorgeous fabric available?” All I can say is, paper has a different feel, both physically and psychologically. And thanks to acrylic medium, all your manipulations and treatments are preserved . . . for posterity!
Below is my first paper top quilt. It’s about 30″ long, 24″ wide. I’ve kept the edges a little rougher than I used to: I like the way the threads catch the paint and medium to give a “deckled” edge. I call the piece Nest.
Nest
Here is a detail.
#pencilcrayons #JackieGardener #Layersuponlayers #DawnWilson #LindaMDesigns #MarthaStewart #inlovewithpaper #Fabrictodyefor #Paper #CrackedPaperQuilts #JudyCoatesPerez #DebSIlva #Nest #CyndiLavin #childhoodsweetheart #TeeshaMoore #LindaMcLaughlin #WaterRose
