Saturday, September 10, 2011

Back At It


It's been so long since I've written a post that I forgot how to access my account.  I think I have things back under control now though.  We'll see. 

I became ill last year and it took quite a while to build my stamina back up.  I haven't stopped sewing, so I should have a few updates to post over the next few weeks.

My latest project is a portrait quilt made with a selection of tone-on-tone fabrics applied to a base layer with fusible web (Misty Fuse).  I'll definitely play with this again.  The portrait is of Billie Holiday.  I used a photograph taken by William Gottlieb in the 30s or 40s as my template.  When he passed away, his work went to the Library of Congress.  The Library states that it was Gottlieb's wishes that, as of 2010, his photographic works enter public domain. His images really captured the magic of the early jazz age.






The bottom picture shows all the detail that I'll add before trying some thread sketching.  At this point I'm a little nervous about using the sewing machine on it, but a few stitched lines should help create a smooth transition from one value to another.