I recent finished Island Waters a mixed media hand quilted piece. It is a companion piece to Island Sands.
Both of them were created in response to incorporating small embroidery samplers that I made when I was a member to an embroidery guild. Six small squares were stitched onto a silk noil, each illustrating many interesting and unusual embroidery techniques.
It was stored safely in my mom’s house until she finally threatened to throw it out if I didn’t do something with it. Island Waters was my first piece and it incorporates cotton, silk, tulle, linen fabric and beads. It is hand quilted using a variety of thread, embroidery floss, and perle cotton.
Island Sands uses many of the same fabrics, with the addition of some slightly stronger colours. The original embroidered pieces reminded me of all flotsom brought in with the tide and left behind once it’s gone out again.
I learned a lot during this class. Mostly it introduced me to ways of using beads and stitch that looked nothing like the beautiful and traditional embroideries I was familiar with and that’s OK.