Even More Progress
Structures #48
I’m slowly working my way through the construction of the quilt top. In the photo above only the lower right hand corner needs to be sewn together.
It’s slow going as it takes a while to figure out to do things like this.
This is called a set-in seam. But I do it so rarely I have to think a lot to figure out how best to do it. I cut a chunk out of the blue block to fit the green one in like that and then sewed the seams by pivoting at the corner of the green square. Tricky to get it to lay flat but to me very worth the effort because it’s more interesting than just doing a grid.
Other places it looks like I’ve done what looks like the same thing but what I really did was unsew an existing seam and resew the pieces together in a different order, which can make it easier. Which means that my seams are all "straight line seams", ie they don’t have to pivot in the middle of the seam. Although I do a lot of "partial seams", where I sew one part of a straight seam and then later one come back in and finish the seam when all the adjacent blocks are in place.
In the above picture I unsewed the seam between the arrows and joined the top of the green square to the piece above it and the bottom to the piece below it, then I sewed it all back together.
I didn’t crop the top picture so you could see it on the design wall. But you can’t really tell in that photo so heres a detail:
The quilt is growing! Here it’s hanging off the edge of the design wall by about 3". When it was just separate blocks it fit exactly on that design wall as you can see with the blocks at the bottom.
I think one of the hardest things about piecing is getting great proportions. On every seam I sew I lose 1/2" so I have to plan ahead for it. And in this case I’ve over planned - I overlapped the blocks a tiny bit more than necessary when I had them on the wall. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a rare thing and it kind of freaks me out when it happens. My quilts usually shrink when I sew them together - having one grow is a bit odd.
Sherrill Pearson commented on the last progress post and said:
I always have the same opinion about fusing after I look at your work.
Fusing is fine, but the skill level cannot be compared to piecing (sewing) the design.
Sherrill - I agree - fused quilts made up of basically straight edge pieces are ok but to me they lack the beauty of the sewn line. Actually piecing the seams changes the look and feel of the work and I much prefer this look to fusing (which is where an adhesive is ironed to the back of the fabric and you just cut out exactly the size and shape you want and glue it down with heat from an iron onto the other piece of fabric - like collaging). The cut lines are what you see in fusing and I just feel the cut lines are less expressive than the sewn lines.
But I do think fusing is much simpler - none of the set in and partial seaming issues or worrying about losing a 1/2" on each seam as I mentioned above - you just glue everything down where you want it and overlap the fabric. Which is probably why so many folks fuse instead - it’s easier and faster.
My goal is not quick - my goal is the best art I can make - so I’ll stick with slow and difficult. Plus easy things bore me - I prefer a challenge to keep me interested in the work I’m doing.
I had hoped to have this quilt top finished tonight but spending 5+ hours last night getting my studio newsletter mailing list up and running sort of ruined those plans, but it should be finished by tomorrow night. Then I can start quilting it.
I was going to comment on the rest of the comments several of you left about what you see in this quilt but I’d rather be asleep right now. So more tomorrow.
Posted by Lisa in: Making Abstract Contemporary Textile Art
Olga said,
March 28, 2007 @ 12:34 am
It is fascinating to see the minutia of how you work, thank you. I love seeing how people solve what problems. Dealing with space seems to be your ‘bag’, and your use of seams and the stitched line all confirm that to me. It is time consuming, precise, and mind-boggling work, but I don’t think that these qualities alone make it the good art that it is. The making has to be the best possible for the idea, and although some of us choose to work in slow painstaking ways that does not mean that we produce better work than those who work quickly.
Sometimes quick and easy is the result of years of practice - would that I could run off a couple of Matisse-like line drawings a day! Yes, fusing is quicker than piecing, but in good pieces of work the decision-making about the idea, the image, the placement, the precise finish can be just as difficult, and the results of good fused work can work better a pieces of art than so much ho-hum design pieced work.
You could say that my work is worth the least of all because my images are printed on a whole cloth. I don’t dye my fabric, I don’t even fuse it let alone piece it, and my hand stitching although taking a long time is not arduous. I design on the computer so I don’t have any mess even! Some images take many many hours of work to achieve, others simply pop into my head almost without me consciously thinking, such as the one I posted on my blog yesterday, derived from a kind of emotional turmoil.
However, no matter what people think of the images or the design, I do hope that my work is judged on the intellectual and emotional response it evokes, and for the appropriate use of materials and techniques in its making to achieve that response - and not predominantly on the ease or difficulty of its making.
I suspect that that was not what you meant, but I’m afraid your saying ‘My goal is not quick - my goal is the best art I can make ….’ fired me up somewhat.
Claire said,
March 28, 2007 @ 3:06 am
Different strokes for different folks I suppose. I didn’t get the impression from your post that you meant to disparage those who don’t piece or use different techniques.
I like piecing, but I love fused appliqué to get the results I’m after, if it wasn’t fused applique it would be something else like screen printing or printing off the computer like Olga… I sacrifice some ‘hand’ of the fabric, but it is something I am willing to give up and is less important to me than getting the imagery I want onto fabric.
I do love the works you produce though Lisa, and if piecing is the basis for the visual and tactile results that you achieve, I think it is great that you go to the lengths you do to get it ‘right’.
Lisa Call said,
March 28, 2007 @ 6:06 am
However, no matter what people think of the images or the design, I do hope that my work is judged on the intellectual and emotional response it evokes, and for the appropriate use of materials and techniques in its making to achieve that response - and not predominantly on the ease or difficulty of its making.
I agree. But you will note at the beginning of that comment I said
fused quilts made up of basically straight edge pieces are ok but to me they lack the beauty of the sewn line
I was very specific about what I was talking about - not all fusing. For example Pam RuBerts work is amazing - I love it and the fusing is absolutely appropriate to what she is doing and her edges and lines are beautiful.
In my post I’m specifically referring to fused quilts that are straight line edges. I don’t think the cut edges in those pieces are as expressive as a sewn line. I find those long straight cut lines to be very harsh and unappealing.
It’s an opinion. I don’t like the look.
Yes I said that many folks doing this were doing this because it was quicker and easier - and while I didn’t take a poll I have talked to some of them and they confirmed they were doing it because it was quicker and easier - not because they thought the results were better. I’m not willing to make that sacrifice in my work just to make more stuff and I said so.
Some fusers might say they don’t like the look of the sewn line - great - then they should fuse. Some may not see a difference at all - fine. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me - but this is my blog to talk about how I make my work so I’m going to state my opinions.
One way to think about this conversation is as promotion/marketing. While quilters like to pretend that this stuff isn’t important in art I think there are lots of folks out there that love to know how things are made and the techniques are very interesting to them. I think these discussion are very relevant to my artwork and since this is my blog I will continue on talking about how my work is made and why I select the techniques I do.
I also talk about the content of my work on this blog - what it means - what I’m trying to say, etc. All of this is relevant to my artwork.
Sherrill Pearson said,
March 28, 2007 @ 7:01 am
Hey Lisa,
Well, bravo Lisa!
The only time I agree with the fusing technique is for an appliqué on a pieced quilt. Not my style, but I can see why it is utilized.
The only other time I can accept it, is for the application of a postage stamp or scrapbooking, etc. But that’s just me.
By the way thanks so much for the detailed shots showing how you do that mind-boggling piecing. I think neuro-surgery could have been another career choice for you.
Sherrill, Montreal, Quebec
Patty Altier said,
March 28, 2007 @ 9:12 am
Great post! I like the colors and designs people, esp. Melody Johnson, get with fusing, but I am a piecing person down to the core. Set in seams are tough to do so you don’t get that pucker at the corner. I made a quilt last year that had thirty 15 inch squares with a 7 to 9 inch square inset into the center of each of the 15 inch squares. So that’s four corners to set in for every block. Even after all that I still feel I need more practice. Some corners would be better than other ones. I don’t see a pucker in your corner, so great job Lisa!
Diane Clancy said,
March 28, 2007 @ 1:19 pm
It is interesting to read what people are saying. Lisa, I really appreciate your sharing techniques that you use. It helps me “see” what you are doing so much better. I am very much enjoying reading this blog. It very much enhances my viewing your quilts as you speak of the process. (This is a lot of what I am doing with my new blog http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog also.) Also writing about - what I am doing in my paintings and why - is also helping me think more about my work.
Olga, I checked your site out. I really enjoy your stye too. They feed different parts of me. I guess you could say that I am at the bottom of the pecking order with using fabric - I glue (actually use gel medium) to get the fabric attached to the paper when I am making collages with paint, paper and fabric.
I have not seen many (if any) painters use fabric in collages - but I LOVE fabric. I used to make some quilts - not as incrediable as you all do - but I used color in unusual ways. It helped me realize that for me color was a lot of what I was doing as an artist. Once I “allowed” myself to paint, I realized that for me it was a better match.
I have a painter friend who does absolutely incredbily detailed work. My work is more about color - she was the one who helped me realize that. It is different kinds of painting. She is much more technically skilled than I am. But I have my niche too and we both love each others work.
Lias, I have so much respect for the work you are doing - it is beautiful! And I am so much enjoying reading people here …
- Diane Clancy
Dianna in Maui said,
March 29, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
Hi Lisa,
I agree with you about the sewn vs fused line. I am currently working on a huge (6′x4′) piece that is intricately pieced. I plan to hand appliqué the flowers for better dimension. I am thankful that I have a repertoire of skills that enables me to create my work the way I think best. I never know how I’m going to put something together, whether it be pieced, fused, appliquéd, etc., until I finish the design. Fusing satisfies those who need instant gratification, but I don’t shy away from other methods if I think something else will work better.