Texture through embellishment at Aullwood

In the last several posts you've seen texture through embellishment with threads and with thread painting. This time we're going to look at a couple of other quilts which used other sorts of embellishment as well. Ok...so some of the other quilts used beads and things, but I think you'll get my drift as you look at these.

It seems that along with Great Blue Herons, ravens, crows or blackbirds were also the favorite bird at the show.

Here is another of Susan Nash's works. It's entitled Cross Country Flight. Susan did a masterful job at combining a patterned background composed of traditionally pieced strips, with the crow grasping a coin. Your eye is moved around the quilt by several different points. The darkness of the blackbird draws your eye there first. He is pointing up, so your eye goes there, then you pick up the golden coins (just like the magpie and the crow, our eyes are also attracted by the glinting. Now, were up on the left hand side. The use of the feathers, although subtle, are placed so that they, plus more gold coins brings our eyes around, down to the lighter side where the ginkgo leaves now bring our eyes down and we begin the circuit again.


The gold coins are masterfully used. Not only are crows attracted to them, but the difference in texture (the hardness) against the soft quilt and the suggestion of softness of the feathers offer wonderful counterpoints.

The are a perfect choice as well as they harmonize with the palette of the quilt.

The ginkgo leaves and the feathers floating in space add that wonderful sense of movement which was started with the crow's flight.

Here too, Susan uses large cross-stitched threads to add more texture to the quilt as well as using the blanket stitching along the top.


Look too at her use of the swirling quilting patterns over the bars of the strip pieced background. This is also a fantastic choice in order to emphasize while still softening.

I also particularly like her choice of the fabric for the crow.


Next, we have a whimsical collage by Sandra Charles of Rising Sun, Indiana. Sandra's piece is called Tribute to Alverta. I chose to include this one because of her use of buttons, which like the gold coins Susan Nash used, glint and bring your eye around. Of course, her fabric placement and the shape of the pieces with the viney points also move your eye as well.

Here's what Sandra said in her artist's statement:

"Alverta loved birds and spent a lifetime studying and enjoying them.

She could identify over 300 species by sight. To her, I am very grateful.

Making though provoking art through the medium of fiber and textiles has been very rewarding to me. I prefer to lead viewers to draw their own conclusions about my work as translated by the manipulation of color, balance and texture.

Public benefits of my art come through teaching. In addition to the instruction I offer in surface design foundation and three dimensional piecing, painting, fabric discharge, basic and advanced fiber art classes, I have recently developed an occupational therapy program offered to local agencies helping the disadvantaged. This program encourages the development of dexterity, eye and hand coordination, complex planning and design through the use of various recycled materials. "

Here's a closer look at the bluebird and the buttons.