Back in June, I started working on reviewing some of the NQA quilts. I only got through some of the miniatures! One of the pieces which I was taken with was this one by Sarah Ann Smith. The title is Cookie? Pleeze, Cookie? Sarah Ann completed this portrait of her pet Pug, Pigwidgeon, as a study in value (light, medium and dark). You can see a picture of Pigwidgeon, read about the construction of this piece as well as learn more about Sarah Ann here.I think one of the reasons I like this piece so much is the color and fabric choices she made. While she says they are "decidedly NOT realistic colors," they are based on realistic colors as one of the coat colorations of Pugs is tawny with black muzzles. It isn't a far stretch to see the indigo and violet as well as the tealy greens in the shadows and the orange and yellows for the body. I also loved the seed printed batik for the muzzle, it looks like it has the warty spots and whisker bits!
Her threadwork is also wonderful, giving a lot of texture as well as shading/coloring in the picture. You may be wondering where you've heard of her before. Not surprisingly, Sarah Ann is the author of Thread Work Unraveled.
I have to tell you, this is a great book. It is just full of practical information on thread, using thread, stitching, needles, cautionary tales and whatnot. It isn't a "pattern book" per se, but there are instructions for a couple of pieces, instead it is a valuable reference tool . This is a fantastic book for ALL quilters, whether traditional, or art quilts. I dare say that even hand quilters can get some information out of it as she compares the different thread types. I also like Sarah Ann's sense of humor which comes through....although I think I like anyone who is brave enough to show a sense of humor.
The book is published by the American Quilters Society, so if you're a member, you can get discounts there. In addition, you can find it in your local quilt shops. I also stumbled into it in JoAnn Fabrics today. Oops....it's almost sounding like I have monetized this blog...I haven't, I just believe in the book...and love Sarah Ann's contributions to the field.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for liking my pug enough to share his picture! I hadn't even thought about the seeds looking like the sorta warty texture of his dewlips (made up word!), but they really do! I just used pre-fused scraps in my stash that worked!
And I'm thrilled you like the book...and that Joann's is carrying it....woot! Let's reach out to more people and make their learning curve easier!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah
I do like the book....and after getting it, I loaned it to another of my quilter friends and was pleased that she returned it and bought her own! Now if only I could get the danged Aurora to get some decent tension!
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