From The Ground Up

Quilt #16

This week's quilt is the result of my second class with Australian teacher, Gloria Loughman held in Cookstown ON, in 2009.

She called this workshop “Layer by Layer – Abstract meets Landscape”, for students who want to take the next step and experiment with design and colour. The idea was to combine elements of landscape in an abstract way using techniques such as mosaics, foundation piecing, soft edge applique and invisible machine applique.

I chose to depict trees, boulders, grass, hills and water.

We could use one of her patterns, three were available, or design our own.

I designed my own, adding stylized evergreen to add a “Canadian” touch.

Each quilt consisted of 5 segments constructed individually and then stitched together using invisible machine appliqued.

trees and boulders

1. 
   The stylized trees were fused and raw edge appliqued using the reinforced straight stitch on my machine.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. For the boulders I used a technique called mosaic, made up of irregular shapes, which were also fused and zigzagged raw edge appliqued.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   boulders and grass

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. I made a pattern and paper pieced the grass using 2 batiks and an orange hand dyed fabric.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. The hills were appliqued with an invisible machine stitch.
   
   
   
   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   hills and water

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   5.  My last segment was water which was soft or raw edge applique and satin stitched with variegated thread.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Two borders were added, a skinny border and a wider one which was turned to the back of the quilt and stitched down instead of a binding.

back - quilting, label

The quilting was mostly “in the ditch” except where I filled in with stitched boulders and trees in the empty spaces.

This quilt measures 15½” x 22¼”, fabric is batik and 100% cotton and dyed muslin,  has a hanging sleeve and label.

From the Ground Up was shown in the 2009 Kirkland Lake Mile of Gold Quilters Guild's Quilt Show.

Gloria Loughman's books are Luminous Landscapes and Quilted Symphony. 

It's a cold day in Kenogami, but the sun is shining and the sky is bright blue without a single cloud in sight.

Have a great day,

Terry