Welcome back to my little junkyard everyone.
I would like to share with you my latest mixed media project, Friendship Quilt. I gifted this assemblage canvas to a dear friend who is an artist too; you could say she 'paints pictures' with fabric and thread. Her beautiful quilts are as wonderful as she is and I had been planning on making her a quilt/sewing themed canvas for some time. Imagine my delight when my husband came inside from taking out the trash and said, "Honey, I brought you back a little something from the garbage can." Now, I'm sure most of the female population would never want to hear this announcement, but I was excited to see what treasure someone in the neighborhood had cast off. It was a sewing machine! Then the following day, my daughter's mother-in-law sent me a text that she had an old circa 1960s Singer sewing machine for me too. It was a sign! Time to strap on the tool belt and delve into the innards of these two dinosaurs.
Step One: Try to get to the inside of the machine
Step Two: Try harder, break nail
Step Three: Use a myriad of choice vocabulary on said machine
Step Four: Wonder why the space program doesn't use this armored casing for their rockets...
Step Five: Ask husband nicely to help
Step Six: Whine about needing husband's help
Step Seven: Husband wishes he'd left sewing machine in the garbage where it belonged
Step Eight: Take a break while husband hammers on machine
Step Nine: Gather up all the lovely treasures husband looted from the evil sewing beasts
I am a history buff and I love learning about how the world of arts and crafts has evolved. No one is entirely certain when the art of quilting began, but there is evidence that it possibly spans back 5000 years ago. Isn't it amazing that someone could have been quilting in or near the Temple of Osiris in Egypt! Many quilts from the past and today tell a story. I was very mindful of that when I chose my paper for the background. You will see handwriting, recipes, maps, and other glimpses of the past including a square on sewing. If you would like to see the rest of my Friendship Quilt story, visit Mixed Up Magazine where I have a tutorial, additional images and a product list.
See you next time,
Leslie
