Our focus theme was Landmarks.
I knew almost immediately what landmark I wanted to put into a quilt--the blue pedestrian bridge in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I am happy to present my small 12" x 12" quilt, titled, "Blue Bridge."
What I wasn't sure of was what media I would use to show it. Would I use thread, ribbon, paints, artist paintsticks, fabric, oh, what a process.
To make a long story short, I used 30 wt. Gutterman thread. I was very pleased with the results.
I wanted to focus to be the landmark, so I did not do great detailing in any of the other portion of the quilt.
"The Blue Footbridge [was] formerly the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad bridge. The original railroad bridge was built in 1868; its replacement, built in 1874, was destroyed in 1883 during the great log jam. The current bridge, the oldest railroad bridge in the city, was built in 1892. Trains crossing this bridge traveled between Muskegon and Mackinaw City. When rail traffic ceased in the 1980s, the span was restored, painted its distinctive blue color, and became a pedestrian walkway across the Grand River known as the Blue Bridge." http://www.historygrandrapids.org/photo/1548/blue-bridge
In the not so distant past, the bridge had a 21st Century upgrade. After a fresh coat of blue paint (no one wanted to change the color), color-changing LED lights were added to the Blue Bridge in October, 2013. The bridge spans can now be lit up with splashes of one or more colors on any ocassion. View the changing lights at:
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/10/see_led_lights_transform_blue.html
I found a scrap of fabric for the backing that made me think of bridges. And I borrowed Elizabeth's method of making labels--using the Four in Art logo and making sure I put all the information about this 4th project in the series on it.
Anne at springleafstudios.com
Betty at a Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/
Carla at lollyquiltz.blogspot.com
Leanne at shecanquilt.ca
Nancy at patchworkbreeze.blogspot.
Rachel at rachel-thelifeofriley.
8 comments:
Blue Bridge is wonderful Nancy. I'm quite impressed with all the thread work you did. A great technique to show off the character and color of the bridge. One of the things I like about this small size is that it makes trying new techniques easier to do. Well done.
Great job on the little quilt. Like I said on Flickr, your stitching is so lovely and creative!
What a lovely rendition of that amazingly colored bridge! I loved how you used thread to create all those struts and supports and pieces of iron--what a lot of sewing went into this, and the choice, I think, amplifies the bridge to be the center of attention in your composition. I clicked over to the video of the bridge, and was fascinated by how differently the bridge looks with the pulsing lights (and yes, now I want to come and see this). They did a light installation on the Bay Bridge last year in San Francisco and I think my husband and I spent about two hours watching it.
I like how you anchored that bridge with the buildings of the city behind it, a good counterpoint to the airiness of the span. (And they really show off that beautiful thread work, too!) My only frustration was not being able to blow up the photo larger so I could get a really close look. It's all so lovely.
You should know that I stole the label idea from Betty! I really like it, too, as I like having all the info right there.
Your art quilt is fantastic! Amazing job with the stitching for the bridge!
I think this is a wonderful little quilt. I love the very bright blue bridge against the background. The thread work is amazing, you did a great job on it. Did you draw the lines on first? And what with?
Great job!
This is just beautiful! I love that you quilted/thread painted that blue bridge in. It is so eye catching! It was a great choice to keep the building/background in shadows so the bridge could really shine. Very nice!
What a wonderful bridge and quilt. Do you live there? I love how you used the thread and other elements, its is a beautiful quilt!
wow! that bridgework is awesome! great FMQ or thread art :)
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