5/01/2015

Four-in-Art Reveal of Literature Mini Quilt

I have been working on a number of things lately, most are not quilting projects. However, I do have my Four-in-Art project done and ready for this reveal today. The on-line group I belong to has an overall theme each year. This year it is Literature. Each of us chose how we wanted to represent the theme in a 12" square quilt. Every 3 months we reveal a new piece.

I am continuing with the theme of children's literature incorporating fonts in each piece. Dr. Seuss came to mind for this challenge. I remember reading his books to my own daughters and the students in my kindergarten classes. I chose the book One fish two fish red fish blue fish for my quilt piece. (Dr. Seuss did not use commas in this book title.) This series of quilts is going to be donated to the local library for the Children's Room.

I purchased my Scan N Cut machine in July, 2014, but had not used it many times. In January, 2015, a demo class was held at the store where I purchased it. I learned many things that the machine could cut....but most importantly, tips and tricks to confidently use it. So, armed with my fused fabric and a brayer (which helps get all the fabric adhered to the tacky mat), I easily cut the letters and numerals for my Four-in-Art Challenge quilt. 

Here it is: Learning with Dr. Seuss.


I backed the fabric for the numbers and letters with fusible before I cut them. I remember watching Doreen Speckmann years ago make what she called Peaky and Spike blocks into fish. I wanted fish like hers and used the EZ Quilting templates from Wright Co. to cut the size fabric pieces I needed. Many manufacturers call these templates Tri-Recs.

I set the fish blocks into a skewed frame of fabric (something like paper piecing) for the background and trimmed it to 12-1/2" square. Then I played with the position of the numbers and letters finally fusing them when I had an arrangement I liked. 

I sewed the letters with a blanket stitch to make sure they stayed attached to the background over the years. 

It was time to decide on quilting. I printed a smaller photo of my quilt on 8-1/2" x 11" paper and slipped it into a plastic sheet protector. With an erasable marker I drew some designs to see what would work. (Thanks go to my fellow Four-in-Arter, Elizabeth, who passed this tip along in a post a while back.)

I did not like my first design--too much detail in my opinion. 


The second design looked better. I wanted bubbles from the fish.


 I wanted some movement of water so the design changed a bit as I quilted it.



I trimmed the quilt to size. The fish got button eyes and gills and mouths. I wanted to accentuate the bubbles and found some white plastic beads in my embellishment box. I think those added a good finishing touch. 


I sew double folded bindings on my quilts from the back, press them to the front and topstitch with my walking foot since carpel tunnel makes hand sewing difficult. I had the binding leftover from another project and thought it would brighten the quilt even more for the Children's Library Room. 


Do you think the backing is as fun as I do? I found it while traveling this winter and can't remember where.

Visit the others in the Four-in-Art group to see what they have done for the second reveal of their Literature themes. 

Betty at a Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com
Catherine  at Knotted Cotton
Elizabeth at OPQuilt.com 
Jennifer at Secondhand Dinosaur 
Nancy at  Patchwork Breeze
Rachel at The Life of Riley
Simone at Quiltalicious
Susan at PatchworknPlay

15 comments:

Catherine said...

This is brilliant! Your use of the different materials is so clever. It will be right at home in the children's library room and I know they will love to see it.

beaquilter said...

Oh this is SEW cute

OPQuilt said...

This is terrific! (And that library who will receive this is very lucky, indeed.) I love the bubbles, the fish and the quilting, which accentuates the watery nature of those two observers in the fishbowl. I love how the smiling fish seem to be watching and narrating that Suessian classic from childhood.

Bravo! Another successful art quilt!

Betty said...

I adore this little quilt! The fish drew me in immediately and then I began noticing other things, like the movement of the water, their smiles, white beads for bubbles - just perfect! I can almost see an entire quilt done with the fish blocks - as fish, can't you?! Great job and please, please offer it to a library - the kids would love it.

Rachel said...

Yay! I loved this book as a child. And now, I can't believe I haven't gotten for my kids. This is such an excellent quilt to interpret the title, and will look so perfect hanging in a library. Those fish and so cute and the bead bubbles really made the quilt, in my opinion. So fun!

LA Paylor said...

text and bubble beads?? I love it. Our guild just had a challenge to interpret a book or poem... your's would have won. Leeanna

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Sooo cute!!! Thanks for rejuvinentating at Tuesday Archives! (My grandson's new preschool classroom is all Dr. Seuss themed...so fun!)

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