Tresses and Pearls – An Art Quilt

A design by Pam Holland – I have named my quilt ‘Tresses and Pearls’!

In the first week of March, I attended a set of three workshops by celebrated quilt artist, Pam Holland, facilitated by Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff and Handi Quilter India. 

This thread sketching was Workshop #1; the beautiful design is by Pam. We traced the rough outline on white fabric, made a sandwich and then quilt-sketched directly on it, filling in the details as we went along. During the workshop, we were only able to complete the tresses, we carried our work home to finish the background.

I decided to add some interest to the figure and personalise my quilt. I considered adding some old lace ( made by my mother in law) to the dress and also adding a decorative silver frame 

What about framing it? Would some lace add interest to it? Or a earring?

Perhaps pearls would be prettier? An oval cut out frame?

I did cut out an oval frame and marked it on the sandwich.  

The oval frame was cut out from a pair of silver grey, raw silk trousers, which had started fraying.

I then started quilting the area within the frame with diagonal lines, to give the effect of glass. 

I added some layers to the back unintentionally…

I considered turning the IKEA bag into a stole!

What took 10 minutes to sew, took one and a half hours to rip out.

The quilting lines outside the frame are crisscrossing vertically and horizontally. I have never done such intensive quilting before and it took me several hours to finish!  Before I ‘decorated’ the quilt, I finished the binding and three tabs for hanging, in matching black fabric. 

What do I do with the silver grey oval frame? Do I add it? Was it an overkill? Ah, what if I fuse it to the back? So that is what I did! 

I may need to do some sewing by hand to ensure the ‘frame’ remains fused to the background.

Back to the front! I found an old tarnished necklace chain and strung some pearls through it to make a neck piece! A few more pearls strung on gold thread made the earring. But how do I attach it to the quilt? I tried several things, none of which worked. Desperate measures were required (and taken)! I made a hole through the quilt and took the chain to the back! The metallic gold thread on which the earring was strung, was also pulled to the back.

Pearls for the lady!

This is what I did at the back. 

The jewellery at the back…

Here is the finished quilt – the back! 

Do I need to do something about the ‘dress’?

Tresses and Pearls …

Tomorrow I start working on my incomplete projects from Workshops #2 and #3…hope to get back soon with those!