Duet #2 © 1997, art quilt by Caryl Bryer Fallert, Paducah KY

eagledesigncolor.jpg (13508 bytes) After I had a satisfactory line drawing, I scanned the whole line drawing on a flat bed scanner. The black and white bitmap of the drawing was converted to a vector drawing using a program called "Streamline" This produced a series of closed shapes (which could be filled with color and pattern) surrounded by bezier curves (lines that could be bent, shaped, and manipulated)

I tried a number of different arrangements of color, and finally printed out the color study I liked the best.

Once I was satisfied with the composition, it was printed onto clear acetate, and projected onto a 72" x 90" piece of paper to make a full size drawing. The drawing was then cut apart, and the pieces of the drawing were used as templates for cutting the hand dyed and painted fabrics in the quilt.

The picture was then pieced back together like a giant puzzle. eaglepiecing1.jpg (5930 bytes)

I began by piecing and appliquéing the large eagles. Here they are lying on top of the remainder of the full size drawing.

Once the eagles were complete, I began auditioning various pieces of my hand painted fabric for the sky between the wings.

eaglepiecing2.jpg (8110 bytes)

eaglepiecing3.jpg (10156 bytes)

duet2heartshape.jpg (10010 bytes) One template at a time, the fabrics were chosen, the templates were cut, and the background for the eagles was pieced together

Here is the abstract heart shape that forms where the lines emerging from the tops of the wings intersect. duet2heartquilting.jpg (9921 bytes) In one curving shape that sweeps across the quilt in front of and between the eagles are a series of quilted hearts in graduated sizes, stitched with rainbow varigated top stitching thread. The eagles are quilted with black, white, and grey top stitching thread. The entire quilt was quilted with freemotion machine quilting (i.e. the quilt was guided under the needle manually with the feed dogs lowered.) With the exception of the hearts, all the quilting was done freehand, without any marking of the quilt top.

In the center of the quilt, the stitching echoes the patterns of the dyes as they flow together in the painted fabric, suggesting wind and clouds in the sky. In the lower part of the quilt, the quilting patterns are more organic, suggesting vegetation of various kinds.

I call this kind of quilting "drawing with thread." The patterns created are as unique to each quilter as their handwriting or their signature. The back of the quilt is made from a multi-colored painted fabric suggesting sky.

Design Concept & Process

Where to see this quilt

Publications

Web Site Design by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry © 1997-2022 All Rights Reserved Bryerpatch Studio • 10 Baycliff Place • Port Townsend, WA • 98368 • USA 360-385-2568 • caryl@bryerpatch.com •••••

Web Site Design by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry © 1997-2022 All Rights Reserved
Bryerpatch Studio • 10 Baycliff Place • Port Townsend, WA • 98368 • USA
360-385-2568 • caryl@bryerpatch.com
•••••