If you’ve been wondering what’s going on in the studio, this is one piece…actually two (a diptych)…that I recently finished. This quilt is made from painted newspaper, cut and sewn onto muslin with a batting and backing.
I painted the newspaper in sections before I cut it into the strips for the quilt. Some of the text shows through, but most of it is covered. I needed to assemble the pieces by stitching over cording as I joined them. The cording prevents the paper from perforating as the needle goes through. The fabric and batting behind the paper also reinforces the stitches. I anticipated it to be one piece, but found that it was too precarious to run the paper through the machine in a large strip…afraid I might tear it. I sewed fabric strips to the edges of each piece and mounted them on stretcher bars, each one 30X20 inches.
The quilt is titled VANISHING WATERS and addresses the drought and misuse of our water resources in New Mexico. This time of year, the grasses are brown and the ground is dusty. The spring winds add to the drying cycle.
So why this technique? Below is the last remaining PAPERITA I made a few years ago for a recycled show at my gallery. I used the same painted newspaper technique. I walk by this piece in my studio every day and I thought I would try this technique in a quilt. Will I do more…I don’t know…but I really enjoyed doing this one and am pleased with the result….from the studio
studio 18 art 
Ouch – like this very much1
Elephant
Thanks much…it was fun to do.
Hi Sue,
You are doing some terrific work!
Love it!
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff. I’ve got so many ideas spinning in my head…in the studio non-stop! Sue
This is great!
How nice of you to comment…thank you much. Sue
Love it! I just made a quilt with my five minute collages, just stitched together, but as it’s for a quilt group, I didn’t want to experiment any further. I also made another one, which was for experimenting. Seeing what you made with a newspaper, wow!
I love to experiment with different things. The newspaper was a bit difficult to deal with because I didn’t want it to rip. The paint gave it some durability, but I needed to be so careful in manipulating it under the needle. I can’t wait to see how your collage quilt came out. Sue
It looks cool, that`s for sure. I understand the pain about wasting water, it always gets me so angry to see those huge and lush golf courses high spouting fountains and ridiculous lawns in the middle of Arizona or something. Not only is there very little water around there for humans to use, when you waste it on needless plantings like that there is even less for the animals to use!
Wow! There’s simply no end to the innovation that an artist can come up with. Brava Sue! Well done. And a topic you cannot ignore, I know. BTW, thanks for stopping by my blog — feedback is always welcome.
Thank you, Franki. This piece will be in a show in Albuquerque this summer…an appropriate venue for it. Sue