Patterns in Nature: an Art Quilt Challenge

Patterns in Nature-Unconventional was proposed as an art quilt challenge on  Dec 1 2014, over on the Quiltart listgroup. Over three months the objective was given to take a natural pattern and interpret it using whatever chosen methods and materials explained the artist's purpose, at whatever size decided upon, as long as there were some quilting involved. These 7 artists responded. We hope you will enjoy their interpretations.



Phyllis Cullen, "Lava 1: Pahoehoe"

 Here on the Big Island of Hawaii, the work of Madame Pele and the ongoing eruption of Kilauea volcano is much on our mind. Evidence of previous lava flows are everywhere, and an area of forest or a home, public building, cemetary, beach, school etc that is there one day may be covered the next with 2000 degree molten rock. Disorganized lumps of sharp rock is called a'a. When the lava flows in ropy smooth folds it is called pahoehoe. The crust blackens as it cools but while it still flows the fiery inside can be seen.

I used fabric painting, bleaching, metallic threads and bits of fabric to capture the fiery rock.

20 x 16



                                                       http://phylliscullenartstudio.com



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 Kathy Zieben, "Getting Schooled"

13" x 11". Paper collage printed on fabric. Machine quilted using Rainbows Trilobal Polyester Thread and Sulky Metallic Threads.

"Patterns in the world are visible everywhere.  It is important to have that connection with nature to appreciate all the different kinds you can see.  My inspiration for “Getting Schooled” happened during an experience out on a boat.  When the sun is shining, the shimmer and ripples on top of the water formed beautiful patterns, but beneath the surface, even more patterns revealed themselves through schools of fish swimming below the surface. "

                                                          http://kathyzieben.weebly.com/

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Meena Schaldenbrand " Coral Anniversary" 

Coral Anniversary

 

I chose the Coral design as it marks a milestone anniversary for me.

 

Materials:  Aluminum popcan, Angelina, beads, buttons, Evolon, metal, metal and paper tubes, net, sheers, sequins, Tyvek, yarns, wire

Free motion quilted.

 

Meena Schaldenbrand

Plymouth, MI

http://meenaschaldenbrand.blogspot.com/ 

                                      

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Sylvia Lewis, "Bark"

"When I heard the challenge, my first thought was about this wonderful Eucalyptus tree at the Walker Creek Ranch. It has beautiful bark. I attended a retreat in January at the Ranch and was able to get a photograph of the bark. I printed out the photograph, traced the elements from it. I free-form cut the layers to match the photograph. I added a layer of tulle to hold it all together while I quilted the piece using my trusty walking foot. "Bark" measures 11"x 13" "

                                              http://bunchberrystudio.blogspot.com/ 

                              

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Cindi Goodwin  "One Branch"

Machine pieced randomnly....colored pencils...fmq....9 by 9 and one half inches....and beaded

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Suzanne Riggio " Ancient Willow"

 ANCIENT WILLOW

Size:  10 1/4” wide x 12 3/8” long
Materials:  Curtain linen and silk overlay on rayon geometric print, 
cotton, linen, Ultrasuede, yarn, beads, embroidery thead, batting
Techniques:  Scrunching, trapunto,  hand embroidery, free-motion 
embroidery, beading, machine applique, machine quilting

Ancient Willow is inspired by actual, enormous, ancient, bulbous, and 
bulging willows lining the pond in Greenfield Park in Greenfield, WI, 
a suburb of Milwaukee.  I love the patterning of the bark which 
reveals decades of cold and heat, insect incursions, and the defense 
mechanism of the tree in its huge bulbous bumps.

Suzanne Mouton Riggio



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Sue Kaufman "Lady Bug Invasion"

I chose symmetry as my inspiration and used my own Spoonflower designs of symmetrically altered pictures of outer space, sunsets and the aurora borealis. There is raw edge piecing and free motion quilting. The idea of ladybugs came as that fabric was also one of my manipulated designs, and seemed the perfect jumping off point. There is mostly mirror (reflectional) and rotational symmetry exhibited here. In nature there are many other types of symmetry. I wished I'd had more fabric to make it bigger! It finished at 16" X 17"



Sue DiMeglio Russell Kaufman



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I'll be hooking up with Nina Maries' Off the Wall Friday.