Monochromatic 2 Challenge - Construction

In the previous post I showed the finished piece.  Following is the sequence of construction.

I drew the outline, some of the spots, and the eye on this commercial batik with a washaway marker.

The inks I used are lined up and you can see a tiny sample of each color on the side of the fabric next to the bottles of inks.

Using temporary adhesive spray I attached a piece of wool batting to the wrong side and stitched around the outline with a medium orange thread.

After the initial stitching, I inked in the eye, spots, and shadow.

I arranged all the threads I might want to use in order of value.

This is a closer view of the inked portion before I added more thread. 

I used straight stitching on the eye with four different threads.  I used a couple of different weights because I wanted a lot of color and texture variation.  I used a free motion zig zag stitch to give the rest of the gecko the appearance of scales, using brown thread on the spots and orange for the rest. The blue ink was rinsed away after this.

The back before I cut away the excess batting.

Then it was layered with another piece of wool batt and DecorBond, then quilted.

This is my model in repose in another shot. She is actually more gold/yellow and black.  I used my artistic license to make her orange and brown for the challenge.

Monochromatic 2 Challenge

"Gecko"

16.5" by 11.75"

This is my work for the "Monochromatic 2" challenge at Art Quilts Around the World. There is terrific texture that doesn't show up in this photo because it is cloudy today.  I will replace the photo when the sun comes out.

A detail of the eye.

And the back side.

Pets on Quilts Show 2011

SewCalGal is hosting another online Pets on Quilts Show with lots of fun prizes.  My kids and pets begged me to enter because it was so much fun last year seeing our wonderful pets and everybody else's online.   Click here or on the button at top of this post to see all the other entries.     

Viewers can vote for their favorite entries in several categories on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21.  We would love to receive votes in the "Dog Theme," "other pet theme" and, of course, "art quilt theme."   I'll post a reminder on Saturday and I'll probably get up on my soapbox and talk about the puppy mill legislation here in Wisconsin.  

 First up is Rosie, posed on a quilt I made a couple of years ago.  This was the first large quilt I quilted all by myself and when it was finished, I felt like a confident machine quilter.

 This was an art quilt I made featuring Rosie on on our front porch.  It was supposed to be the first in a series of "View From the Front Porch:Summer."  But I never made anymore in the series.  I suppose I may sometime.  It's only 12" by 12" but packed with stuff.

This is "Repeat," the leopard gecko and her dinner.  I 'splained all about her here.  This is another little quilt -- only 8 by 12 inches.  You can read all about this quilt here.

And, sadly, Rex, who was such a big part of my entry in the show last year, passed on to that big exercise wheel in the sky this past spring.  We miss him and his shiny black eyes and his whirring whiskers.   My daughter wants to acquire a new inhabitant for his cage, but I'm enjoying the quiet...

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Repeat Sheds Her Skin!

I have to admit -- I'm not crazy about rodents and reptiles.  Although I have had some pretty good relationships with a number of hamsters, rats, and long ago, a rabbit.  But except for catching lizards in the backyard as a child, I've never enjoyed any reptiles.  Oh, I can appreciate the beauty of a colorful iguana and the perky postures of bearded dragons, but I am just not crazy about cold-blooded critters.  This includes insects.  And I hate snakes!  Maybe even more than Indiana Jones does.

  My "adult" son moved back home for a couple of weeks at the beginning of this year and brought with him this leopard gecko named "Repeat".  When my son moved back out, the gecko stayed.  I have been awarded the dubious honor of gecko-mom.  Which means I get to go to the pet store every couple of days and purchase live crickets.  Because this creature eats only live ones.  So now I get to nurture crickets in order to provide snacks for the gecko. Or go to the pet store every other day to get more.  Not fun in a blizzard -- I found out.

So today, when I was trying to concentrate on something important, my almost-eleven-year-old daughter came running upstairs to breathlessly inform me, "The gecko's shedding her skin!"  Being the good gecko-mom that I am, I grabbed the camera to record this event.  And now I'm sharing it with you.

I missed the part where it started -- obviously on her head.  But I did manage to get these interesting shots of her pulling the old skin off her hind leg.

Then she ate it.  "Eeeeeyyyyuuuuuu!" was the comment from the daughter.  I read somewhere that it provided some nutrients.  Daughter was still not impressed.

It was pretty cool to watch -- the skin came off inside out just like pulling off a pair of tight jeans.




She rubbed against the logs and rocks in her aquarium to loosen the skin on her body.

She spent a lot of time pulling the skin off of her front, um, paws?  Hands?  She does have little finger-like thingies and what look like little claws (nails?) on them.

The color under the discarded skin is really bright.

I have left these pictures large, so click on them to examine her closely.  She really is quite amazing.  She uses one corner of the tank to do her business -- I never would have guessed that a reptile would care!

And now she's had enough of being my photography subject.  I imagine the flash isn't all that fun for her.  She isn't really reacting to me -- she's still trying to remove the skin from her front, um, digits.    And as interesting as she is, I really do prefer the fuzzy kind of pet.  Especially the kind that doesn't have to live in a cage.

January Journal Quilt

"Repeat Eyes Her Dinner"

8 x 12 inches

This is my first completed Journal Quilt for 2011.  My personal challenge was to use some of my shibori-dyed fabric.  

So I used the stuff with the little moons because geckos are nocturnal.  

I stenciled little gecko shapes with freezer paper templates and sponged the paint onto the fabric.  It's pretty subtle.  Not what I intended, but after it dried, I liked the "ghost-gecko" look.  I left the pictures pretty large, so you can click on them for a better look.

The gecko and cricket are raw-edge appliquéd with textile paint and thread to enhance them.  

I chose the leopard fabric for her top side because she is a leopard gecko.

The sand is more paint and thread.

What would I do different? Another of my self-imposed rules was to make each journal quilt 8.5 by 11 inches.  I chose this size because it's large enough to really try a technique -- but not so big that I won't have time to finish.  This one missed that rule -- and actually, I think it looks unbalanced.  I think it needs another border on the side.  

I had wanted the gecko to dominate the quilt, but with the top and bottom borders, it just doesn't work for me.  I think I could have done without the borders and made the gecko larger, but then I wouldn't have used the shibori.  So maybe I need to make another one...