Quilted and (dye) Painted Portrait - Part 1

 

A portion of the Quilted and Painted Portrait
'Eileen Gidman Alpine Hiking'

 

Reference Photo

Okay, you have a reference photo you want to recreate in a wall hanging. Now what? I chose this hiking photo for a textile 'Self Portrait Show' I was invited to participate in. First I made adjustments to the composition prior to drawing it out by cutting a bit off of the left side as well as simplifying the trees.

 

 Note how I place the reference photo in the corner of the paper and drew a diagonal through the photo and the paper. By drawing lines vertically and horizontally anywhere along that diagonal line, results in a drawing proportional to the photo. 

 

  Then I folded the paper in half both ways to find the center point. I created a grid on the photograph with even squares and proportionally drew larger squares on paper and sketched in the main lines of the photo within each square. This allows for fine tuning the drawing prior to sketching it onto fabric.  

 

 

Using a light box, I traced the drawing onto a piece of soda soaked cotton fabric. I outlined the main lines in a thin line of black dye. Once this had cured over night, I added the colour by painting it with thickened dye. 

 

The colour palette I choose was harmonious from green to blue-green which is a slight variation from the actual photo. The pink kerchief becomes a center of interest being complementary to the green. Bits of pink were introduced throughout the piece later in the finishing details also providing harmony.

After layering backing, a batting layer of flannelet and the top layer the piece was ready for pinning and then the fun began with the free motion stitching.  



To punch up the weathered wood what seemed like miles of stitching was added. The white of the wood was actually dyed slightly grey so thread was chosen to match.

 

The next post will show the details and the finished piece.