I’ve just had the most fun over the last few weeks planning and making an art quilt with a friend from Rangiura. She paints and I quilt so together we experimented. We found an image on the internet then she painted the Waihou Blue Springs first as a paper mock up, then onto a batik whole cloth. She used acrylics and added in a fabric medium so the paint would stay supple enough to quilt when it dried. Heaps of layers had to go on as the cloth just sucked up the paint. When dry, the paint needed to be heat set with an iron then prepared for quilting with backing, wadding and the painted topper. Then I had crazy fun with the sewing machine. I found the metallic needle coped the best with the specialised threads so I stayed with it. Thanks to all those who post their quilting designs online so others can get ideas, Leah Day’s clover, permed fern, water and pebbles designs worked well for this project.
