Rangitoto PEX - February 2009

Rangitoto is a 7" x 5" quilty card, made for a swap.

The front shows Rangitoto Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland. Auckland's Maori name is Tamaki Makaurau, also known as the "City of Sails". Rangitoto is a near-perfect circular volcanic cone, which last erupted around 600 years ago. The volcano is dormant, not extinct.

I used commercial batiks for Rangi, cut and fused to the background. The sky and grass are from skydye type fabrics, chosen for their colour changes. The sea has a sprinkling of Crystal Aurora Angelina fibre on it, to show the sparkling waters. The rocks and flax plants were fussy cut from commercial prints. Free motion stitching was used to highlight the landscape, sky and the flax plants. A piece of heavy-grade non-woven interfacing was used to strengthen the piece.

The legend on the rear of the card was printed on 120g copier paper, then blanket-stitched to the front fabric. Three fibres in maroon hues were used around the outside edge.

Hearts Held Close

"Hearts Held Close" is a 7" x 5" Quilty card, made for a very special friend's birthday.

The poem was written to express the difficulties of having a friendship with someone who is on a different continent, in a different time-zone, in another hemisphere. Although our communication is via email, instant messaging, and very infrequent phone calls, and we have never met, there is a very strong connection between us.

The entwined couple on the front were inspired by an illustrated edition of Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet". Embellishments show points of connection between us - the gecko, moonlit nights, puzzle pieces. Also included are precious and semi-precious stones that we both like - amethyst, sapphire, emerald, ruby.

The fabrics are commercial batiks. The figures were fused with visoflix to black cotton, then to the backing fabric with a glue-stick. I then free-motion stitched using two shades of purple thread to enhance the body contours of the couple. A heavy-grade fusible, non-woven backing and a sheet of card were used to stiffen the piece. The paua shell laminate, paua shell piece, letters and embellishments are all handsewen on.

The poem was printed on transparent vellum paper using an inkjet printer, then cut out with "heartbeat" patterned scissors, and free-motion stitched using rayon and cotton variegated green threads.

I now make duplicates of all my art pieces, the best version being sent out into the world with my love, while the other stays home with me.