I spent a day in NYC in the garment district and came home with $300 of dupioni silk. I love this silk. It's got shimmer and it's got texture. It is just plain gorgeous.
Then I spent 2 weeks deciding how I was going to construct this curtain that measures 60"Wx77"H. I realized that it was so much easier to make colored pencil lines and not so easy to figure out how I was going to sew 1 1/2" strips of silk into radiating lines. After a few false starts, I decided to construct it on a foundation of lightweight interfacing in 2 pieces that would be joined before quilting.
Then I spent 1 1/2 weeks constructing half the curtain. I never perspired so much before during a quilting project, and it wasn't because the A/C was broken. I was sweating because I was so worried and nervous. Choosing lightweight interfacing as a foundation was not a good choice. It stretched and distorted as I added the strips. I couldn't see the faint lines I drew as my pattern after I finished my first section. And if you are wondering if you would ever use a protractor again after HS Geometry, guess what I used to draw my rays? You can actually download one from the internet.
So I am not going to sugarcoat this. I finished the left side and it will need serious blocking and squaring up. This is what it looks like now.
Am I looking forward to making the right side? Hell no! Mirror image? I don't think so. But I will try my best. I will keep you posted.
Love that material, gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think with an art piece, a little wonky is acceptable;)
Debbie
It looks beautiful! Did you fuse the silk before you started? I have found that fusing it onto a cotton woven interfacing and then using a foundation works well when working with silk....good luck!!
ReplyDeleteCheryl I LOVE it...right up my alley! It is going to be so cool.
ReplyDeleteNow i know why you haven't been posting much lately- you have been BUSY! It is gorgeous and well worth all your sweat! I can't wait to see it in person! I hope the second half is easier due to all the practice you have had on the first half. Have you picked a really great reward for yourself for when you finish this challenging piece? Good luck with it and keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteCheryl,
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! I don't think I would be able to recreate this in mirror image. I hope I get to see this in person.
Oh, it's soooo worth your effort (ha - easy for me to say, huh!)!!! I'd been wondering how it was going, so thanks for sharing. It really is spectacular now - think of how grand it'll be when it's complete!
ReplyDeleteCheryl used the H word! Hey, you're on top of the mountain--can't get there without sweat but it's all down hill now. Stunning.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness, this is gorgeous - and I'm sure the silk looks even better in person. can't wait to see the finished piece - good luck!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, this is just stunning! How in the world did you do it? How wide are your strips? THAT must have been very tricky! I sure hope I get to see it in person. Magnificent!
ReplyDeleteWow. This is incredibly awesome!!!!
ReplyDelete