The Process:
From each photo I produce a transparency which is then enlarged and drawn the approximate size of the finished piece. I copy the drawing twice. One drawing becomes my map, and the other becomes my template. It goes on top of the map on the design wall and is cut apart piece by piece. Going back to the photo, I work my way through the different areas, pulling whatever fabrics I think might work and laying them out on my table by color. Finally, I begin the piecing process. Before I sew, I pin a section to the board. I have learned not to cut too much at a time because it is too easy to get lost. When I have a section cut and pinned on the board, I change any fabrics I don’t like and replace them until I am satisfied. I work this way, section by section until the top is completely pieced.
The next step is threadpainting. This is what makes a threadscape a threadscape. I start out by stabilizing the top with an iron on tear away stabilizer. All the while I have been piecing, I have been thinking about the threadwork.how much, where, and how. The goal of the threadwork is to bring an extra dimension of reality to the work. I use a lot of variegated threads because I like the depth they give me. I also run 2 different colors through the machine at the same time. I want the viewer to “feel” the texture of the trees, the grass etc. When the threadwork is done I tear away the excess stabilizer and make sure my threads are all knotted and clipped on the wrong side of the fabric. The next step is the quilt sandwich.
I make sure my backing is ironed and stretched tight before I put the batting on top of it. Next I smooth out the batting and add the top. I pin baste my tops, and I try to place the pins evenly around the quilt top, but not where I have any intention of going. Once I begin quilting, I like to move right along. All the while I have been threadpainting I have been thinking about the border and the quilting. The quilting is where the rhythms of the nature show up in my work. I am a stickler about my stitching, and if I am not satisfied with an area, I will not hesitate to pull it out and redo it. After making sure that all my threads are buried I square the quilt and bind it. It takes from 6 weeks to a year to complete a piece.
