Monday, May 9, 2016

Eight Pointed Star For One Armed Quilter

image
I think this is one of the most stunning quilts I have created. It stops you in your tracks when you see it.
When I was dealing with a frozen shoulder about 15 years ago and couldn’t sleep I got up and created a prototype of this design. 
This one has never been finished as anything I think of to use to fill in the empty spaces takes away from the impact this creates.
I would love to finish it just like this to hang on a white or light wall but I think it would be a real challenge to hang.
If you read further you will see what I had to say when I posted it earlier.  I said I had planned on solving the dilemma soon but it still hasn’t happened.
With the huge solo show I am preparing for at present I don’t expect to resolve this for in the near future.
UPDATE: I  just checked and I actually started this 20 years ago! It is already 80-90 inches square.
This is one of my Eight Pointed Star For One Armed Quilter quilts. I am so pleased with it.
The problem is I am having a hard time choosing the background to put around it to square it off.
I had planned on using black but found that since the black on the star area is a printed fabric so it is different than a solid black.
I’ve considered using some other colors but I’m thinking they may fight with the graphic star design.
If I finish it with this shape it will be very difficult to hang on a wall.
I plan on solving this dilemma soon.

11 comments:

The Inside Stori said...

I don’t recall ever seeing this piece. It’s a real STUNNER!!! Actually, as presented in your blog, against a very light grey background….around the outer edges, then morphing to an almost white appearance toward the quilt….well…..that seems to set the quilt off perfectly.

Hanging it as is would be tempting but it’d be more secure with a background and could be hung on walls that aren’t white.

Susie Q said...

it is a STUNNER! what do you think of thin bamboo from corner to corner to hold it tight .... like a kite.... and some engineer feat to hold it to the wall???

Susan said...

Since you are planning to hang it as a wall quilt what about mounting it on a canvas or to a heavy fabric. There are a variety of ways to do this...just a thought. It is a stunning piece and if you could finish it in a way that makes it have a floating quality it would be grand. Cheers, Susan in NH

Nancy Bailey said...

http://mixitupmel.blogspot.com/2016/04/no-holes.html Maybe Melody Johnson has the solution in this blog. Command strips etc. Love what you create!

Robbie said...

Stunner is a good word for it! As is..fantastic, amazing, yada, yada!!! Wonderful, Kay...just a wonderful piece!

Jan R said...

Absolutely beautiful quilt. My first thought was a clean gray color which would complement your quilt. Good luck on completing it!

Susan E. J. White said...

Beautiful! I believe I would try my darndest to finish the shape it is. There must be a way to create an integral hanging system and sleeve for the top...something with plexiglass maybe. Maybe even a larger, whole quilt sleeve and hanger to keep the points pointy....something with thin plexiglass to the outer edges and a band of stronger plexiglass for the main support. I wonder if a creative gallery designer/owner/artist couldhelp with ideas. It is stunning!

Anonymous said...

You can finish the quilt as usual with either a facing or binding, then add a "sleeve" as far down as you want (maybe 1/3 of the way down) by cutting a piece of fabric the exact shape of the quilt at the top and finishing the bottom edge. Then you cut a piece of foam core or other stiff, lightweight material that fits inside the pocket. When I do this to an irregular shaped quilt, I just hem the bottom of the pocket, lay it across the front of the quilt so the hemmed edge falls in the correct place and stitch around the edge, then trim. Flip the pocket to the back, cut the stiff liner to shape/size and slip it on the pocket. You can then add rings to the back to hold the liner in place and to hang the quilt by.

Cathy Perlmutter said...

That is extraordinary!

Connie Akers said...

It is indeed a beautiful quilt and I'd love to see it hanging.

I made irregular wall hangings back in the '70's (many in the shape of Texas) and here is how I did it. Create a large sleeve that will mimic the top line to where the piece would not "fold over in this case you will have to hand sew it to back of quilt just inside the edge. Have either a piece of thin plywood or acrylic cut to fit into the sleeve & slip it into place; use eye hooks & wires thru the sleeve & enjoy. I'd think this might need to hang from 2 points so you can use multiple hooks to run the wire thru. Good luck.

Robin said...

Stunning quilt. It is probably happy you have taken it out to work on it again. Birgit Schueller makes many award winning quilts that have irregular shapes. you might want to contact her schueller.birgit@web.de
and ask her how she does hers. She and I are friends.