Sunset

Trying to capturing a sunset in a textile art project, does make me reflect on the Creator who paints these images daily for us to enjoy.

This work is a fabric collage, finished with thread painting, using free motion stitching. 

Wildflowers 

Layer, Paint and Stitch is a book written by textile artist Wendy Dolan. The book inspired me to create painted textile collages. Flowers or other decorative elements are added through free motion stitching, thread painting and couching by which more texture is added. Handembroidered elements can bring more contrast and depth to the work.

‘Wildflowers’ was based on a photo taken on a beautiful summer afternoon walking through the fields. 

Dimensions: 16” - 12”

Flowers of the field

Nature offers plenty inspiration for making textile art. Same technique as above is used. I feel free to play with colors and structures so the end result might differ a lot from the original picture.

Dimensions: 16” - 12”

Tree on fire

The tree is not glowing because of the setting sun. Is it ashamed or angry maybe? Who can tell? 

In this layered textile painting a 3D element was used.
The tree was made by the use of a sewingmachine and thread.
This technique is well described in the book “Machine Embroidered Flowers, Woodlands and Landcapes” by Alison Holt.

Dimensions: 12” - 8”

House on the prairie

An eerie silence softened by some far away whispering of the wind coming from the clouds in the distance.

Fabric collage of a nature scene with thread painting.

Dimensions: 

Sea flowers

I did not intend to make flowers in the sea. As the work progressed it presented itself as a
somewhat magical underwater scene. This impression was strengthened by adding the waving grass and white stems. Next time you gather a bouquet of flowers maybe you can take a dive underwater.

Thread painting and French knots on organza background.

Meadow flowers

In the back of our garden we sometimes let the grass grow wild. All kinds of wildflowers appear. I captured this scene on a beautiful spring morning. The scenery quickly transformed in my mind into a textile project.

This thread painting is sewn on silk fabric with a painted background using Derwent intense pencils.

Antique flowers

Flower petal after flower petal, this work is made.  Every petal is not attached to the canvas.  I used the woven picot stitch, it's a dimensional hand embroidery stitch.The flower petals are sewed around the middle.  The stitch I used for this, is the buttonhole filler stitch, made with a metallic thread.  That's how the textile work got its antique look. 

The flower stems are crocheted, the leaves are thread painted.

The flowers needed a nice vase, so this satin fabric leaned itself perfectly.  My embellish machine helped me to give the vase it's textured look and attache it to the canvas.

Heron on the lookout

One summer I decided to learn 'English paper piecing'.  I did have a vage end project in mind.  After finishing a lot of the pieces, I arranged them and thought it would make a nice scenery for a nature scene.

The heron is thread painted, put on a thread painted and hand embroidered wooden log.  

To give the water it's wavy look, I knitted with thick needles and fine structured yarn a net .

Then the work lay aside for some time.   The idea came to crochet the lians.

The work was finished after adding couched felt leaves.

This thread painted scenery of the indoors of an Egyptian house, shows the richness in colors and designs the Egyptian people use to embellish their houses.