HERE COMES SUMMER

'Summer' by Jez
Click to enlarge

The theme for Collage Obsession this week is SUMMER, very appropriate in England just at the moment.  I won a prize with this wall-hanging in a competition and was very pleased because it was quite difficult to make.

I'm stretching the point a bit here with this quilted fabric wall-hanging which was made many years ago.  It's made from fabric not paper, and the details appliquéd - or collaged.  Appliqué means 'something applied to another surface' and Collage refers to 'something being applied to another surface, usually paper, wood or canvas', and even nowadays to digital collage where 'collaged' items are not actually stuck on or sewn on.

So I hope I will be forgiven for regarding this piece as collage because I love it so much, and it always makes me think of hot summer days.

23" x 19.5"

This is a close-up of the central panel.  The background is made from artificial silks and machine quilted.  The details were added in various ways.  The pier in the background was machine stitched, like a line drawing.

I imagine a quilter taking her work along with her to the beach and then thinking that there are perhaps more important things in life than quilting and just ......... well you can see what she decided to do. 

Here's an even closer view of the details, especially the miniature quilt, which is made from cotton fabrics.  It is a proper little stitched patchwork quilt with a front and a back, and each fabric square measures three quarters of an inch by three quarters of an inch.

In this close-up you can see that the blue scalloped border of cotton fabric is machine quilted with scallop shell motifs to suit the seaside scene.

I used to love making miniature quilts, but eyesight and patience and manual dexterity would make it impossible for me nowadays.

I've taken an even closer photo of this small section to show the tiny needle I included, which is in fact a piece of fine silver wire and not a needle.

Here's the completed wall-hanging again, with all its collage/appliqué pieces.  Hope you enjoy it.