Sue Bleiweiss
Buildings, botanicals and birds are some of favorite subjects to work with because they’re easily distorted to create a feeling of whimsy and fantasy while still appearing recognizable. I dye most of the fabric that I use in my work myself, even the black, because it allows me to control the quality of the fabric weave as well as maintain a consistent color palette from quilt to quilt. This creates a sense of cohesion and unity across the body of my work even when I am only using small amounts of color.
Each piece I create begins in the pages of my sketchbook where I make several small rough sketches of the imagery that I want to work with. My small sketches are re-drawn into full size cartoons that allow me to adjust the scale of the images before the actual construction of the piece in fabric begins. The lines in these full sized drawings are then transferred to a large piece of white fabric and used as a guide for the quilting stitches. Once the piece is quilted, the details are added with strips of black fabric and bits of color here and there. Depending on the size and complexity of the piece this part of the construction process can take anywhere from several days to several weeks or longer. My only goal with the finished piece is that it brings a smile to the face of the person who views it.