Wearable Art Vest - A Value Exercise in Paradise

I was teaching in Paradise - catchy?  Yes and true!  Paradise Ridge Quilters Guild are incredible hosts for a visiting teacher - Wow!  I gave a lecture and then a one day workshop, teaching the elements of a Collage Wearable Art Vest. I provided this vest pattern for those who wanted to use it, but they were free to use their own pattern.  After the lecture, the members hosted an evening dinner, and I still remember standing on a wrap-around deck admiring the breathtaking vistas, all the while having exciting conversation wrapped in and around fiber art.  There is so much I could elaborate on about this amazing group of quilters, but will cut the words short and get on with the visuals.

Vest - Fabric Collage on Muslin

PURPOSE

This was an exercise in value - simply using nondescript fabrics and not even letting fabric designs make the decision, but rather the value of the fabrics were the deciders:  whether they were light, medium or dark in value.  In that manner they became representative of a landscape.  The pattern was cut out in muslin - the collage pieces were cut, glued (Elmer's glue stick) and then sewn to the muslin.  The surface provided many opportunities to add features - such as firefly's. 



DETAIL
Firefly from lower right corner of Vest



DETAIL
Firefly from upper right corner of Vest


You can see how ordinary fabrics, when collaged together with the purpose of choosing the value first can become a lovely rendition.

BINDING
The binding choice had to integrate both sides of this vest.  Often when making vests, I will use a fastener at each shoulder so the piece, as an alternative to weable art, can be opened and displayed flat on the wall.



BINDING
The binding strips are 2", cut on bias and loosely laid out.  I auditioned several fabrics for the binding thinking black and white would be the best choice; however, the turquoise polka dot was the best for both sides.



REVERSE SIDE
Stitched Muslin - Because I am in love with line drawings on white paper (or canvas for that matter), the white muslin on the reverse side of the fabric collage became a canvas for stitches - hence I used black and brown threads to create interest with line drawn stitches.  The puckers you see are fitting darts sewn in, once I fitted the vest on my dress form.


DETAIL OF LINE DRAWING STITCHES

Upper right corner of vest.


DETAIL

Notice how you can see the color of the collage fabrics showing through the muslin.  It gives a faint hint, proposes a mystery to my thinking.   This is the effect I love to create in my paintings, using multiple layers of paint (fabric) to suggest depth and offer conversation to the viewer.  I used brown and black thread.



DETAIL
Rambling stitched cherries.




The lecture was about Womens History and Fiber - a lecture that evolves because I continue research about a topic near and dear to my heart.  Please let me know if you have questions about this process.  Cheers and happy stitching!  - Viktorya

Viktorya Allen lives in Sacramento, is a practicing artist and also co-owner of a web marketing company in Napa CA.