iQuilt!!!

Today we're celebrating Bhai Dooj in India. It is a day of celebration of the relation of a brother and sister... I had made a VERY special gift for my little brother!

But before I show you what I made for him, here's a run through his reactions to it!!!

 The tag read "For the world's BEST BROTHER, from the world's BEST SISTER"
 

 

He just LOVED it!!!

Do you want to see what I made for him?

Here's my latest creation iQuilt!
 

Want to see more? Scroll down...



Want to see some more??? Scroll more...

 
Little brother with his iGod!!!

It is a portrait quilt 24" x 30" made using 3 shades of fabric. I made this one using the reverse applique technique. It sure was a challenge to make it, especially the beard part. But I thoroughly enjoyed making this one! It was a quilt that challenged me, and I always love challenges!!!

 

I did a small photo session with the iQuilt before I gave it to Chaitanya!

 

 Do you like it???

I do not understand the story behind that actually awkward pose! Believe me, I have spent hours in front of the mirror trying to make sense of it! But this man had style enough to make it look so comfortable!  He was a true icon!

Why would I gift a portrait of Steve Jobs to my little brother? Because he's a HUGE fan of his! Believe me you have to be a fan if you always had clean and crisp textbooks at the end of the school year and yet you read THREE biographies of a single man!!!

And the fact that Chaitanya started #includetech, and develops Apple applications, makes it even more relevant!
Verbs, Steps and Appetite are just some of his releases...

I am truly happy today... Not just because I made a challenging quilt, but because this is the second time I made something that has a lot of sentimental value for someone close to me!!!

It gives me immense satisfaction!

Here are the quilt stats :

Name : iQuilt

Size : 24" x  30"

Photo : Steve Jobs by Albert Watson

Techniques used : Reverse applique

Material Used : Fabric (3 shades - White, Grey & Black), Aurifil Thread (again 3 shades White, # 2625 - grey- and black all wt 50), Tulle

Made on : My Bernina 330!

Experience : Amazing! Trying a less used reverse applique quilt for a portrait did a lot to boost my confidence!!!

Do you like it???

And she's ready!!!

I have been working on this quilt ever since I came back from my Bernina workshop. I have been really patient. Had to stall my work twice for 4-5 days! But just went on, and on, and on...

But yes, she is ready...

My Apsara quilt!!! - though i need a better name for her - she cannot be apsara - an angel - with the heavy load she's carrying on her head! Once again, suggestions are welcome!!! But I am guessing that this one's going to stick!

The quest for the photo started about 2-3 months back... I was always intrigued by the many different ways in which a saree is draped in India. The length of the saree also varies regionally.

In Maharashtra - the state in India that I live in - the 9 yard saree - called nav vari (nav = nine, var = yard) is the traditional gear for women. It has its own variants too! It looks especially beautiful from behind!

I wanted to capture the grace of that saree, without making it look like I was trying to make a quilt of a woman's bottom!

I might be a good quilter, but an artist - I'm not! But I know my limitations and instead of taking the chance I began my quest for a perfect photo that I could use as a guide for my quilt. A friend suggested Madhuri Dixit's pose from the poster of Gaja Gamini - a film made by the famous painter M F Hussain.

The pose was from one of my most favorite songs in the movie, music by Bhupen Hazarika. You can watch the song here... 

It was exactly what I was looking for!

I used the poster as a guideline and divided the picture and tacked it one part at a time!

It made things really easy...

And about 4 months after the initial idea started brewing, here is the quilt - ready in all its glory!

 I finished it late today night and just could not wait to share photos, I'll be doing a photo shoot with her tomorrow!!!

Here, you can see the details of the saree... 

 Here you can see how instead of sewing down the folds of the saree, I let them stand out to give it a 3D effect...

I was totally skeptical about doing the ties of her blouse, having never done something like that before. But it turned out alright!

I hand dyed fabric to make the central panel... I quilted it with a paisley design! Its my favorite one...  I used Aurifil invisible thread for all the applique work and the quilting. I also used a little bit of Superior and Madeira Mono filament thread, but I was the happiest when I used Aurifil. It is thin, fine, kink-less and smooth. I must add that the spool was about 3 years old! I had received it in a swap but was too scared to use it before! Plus the thread breakage and tension issues were non-existent when using Aurifil! My special note when working with a mono filament thread : Reduce tension - as much as you can. Reduce stitch length. Use the Stretch needle. I have no idea behind the technology of this, but I just know it works! I tried a lot of permutations and combinations before coming to this conclusion!

All the piecing was done with the 50 wt thread in black or white - as per the situation.

I made the bundle on top 3D too! And I actually stuffed it with batting scraps to make it fluffy!

The back was also given a lot of thought...

I wanted to make a window and then have a silhouette of  her as if seen through a frosted glass... Does it look like that? I tried to match the front applique to the silhouette on the back as fat as possible, there is a difference of about 3/8" at some points! But I'm happy with it!

I made the silhouette by layering a white fabric on black and sewing it down along the outline traced from the figure. I then cut away excess black fabric. I layered this with a semi-transparent white fabric. It was actually a leftover from my room curtain linings and was not cotton! Then I put a frame and a wall around it! I think it looks pretty cool!

I am planning to enter this one in multiple quilt shows...  Wish me luck!

I even put a proper sleeve on the back, and did not forget my trademark ribbons and my elephant charm!

Quilt Stats :
Name : Apsara aali...
 Size : HUGE : 40" x 80"
2. Material : Fabric - from stash - ALL OF IT!Including the Saree and the blouse fabric! A lot of cotton poplin, some linen and curtain lining remnants!
I used a LOT of Pellon Fusible (#805) I am nearing the end of my bolt purchased from Dubai! I'm wondering what I'll do when it finishes off! I also used a lot of local interfacing - mainly to sew the entire figure on, before sewing it onto the final quilt!
Thread - Aurifil Invisible (90% of the work) and Aurifil 50 wt Black & White as per the situation. I used a little of Superior & a little of Madeira Mono-filament thread as well.

Experience : In one word - Surreal!


Do you like her? I am very proud of her!!! She turned out better than what I had imagined!

Cheers!!!

My new look!!! The story of the new logo!

As many of you must have noticed... I have changed my logo!

This has been planned for quite a while!

Today on 31.3.13 I will be starting my etsy shop too... edit : wont be able to do it as I fell down the stairs and hurt my bottom real hard. Cannot sit for longer hours... Maybe I'll do it in a couple of weeks :(

So what's with my new logo?

If you see closely, you can see that it is an elephant with a internet cursor at his feet!

The Elephant symbolizes Lord Ganpati since we worship him before we start anything new. And the cursor "hand" at his feet is his loyal carrier - the mouse! I feel it is a modern version of the traditional symbolism in India - Same as my work is the modern version of the traditional quilting styles!

Do you like my new look???