Author: Mary Vaneecke

My Mother is a Fish

My Mother is a Fish24” x 24”  The title of this piece comes from the William Faulkner novel, As I Lay Dying. A 14th Century Mongolian platter inspired the work.  It is a wholecloth quilt, meaning the top layer is a single piece of fabric.  The design comes entirely from dark blue thread on white fabric.  My Mother is a Fish has been exhibited widely and was published in an article in the October-November issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Homage

Homage
Inspired by Susan McCord’s 1880s applique masterpiece, the Vine Quilt, the original has 3000 pieced leaves running up and down 13 rows.  I wanted to create an homage to the original, recreating it with contemporary techniques.  I quilted pairs of fanciful feather variations and then colored each one with pencil.  A fixative was then painted onto the fabric.  This piece was a winner of the 2010 Handiquilter Longarm Quilting Award in Paducah, KY.

 

 

You’re Not the Only Starfish in the Sea

You're Not the Only Starfish in the Sea31” x 31”  The title for this piece comes from a Fats Waller tune (“You’re not the only starfish in the sea…but you’re the only one for me.”).  Handpainted fabrics, layered, stitched, embellished.  Copper embellishments by Patricia Healey.  See this piece at Arts Marketplace in Tucson mid-August through September 29.

America Surrounded

America Surrounded70” x 65”  This piece is my re-interpretation of the traditional Revolutionary War-era quilt block, Burgoyne Surrounded.  I updated it by replacing the traditional square grid with a triangular grid and using paint, printing, and discharging techniques instead of traditional piecing.  Made from cotton fabrics, discharged, painted and screen printed, layered with felt and machine stitched.

Fragment – SOLD

Fragment38”x 32” This piece is inspired by an ancient Egyptian fragment of carved and painted stone.  It depicts a wetland teeming with life.  Techniques include discharged and torn fabric, layered, machine stitched, and hand painted. The gray area is exposed and painted batting.  Embellished with silk ribbon.  SOLD

The Fabric of Our Community After January 8 – SOLD

The Fabric of Our Community
The Fabric of Our Community After January 8, 24 x 24'' SOLD

This is my artistic response to the Tucson shootings.  Techniques include shibori discharging, image transfer, layering with hand and machine stitching.  Embellished with Indonesian silk cocoons.  Stretched on a wooden frame.