close up

185. Magdalena en el jardín de aves

Two very different directions inspired this piece- my great respect for dia de los muertos and the wonderful texture of these antique and vintage fabrics.

 I am in love with the vintage 1940’s barkcloth panels  printed with these beautiful peacocks.. I quilted these panels in a variegated rayon thread. For the middle of the hanging I used a beautiful Victorian wool paisley, also quilted with a variegated colored thread. I hand painted a piece of antique silk velvet with fabric paint for the face and gave her a head full of flowers, which I cut from antique lace and hand painted and beaded. The beautiful bouquet of flowers she is “growing” from are cut from a late 1800’s French linen floral print. I cut out the embroidered Victorian redwork at the top and appliquéd it onto a great early woven English piece. The gold metallic trim (real stands of thin metal) at the top is early 1900, as is the top of the flower pot. The fringe at the bottom is circa 1900, also painted with fabric paint.  Also used-reproduction trims and a wonderful cotton paisley print for the binding.

Techniques:

Quilting, appliqué, embroidery, beading, fabric paint. The piece is entirely done by hand.