In Silhouette for Project QUILTING 13.2

I was out of my studio (enjoying family visits and a break from the snow) during Project QUILTING 13.1 Challenge so I was eager to jump on board for this weeks In Silhouette Challenge. The definition of silhouette is “A silhouette is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouette is usually presented on a light background, usually white, or none at all.”

I often hike our local Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy’s Arcadia Marsh in early morning or late evening. This year the Blue Herons were in ample numbers but there was one who posed for my camera on a daily basis. Coupling the silhouette with reflection seemed like the perfect combination.

After sorting through my stash of hand-dyed, batik and ombre fabrics this one was the winner. Journey by Melanie Samra for Northcott Fabrics was purchased at Cardinal Creations in Lake City on a road trip with my quilting travel buddy. I auditioned some specialty threads and adjusted the size of one of the blue heron photos from my hikes.

After adding quilting with two colors of Superior variegated thread, a tree line was created with MasterPiece Thread from Superior. Digging further into my stash of fibers, a black wool roving was added to the mix.

Every specialty fiber in my studio is making an appearance on the quilt...on the tabletops....on the floor! The heron and the shadow were created with Island Batik Basic Black bonded to black Hobbs batting with MistyFuse. A variety of fibers created the peninsula including black tulle, sparkly costume fabric and threads.

The last trees and their reflections were added to the left side. Project has been squared up and it ready for binding.

Blue Heron Silhouette is complete with black binding and hanging tabs on the back. It finished at 13-1/2” by 18-1/2.

A few close up photos of the finished work.

Published by Sally Manke, Fiber Artist

Sally Manke's mission is to delight others with textile art that exemplifies her passion for joyful, creative expression through color and texture. She is a speaker, teacher, pattern designer, Island Batik Ambassador and fiber artist. Contact her to book a workshop or trunk show at https://www.sallymanke.com/contact