THE ICE TEA CHERRY TREE

THE ICE TEA CHERRY TREE

2012 Designs In Review

In the tradition of reflecting back at the beginning of a new year, I've been looking at some pictures this evening. And I realized just how much fun I had in 2012 stretching my art by experimenting with new techniques. Last January I was primarily creating small pieces with woven fabric and aluminum soda cans that I machine quilted.


My quilting designs were usually very simple. But eventually I experimented
with curved designs, and I
even used paper instead
instead of fabric occasionally.


Then later in the year I learned to turn my scraps of thread into a type of recycled lace during a workshop at Artistic Artifacts; my favorite place to hang out on any weekend!

Each time I worked with the thread fibers I had more fun than the last. Often I would finish the last layer of stitching with metallic thread and hand beading. And sometimes I backed the lace with perforated aluminum cans.

As the fall of 2012 approached, I was ready
to try something new. So I started by looking
for cans with different graphic designs. It didn't take long to realize that Arizona Ice Tea cans had some serious potential.

Not wanting to repeat my prior work, I made a few design changes. First, I used a heavier fabric without a distinctive patter. Next I elected not to quilt the background because I didn't want the stitching to compete with the thread lace. And finally, instead of building the lace as a free form shape, I laid out the recycled material to fashion a tree limb to mirror the design from the can.

I love this piece and I can't wait to spin off some variations in 2013. I hope you enjoy it as well. And I would love to hear your suggestions on which cans and colors to try next!!