Quilting Arts - USA (2021 - Spring)

FEEDING

FRENZY!

Create fabulous

undersea

embellishments

by Ana Sumner

w

hether you are inspired by a treasured photo (or memory) of scuba diving or your

own aquarium, it’s diffi cult to imagine being able to source ribbons, laces, and

embellishments in all of the colors you would need to recreate those scenes. The underwater

spectrum is, indeed, limitless! Why not create your own palette of colorful fi bers to

supplement the ones in your stash?

The idea to paint fi bers for

ocean reefs was inspired by my

desire to create more realism in my

art quilting. By painting the fi bers,

I’m able to make gradations that

make the reefs feel like they are

deep in the water while giving the

illusion that light is illuminating

them from above.

To create this effect, I paint

many fi bers with multiple colors

from light to dark. In a moment

of inspiration, I discovered a way

to make this task easier—I wrap a

cardboard base with plastic as my

‘canvas’—common trash bags work

great for this.

“Beautiful Coral” • 9½ " x 12"