The challenge theme for 2006 and giving me the third successive win at Westpoint was “Art Deco Revisited” and the ensuing quilt “Erte in the sky with diamonds” gave me the hat-trick.The starting point for this quilt was a diamond Art Deco necklace made by the American jeweller Charlton and Co, which displays a donut-shape crystal as the central feature. This gave the perfect frame for one of the most famous Art Deco images by Erte called Woman in Black. The impression of diamonds was the most difficult item to replicate and was made by trapping hundreds of scraps of fabric under bridal tulle and then machine embroidering into the pieces.
The starting point was to get a working size image of the piece of jewellery. This was done in sections and then pieced and stuck together to make full size templates.
The crystal donut-shape ring was the first section to translate into fabric and this sizing gave the frame for the Erte drawing.
The diamonds forming the piece were made in sections. Each piece was prepared and stitched separately and then assembled when everything was completed.
This photograph shows the bottom section of the necklace completed and the top section under construction. The diamond sections were made from hundreds of tiny shards of fabric ranging from white and silver through the spectrum to try and replicate the colours that bounce off a faceted diamond.
The central ring is filled with sky shaded fabric and free motion quilted before the black fabric images of the woman and her dog are appliqued.
The background fabric is free motion quilted and then the finished necklace and central image are hand stitched in place.
Here I am with the winning quilt at Westpoint, Exeter!
Leave a Reply