Gladys BaconStitching it: My Way I became interested in sewing and creating at a very early age and made my first creation, which was a hat, at the ripe old age of 5/6 years. It was made out of a piece of wire, bent to fit my head, part of the wide hem from a sheet and a feather. By the age of 8 my mother allowed me to use the sewing machine and gave me access to her fabric scraps. From there I never stopped, making most all my own clothes, my children’s clothes, sewing for the public and making the wardrobe for a Miss Universe contestant. Until about 3 years ago I had done very little sewing for over 20 years, then I got the quilting itch and here is the rest of the story: Art Quilts, Thread Sketching and Machine Needle Lace. I am mainly self taught, that means trials and mostly errors are my teachers. Included in my Art Quilts are landscapes where the different colors and patterns of the fabrics tell the story and other pieces that are mainly made up of stitches. They are all done on a domestic sewing machine. None are done on an embroidery machine, just a straight stitch machine, the same one I use to piece quilt tops and do the quilting. Upon close observation the viewer will see some imagery is made up of tiny pieces of fabrics known as confetti or crumbs, captured in a fine netting to hold them in place with the addition of stitching. Other pieces are almost entirely of thread. These are called thread sketching or thread painting, and are my personal favorite. Quilters use a quilting method known as ‘free motion quilting’. This is the technique I use to create the ‘thread sketches or thread paintings’. The explanation of that technique is that the artist moves the fabric beneath the needle, while running the machine, to draw, paint or embellish the image. It gives the artist the ability to freely move the fabric in any direction.[/vc_column_text][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width="3" grid_id="vc_gid:1516389767288-c2ae1a8d-6b1a-10" include="2504,2505,2506,2507"]