This year I have joined Four-in-Art.
Four-in-Art, is a small group with the stated common desire to: ‘break out of the usual gridded experience and try a new concept, free of structure or preconception, moving the boundaries of our own skills forward in both concept and technique’.The overall theme for this year is colour and we have ‘microscopic’ as a sub-theme this quarter. Today is my first ‘reveal’ day and, after several abandoned attempts at this challenge quilt, I am more than a little daunted!
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| 11″ x 11″ |
My quilt is inspired by and based very closely on a portion of an image from Bev Shots, a company who, in their own words, “create unique pieces of modern art by photographing microscopic patterns formed from crystallization of alcoholic beverages”. Their artwork, which you can see and purchase on their website is truly stunning and I’m sure that if you visit their Gallery you will be amazed to see the colours and patterns in your favourite drinks when viewed through a microscope. I am very grateful to Bev Shots for giving me permission to use their image of Vodka for this challenge and I am only sorry that I wasn’t able to do it better justice.
I used straight stitch machine quilting and embellished with some hand stitching.
And also some applique.
And the title is a little clue as it means ‘Cheers!’ in Polish :)
Should you happen to be curious about the history of vodka, which like the drink itself is more colourful than it appears to the naked eye, you can discover more here or here or you can go here to learn about the Vodka Wars! But the two things, I think, I will take away from this challenge are 1. Start my next quilt sooner! and 2. A little quote I chanced upon so often that I have no idea of its original source: It doesn’t matter whether your glass is half full or half empty, there’s room for more vodka :)
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| ends… |
Please visit my fellow members of Four-in-Art to see the quilts they have made for this challenge:
RAINBOW HARE 
Hilacha (loose strand)
Lovely!
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Catherine
Love its great texture and its tipsy angle! You're not the only one who leaves things to the last minute – it's important to mull things over properly before starting;-)
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Betty
Not sure if I'll ever look at Vodka the same! Your interpretation makes it look way happier than I've given it credit for in the past. Such whimsy and the handwork is outstanding!
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Rachel
I think your interpretation more than did the original justice. We are always so critical of our own work. The detailed handwork really adds to the piece. What a neat inspiration, I may have to spend some time on the BevShots sight to check out my other favorite spirits.
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patchworkbreeze
I think we have all said “start sooner.” There were so many possibilities with the sub theme. Yours turned our great. The handwork and lines addmore texture. I see microscopic in a different way now.
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patchworkbreeze
I think we have all said “start sooner.” There were so many possibilities with the sub theme. Yours turned our great. The handwork and lines addmore texture. I see microscopic in a different way now.
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Patchwork and Play
Love it! The colors and lines are so lively and 'alive'!
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OPQuilt
I broke into a great big smile when I came here — not unlike the other blogs I've visited, but perhaps just a bit bigger because you are a new member and hit the proverbial ball out of the ballpark with this quilt (an phrase we hear in America meaning “you did an amazing job” or something of the sort). I love the teeny letters, the tilted frame of view, the grounding of the piece with the dark border, and of course, the intricate workings of the vodka crystals, done in all sorts of media. So well done and so beautiful! As Nancy (patchwork breeze) mentioned, we've all had quilts where we wish we'd started earlier (like all my quilts last year) but sometimes the brain just doesn't start cooking along until the deadline looms. I'd say this was a very successful mini art quilt! Bravo!
Elizabeth
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liniecat
A great homage to Bev Shots and vodka in stitch!
Amazing shots indeed – now I want to see what gin looks like !,
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Camilla
It's a window into another world! Fantastic. Love your detailed stitching!
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Kim
Oh….I think you did their image of Vodka justice. Your quilt is filled with originality, imagination and creativity!
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FVITH
This is really cool. I think it looks great!
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Soma @ whimsandfancies.com
It's fantastic, Janine! There is so much movement in this piece and your hand sewing is wonderful! A beautiful finish!!
-Soma
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quiltalicious
This is an awesome art quilt!! Your subject matter of vodka is hilarious. Who'd of ever thought that microscopic photos of alcohol can inspire such a beautiful quilt. I absolutely love the asymmetry, it provides fantastic balance to the whole piece. Not too many quilters are comfortable with designing asymmetrical quilts – three cheers!!!!
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quiltalicious
This is an awesome art quilt!! Your subject matter of vodka is hilarious. Who'd of ever thought that microscopic photos of alcohol can inspire such a beautiful quilt. I absolutely love the asymmetry, it provides fantastic balance to the whole piece. Not too many quilters are comfortable with designing asymmetrical quilts – three cheers!!!!
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Archie the wonder dog
Bravo!
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