Living close to woods and lakes in central Minnesota, Kathy frequently sees a blue heron standing in the shallow water at the end of the dock. When presented with a quilting challenge, “June is…” Kathy decided to use her frequent visitor as her interpretation of the month of June. Kathy used a variety of art quilt techniques to create the image of the heron in water. The background fabric was made to look like rippling water using a Shibori dye technique. She wrapped the fabric around a pole to create folds, then applied the dye. To further enhance the pooling water effect she quilted along the lines of color.
She first made a general outline of the heron with fabric and then layered in the details of the feathers with a technique called thread painting. The thread is so dense around the bird’s eye (about ten layers), the sewing machine needle broke several times. Once the thread work was completed, she used inks to shade some of the edges for more depth. Kathy says five words that describe her art quilts are color, texture, thread painting, rhythm and nature. Kathy is a professional longarm quilter. The name of her business called Kathy Carney Designs and she can be reached at 218.330.7600 or craigkathycarney@aol.com.
–Jenny
