Moon Dance

This is my final entry in this year's SMQ Guild show. It was awarded 1st Place in the "Wall Hanging/Mixed Techniques and Quilted" category. It also received the Surface Embellishment Award.

Moon Dance - 38"x 42"

The background was constructed several years ago. It's made up of four small sections using Ricky Tims "Harmonic Convergence" technique. I posted about my Shiva Oil Paint Stick rubbing techniques on it here last fall when I began to work on it for this show.

Initially, this was my plan for the center. My friend, Judy, had given me several pieces of African fabrics. One of them had a marvelous single warriors head printed with metallic gold. I had in mind for him to wear the macrame neck piece I had created back in the 70's. It's made with trade beads I had purchased in Morocco.However, it ended up as his headdress in reference to east African tribes who used zebra manes for that purpose.I sculpted the warriors face with layers of of batting. The nose, lips, and hair in the middle are machine quilted on the first layer placed down the center. His eyes and facial contours plus the rest of the hair are quilted on the second layer. When this quilted piece was appliqued to the quilt it became even more sculpted.

It's embellished with beads and buttons and African themed doodads I've been collecting over the years. Antique black glass beads are scattered like stars over the dark fabric areas of the background. There are hand-made ceramic buttons layered with beads to create shields.
Yarn was couched over the seams of the pieced background. Long ends were left with the intention of burying them in the batting. I liked the look of them hanging loose on the surface and ended up adding even more, plus gold metallic ones as well using the same thread that I machine-quilted the background.A heavy gold metallic yarn is couched to the outside edge of the binding as well as outlining the warrior's neck piece. I wanted to soften that outside edge since this piece is about moonlight as well as to give strength and to define the shape of his neck piece.