Here’s an artcard I made for a swap based on the theme of “fabric.” I knew I wanted to make something quilted, but for a long time I wasn’t sure what it was going to be. I started flipping through my stacks of fabric and came across this softly shimmering green (which has been used previously as a bag lining) and this pink fabric with white line art (which was used for a cloth tote) and bam – there it was. My idea was borne.
It got a little squashed in the scanning. Oops.
This is one of four in a series named Sewn Shut. They are all similar in style. The background is made of two pieces of the green fabric with batting in between. I used some stitching that reminded me of the image of a heart beating on hospital monitors. The heart itself has a little extra stuffing to make it stand out. The pins are arranged in X’s in the heart. I left the whispy bits on the edges so it looks slightly ragged and undone. For me it represents the imperfection of emotion, the messy bits in our hearts. The stuff we try to trim away so it looks neat and tidy for the sake of others … but really just stays there all along.
