Thread Painting

I want to introduce you to an amazing fabric artist I met in one of my treadle groups.  Marilyn Lee makes art quilts and does thread painting on a treadle.  I asked her some questions and wanted to share the answers with you.

Me:  How long have you been quilting?
Marilyn:   I have been quilting for about 8 years and I only do art quilts although I have been sewing since I was a small child...I always tell people that I was sewing before I could walk! LOL. I learned to sew on a treadle machine but had not used one since. Two years ago in June I started using one again and I love it. I do a lot of free motion embroidery and lace making with a treadle. If you like you can see some videos on my YouTube channel where I am using the treadle for lace making and embroidery. A treadle machine is so easy to be in control of and it is quiet and very peaceful to use. It is kind of like therapy to me!

smile emoticonMe: Do you always know what you are going to design before you start a quilt?
Marilyn: No I do not always know what I am going to design when I start a quilt. Yes, there are those that are planned such as some of my recent portrait quilts and then those that start with a plan and end up evolving more as I work on it. My recent landscape scrap quilts are totally unplanned...they completely develop "free form".

Me: How long does one of your quilts normally take?
Marilyn: It depends on the quilt as to how long it will take me to make. The longest was the Obama quilt which took me 900 hours. My recent "Loon Song" landscape took me two weeks to complete start to finish. Some only take a week. It is hard to put an exact amount of time that I will expect to work on a quilt. It also depends on how much thread work that I plan on doing on it.

The frame is also material.

Marilyn is a true artist.  She even decorated her ceiling with a starburst pattern using wood!

Be sure to check out Marilyn's you-tube channel.  She even makes lace on her treadles.
Say hi to Marilyn!

I borrowed all of these pictures from her facebook page with her permission.  She is a true inspiration and I appreciate her sharing all of this inspiration with us!

Have a great day!
Missy