Water Lily Magic
Artists Palette|No 172
Instead of paper and paint, this artist uses fabric and threads … and she uses a sewing machine instead of a brush. The textures, colours and prints of fabrics thrown together with threads fascinate her, and often give inspiration for her designs.
Caroline Sharkey
Water Lily Magic

MATERIALS

60 x 50 cm Blue Water fabric for background.

30 x 50 cm Pink Lily fabric.

20 x 20 cm Green Leaf fabric.

20 x 15 cm White cotton fabric.

120 x 120 cm iron-on interfacing.

150cm x 1m water-soluble fabric.

Various scraps of Green, Blue, Pink and Purple fabrics.

Various threads, yarns, felts and sequins.

Sewing machine with drop the feed dog facility and a darning foot.

Sharp scissors and other normal sewing requirements.

A sketch of the lily flowers and dragonfly.

My approach is to let the fabrics and textures determine my next step – because the complex nature of fabric often reveals surprises that give unexpected changes of direction and exciting results.

For the main theme of an artwork, I plan, sketch and draw out a design; and make patterns for the shapes that will then be stitched, shaded and painted to bring them to life.

This story is from the No 172 edition of Artists Palette.

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This story is from the No 172 edition of Artists Palette.

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