Ortwork

You've been reading about a collage technique I use to make art quilts. There's a variation of collage that I use extensively which involves utilizing mostly scraps of threads and fabrics. The British term for leftovers or scraps is "orts", so I call it "ortwork" ... my play on the word "artwork". It began for me in the year 2000 with this piece.

"Twist and Shout" - 48"x48"(approximate) - 2000
Materials: cotton & silk fabrics, cotton thread, rayon yarns, organdy ribbons, and buttons. Hand and machine quilted.
Exhibited: 2000 Smoky Mountain Guild Dogwood Arts Festival - Knoxville, Tenn.
Award: Surface Embellishment

The patterns throughout this piece twist and shout with the joyful exuberance of the Beatles in the 60's. The center square is the result of a workshop, Organdy Ribbon Transparency, presented by Dianne S. Hire

I couldn't bear to throw away the scraps of ribbon. They were placed under the silk organza that I layered over the black&white checked border around the piece I made in Dianne's workshop. The black border with the small dancing white squares got the trimmings from the rayon yarn that I had used to tie on the buttons. They're layered under additional strips of organdy ribbon. From that point on, I have not discarded any thread or fabric scraps.

"Twist and Shout" was gifted to my younger son and his wife. It hangs in Oak Park, Illinois.

Previous postings that feature my "ortwork" are:
Here I am
Last Flowers of Summer
More Sunsets

With all the bags of scraps I've saved, or rescued, I really should be making nothing but "ortwork". I'll feature more pieces in future postings.