Fish Challenge

Periodically, our group decides to do a challenge. .  Our first challenge took place in 2009.  The guidelines, which were selected by pulling words out of paper bag, were:

Size:    9”x12” portrait
Fabric:  a piece of the same chartreuse silk
Theme:  Fish

“Mola Fish”
Nancy Dickey

I wanted to try a contemporary mola technique for my Fish piece. The two fish images are based on a barracuda shape. The silk coral and other leaves were from my imagination. Since most underwater landscapes tend to be horizontal, as are fish, I found the vertical format to be more dramatic and challenging. “Mola Fish” was created with cotton and silk fabrics, reverse appliqué, hand embroidery, machine quilting, and satin-stitched edges.

“Koi Pond”
Connie Fahrion

A lot of my experimental work has to do with thread trash application so I used this challenge to work beyond my limit with thread trash.  I simply wanted to see what it would look like if I laid on thread trash beyond my normal expectation.  So my goal became to distort the composition with thread trash until I felt like I had lost it.  It was a real luxury and pleasure to be able to do it.”

Susan King

When we selected the subject for this challenge (fish), I was thrilled because for years
I had kept both salt and freshwater aquariums.  My intention with this piece was to
portray the idea of a fish "sort of" contained in an aquarium.  This piece was done with raw-edge applique and used both cotton and silk fabric.

“Just the Two of Us”
Mary Ann Littlejohn

Since I am a Pisces, the fish image is almost a part of me.  Using my astrological sign was a good place to start.  I enjoyed working in some dyed cheesecloth and machine quilting the fantasy plants.

“The Book of Fish”

Linda Teddlie Minton

Incorporates a digitally altered photograph of the Grand Canyon, cotton, silk, Dye-Na-Flow paints, machine quilting, and hand embroidery.  The irregularly-shaped piece is faced rather than traditionally bound.