Spring Gifts Accordian Book

Recently I took a class with the wonderful and gifted Laura Cater-Woods. The class was all about creating images in fabric that would evoke feelings and inspire investigation by the viewer. Laura is a true nature girl and most if not all of her works are inspired by the natual world that surrounds her in Montana, where she lives.

This is the piece that I created in her class- and actually FINISHED at home!!!!!

This book titled Spring Gifts consists of 5 double sided fabric panels with sleeves between each panel that hold Dogwood twigs as supports. The book tells a story. It is a visual journal about nest building and hatching of eggs and the story of spring rebirth. I used a marbled silk scarf as the background fabric, handmade textured paper as the tree elements, bits of vintage lace and silk scraps and two phoos of a nest with eggs that had been printed on fabric. I used lots of free motion embroidery to enhance the images and designed the piece so the back panels fit in with the story on the front of the panel.

This next picture shows a close up of the building panel. The nest is under construction.

This next shot is a close up of the center panel that shows the nest with two eggs.

Yo can also see the next panel that has a representation of one of the eggs gone (the right egg that appears green).

This is a view of the back of the panels. They all coordinate with the front panels using the very same materials. I used Dogwood twigs as the supports for each panel and I shaped "roots" from Model Magic Clay which I painted after the clay was dry.

This gives you an idea of how the back can interact with the front, depending on how the panels are folded and displayed.

I have just learned that Laura Cater-Woods will be returning to VA in December and I am planning on taking another workshop with her. For now She has inspired me to look for more ways to incorporate my own photographs into my fiber collage work!