Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Please Recycle!


I wanted my postcard to not only be from recycled materials but to present visually an Earth Day theme, so I chose Please Recycle! Litter is very harmful to wildlife. Birds and fish have been killed by eating or getting trapped in litter.

The gray fish body was made from a scrap from a 3D project and was already quilted in a circular pattern that looked to me like fish scales (sort of). The fins, tail, sequin around the eye, pop top and Please Recycle logo as well as the vertical pieces behind the fish are from a Diet Coke can that I cut up and stitched onto the project. The Timtex postcard base was left over from a previous postcard project. The background is cut from a sheer that I used to mop up all my leftover paint in a painting workshop. The sand is a scrap from a strip pieced quilt project years old. The hook is a Christmas tree ornament hook. (Funny story--I was looking for a leftover hook--usually they turn up all over the house for months after the holidays. Could not find a one, thought I was going to have to dig out the Christmas decorations. I bumped a pile of fabric on a table in the sewing "studio" when an ornament that was behind the fabric fell to the floor, hook attached!) Beads and thread were in my stash.

Thanks for having this challenge, it was a blast, and I had never stitched metal from soda cans before, so I learned from it! Love what everyone else has done!

My website is www.betsytruedesigns.com and I have a blog at www.betsytruedesigns.blogspot.com

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8 comments:

Suzanne Freed said...

I love your card and the various materials that you used. How did you cut the Coke can, and did you just use a topstitch needle to sew it?
Suzanne Freed

Suzanne Freed said...

I love your card and the various materials that you used. How did you cut the Coke can, and did you just use a topstitch needle to sew it?
Suzanne Freed

Suzanne Freed said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
needlescape said...

Your card really embodies a lot of meaning for the green challenge. Your clever use of materials improves its impact - I would have never known about the coke can if you hadn't described the piece. Great contribution!

ann said...

I LOVE THIS! This has been a wonderful challenge all around. I don't want to stop, the ideas from seeing all of these PC, it has really whet my quilting appetite.

Betsy True said...

Thanks for the good comments! I cut the can with some Fiskars Softtouch Metal Works shears that I bought to cut wire mesh with. Although, to tell the truth, I also picked up my class scissors (not my good fabric scissors thank goodness) and cut the can with that, too. As for the needle, I tend to use whatever needle is in the machine unless it isn't working for me. What I have in the machine now is a pretty big needle. I should probably have used a slightly smaller needle. I'll need to check what needle I put in.

This was a fun challenge! Thanks for doing this.

Michelle said...

This is really a fantastic piece. Love all your green art - keep it up!

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

that is terrific!!