Textile Art – W. A. Whipple: Art • Style • Words

Art Dolls, Art Quilts, and Winter Holiday ornaments (not just Christmas!), and Art Quilts
Watermarks do not appear on the textiles.

Art Dolls

“Janice” is made with my digitally altered photo “Golden Maple.” The image is printed directly onto the cotton fabric before stitching it together and stuffing it. She is embellished with color-coordinating leaf sequins, a molded paper pulp face lightly shaded with pastels, and a wild shock of multiple strands of different yarns. This doll is 10 inches tall, but she’s not intended for children; small parts pose a choking hazard. Since the surface is a photo on fabric, you should not wash her. Signed and dated on the base. $49.99

“Merry” is made with my digitally altered photo “Poinsettia.” The image is printed directly onto cotton, before sewing it together and stuffing it. She is embellished with a paper pulp face (decorated with glitter nail polish), lush and glittering hair held back with a satin holly ribbon and beaded felt flower. A cord holds a green (plastic) ornament in place, suggesting arms. She’s about 9-1/2 inches tall, and is not intended for children; small parts pose a choking hazard. Since the surface is a photo on fabric, you should not wash her. Signed and dated on the base. $49.99

Art Quilts

The art quilts are all small textile works of art. They are wall hangings, not intended to be used on flat surfaces. They all feature a photo with other decorative elements, and should not be washed.

Where would we be without our best friends? You know the one, you can send them a message no matter what time it is, no matter what the crisis is, and they are there for you. This is a little dedication, a thank you, a blessing, to those friends who have always had our backs.

This Art Quilt is approximately 17 inches long and 15 inches wide. The Shattered Photo is “White Bouquet #3,” photo transfer on polyester, applied as a trapunto appliqué with a variegated pink blanket stitch border. The front is a home décor sample of silver raw silk. The back is cotton batik in dark pinks, it also forms the border on the front.

Tiny artificial flowers are sewn randomly onto the front with beads, along with faceted rose pink catseye teardrop beads, and pink French knots. Each of the four corners has a unique art work. The top left has a tiny crocheted art doll with a paper pulp face, afixed to a piece of cardstock bearing the dictionary definition for “friend.” The top right has a wet and needle felted flower. The bottom right has an image of the original photo, and the haiku “tended / garden blooms / friendship.” the bottom left corner bears a hexagonal godseye.
The dowel is stained light oak, and is held in place with white ribbon loops. It is signed and dated. $49.99

This Art Quilt is approximately 18 inches square. The Shattered Photo is “Autumn Leaves,” photo transfer on cotton. The front is an interestingly-textured home décor sample in warm tan. The back is cotton in a “brushed-on” pattern of oranges and yellows, it also forms the border on the front.

Polyester autumn maple leaves are sewn onto the front, with hand-stitched meandering paths. The haiku is written on a thin piece of copper, embossing it, and reads
“autumn leaves / fall into water / reflecting the season.” The copper is stitched onto the quilt.

The dowel is actually a thin, lacquered maple branch, with loops of coordinating yarn to hold it. It is signed and dated. $49.99

My favorite season is autumn. I love the color palette, the way the air smells, the sound of the crunching leaves, the taste of spiced apple cider on a cold night, and that first bite of chill when you have to start wearing socks again. (Also, Pumpkin Spice is awesome.)

Arachne was a proud weaver, so proud that she challenged Athena Herself to a contest – that goddess who gave weaving to man. Arachne’s loomwork *was* beautiful. But Athena’s was better. In shame, Arachne hanged herself, but Athena took pity on the boastful woman, and turned her into a spider so she could continue to weave. The class of arthropods that includes spiders bears her name: Arachnids.

This Art Quilt bears both her name, and her namesake, the spider. It measures approximately 18 inches square. The central image is a Shattered Photo, “Spider,” sewn onto orange glittered cotton, overlaid with sheer black fabric flocked with spiderwebs. The cotton backing is green and black spiderwebs, that also forms the border on the front. Half of the photo diamond is framed with black lace bearing a spider in the pattern, embellished with orange satin.
The small wet felted art doll with the recycled paper pulp face is my interpretation of post-contest Arachne. There is a haiku in the top corner, handwritten on mulberry paper, sealed with multiple layers, and stitched onto the quilt:
“spinning weaving / the perfect net / graceful dance.”

The back has an encased sleeve for the black-painted dowel to ensure that it hangs straight and evenly. It is signed and dated. $49.99

There used to be an abandoned house I passed on the way to visit my parents. For years I watched it slowly decay until one day I saw that it had finally been torn down. I have many photos of that old farmhouse, and I still regret never venturing inside, in spite of the danger.

This Art Quilt is approximately 20 inches long and 19 inches wide. The photo is a digitally manipulated version of one of my photos of that abandoned farmhouse, printed on cotton and stacked askew with a purple cotton rectangle the same size. These are on a larger piece of black cotton striped with metallic threads in orange and purple. The backing is a cotton haunted house themed print in purples and teals; it also forms the border on the front.
There is a random sparkling black meander couched with beads around the edge. A cheesecloth ghost art doll with a pearly-white painted recycled paper pulp face is affixed to the bottom, and the haiku is constructed from black alphabet beads that read:
“mouldering ruin / shattered glass / abandoned dreams.” These dangle in three strands like fringe, one phrase per strand.

The back has a sleeve for the black-painted dowel, to ensure that the Art Quilt hangs straight and evenly. It is signed and dated. $49.99

Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! Fröhliche Weihnachten! However you say it, I wish you the happiest of holidays. This Art Quilt is approximately 24-1/2 inches long at the longest point (including the ornament) and 16-1/2 inches wide. The photo is “Snowy Ornaments,” photo printed on cotton. The front is cotton, white-on-white paisley design. The back is red cotton with metallic gold swirls, it also forms the border on the front.

Green embroidered swirls and glass beads embellish the front randomly, and the art doll beneath the photo holds a small sign with the dictionary entry for “Christmas” and the illustration for the Christmas rose. Unlike the other quilts, this one is shaped more like a banner, and the three points of the bottom edge each have a green plastic ornament with gold swirls hanging from it.

The dowel is painted green, and is held by a casing that runs across the back of the quilt. Gold streamers fall from either side of the dowel. It is signed and dated. $49.99

Textile Ornaments

Each of the ornaments are 3-1/2 inches square. They are all my photos printed on cotton and sewn with a neutral white or cream backing, and are signed and dated with a color-coordinating sparkling hanging loop. They are very lightweight, stuffed with fiberfill. They also are great for tying onto packages, as a little extra gift on top. They are not intended for children, the loop is a circulation hazard. Since the surfaces are photos on fabric, you should not wash them. $9.99