The Sharp Dressed Man...

And here he is- every suave bit of him! This whimsical quilt was the result of a really fun activity in our Fiber Art Bee. We all brought fabrics in various shades of purple- laces, cottons, minkee, home dec fabrics- you name it. We worked in groups of 8 and dumped all of our fabrics in the middle of the table. In front of each of us was a rectangle of cotton batting. At a signal from our leader, we each selected, cut and placed fabrics on the batting, collage style. After a few minutes, we got another signal and had to pass our piece to the person at our left. We then cut and placed a neck and shoulders on the piece. Another signal, and we passed the piece to the left again. This continued, cutting and placing fabric and passing it on, while adding a face, features, hair, clothing, etc. Finally we were done, and whatever piece was in front of us was ours to complete. My purple person turned out to be a man, and I think his hair is his finest feature! Meet some of his relatives.

We had a "reveal" at our next meeting and some of the Sharp Family were able to join us. This is Mom Sharp, and I think the hair is her best feature, too. Though those sparkling eyes are quite compelling.

One of the Sharps has become a rock star. Again- great hair. It must be in the Sharp genes.

One distant Sharp uncle had a shady past, but says he's on the straight-and-narrow path now.

And good old Uncle Sharp has always been known and loved for his warm smile and his snappy bowties.

There are lots more Sharp Family members yet to meet. Those that were completed were displayed together in a local library during March.

Not only was the activity fun, but it was also an exercise in using value and proportion. Here you can see the Sharp Dressed Man in his "awkward" stage. He's not looking so good yet.  Nose, lips, and eyebrows too big for his face. And he was missing that trademark hairdo. We pinned pieces in place to transport them home, and then the work began. Our job was to add and refine our people, transforming them. You can see that many of the elements in my pinned piece are still present in the completed one. I added paint to the background collage, free-motion quilted the piece, and edged it with purple fabric twine. And I styled his hair.

See? ZZ Top was right- every girl really IS crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed Man. This wonderful vintage style mural is one I saw at the Disney World Boardwalk display.

And there was more sartorial splendor on display there, too.