On one of the email lists of art quilters to which I subscribe, a current topic is various ways one can/might get a print from a spiders’ web, to use in/on an art quilt.

Having a real thing about spiders – yes I know, it’s called arachnophobia and I have it in spades – I can’t imagine anything more creepy than handling an actual web in any way at all to get a ‘print’ directly from it.

For me there are two options – either trace a really beautiful photograph of a web or many webs – make your own photographic study even – or study one/several and draw one freehand. Then, if you want this on fabric there are plenty of ways to get the essence down on fabric. Sparkle can be added with very fine beads, or metallic thread… and so on. To make my point I announced to the list I’d immediately go and do a few experiments, would give myself no more than threee hours, and despite the results, good bad or indifferent, would post pics and comments up on my blog. Well, it’s been an hour and a quarter or so as I write this, the results are up, below, and I think I have made my point to my satisfaction. And that point is, in the ongoing search to overcome technical challenges, add a Gee Whizz factor, many art quilters often skip over a more obvious, easier method through which to express themselves….IMHO, anyway.