Chantal Guillermet – Horizon
New Horizons
For Horizons I wanted to illustrate the fact that when you are travelling you open your horizons. You meet new people, you enjoy local traditions, learn about new customs and visit beautiful places. It is what my quilt shows and it was my feeling when I discovered Russia.
Background : I sprayed my fabrics with water, crumpled and painted them with setacolour fabric paint. I wanted to re-create a cold and icy atmosphere. For the top I used one of my photos taken at Moscow Kremlin. It is free motion quilted and painted with inktense blocks and Jaquart Lumière fabric paint. The Matriochkas represent the idea of meeting new people. They are stencilled, using masks for each step.
When I visited the Russian Ethnographic Museum in Saint Petersburg I saw lots of traditional embroideries with cross stitch. I made a stencil with one the these traditional motif and stencilled it with Markal paintsticks. Most of the these embroideries are made with red thread, but I chose a blue and a gold thread because I did not want the motif to stand out too strongly on the background fabric. The outline of the shapes is free motion quilted. The quilt is faced.
Detail views:
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
Great idea and wonderful, dreamy execution!
An interesting interpretation of the theme.Good composition and choice of colours. well done. You are encouraging me to visit Russia.
An interesting take on the theme, nice work.
This certainly says ‘Russia’ and illustrates your idea well. I particularly like the stencilled ladies.
Great interpretation of the theme. Travel certainly does open your horizons to other cultures.I appreciate the explaination of your process.
A fresh idea of Horizons. It defenatly interpretates Russia. Well done, I also like the stenciled ladies.
Your piece reminded me of our visit to Russia. We too were impressed with the people and the unexpected colours of Russia. Your piece brings it all back and travel certainly broadens your horizon. Love your use of colour and the vague embroidery of the cross stitch motif.
Very true, traveling and meeting new people does open up our horizons. I like the embroidery, the lovely little ladies and the way you interpreted the theme with your pieced, hand painted background, it is a nice contrast to the colorful buildings against the cold Icy sky. Nicely done Chantal!
I love the interpretation you chose. The colors are perfect as they truly reflect the colors Russians use in their quilt. Beautiful design!
A wonderful interpretation of the theme. It is very true that travel and meeting people from other cultures broadens our horizons. The painted churches are wonderful and it is interesting to see the different effects you have achieved with the different paint and colouring mediums that you used to create this piece. The blue background is beautiful and offsets the other elements well.
Russia and Chantal, I immediately knew it was yours. Great way to look at the theme and as always translated beautifully.
Lovely interpretation of the theme, and your techniques have created a beautiful vision of Russia
Very nice interpretation, opening one’s horizons. Your style calls from the surface. No need to read your name…!
Chantal, your Russian horizon sings to me. In 1981 I spent three months in St.Petersburg(then Leningrad), Russia, and since then I think that is the most beautiful city in the world. Thank you for taking me back there…