Mandala CCXL

(Above: Mandala CCXL. Custom framed: 32" x 32". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include:  A metal sun stitched to both a black and a red 78 record; beer and soda bottle caps; keys; dominoes; drawer pulls; four, red 78 children's records; slides; Mardi Gras doubloons; toy car wheels; kitchen drain strainers; Peter Pan peanut butter lids; copper U-clamps; paint scraper attachments; laminated air mail stamps; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Sometimes, the challenge facing a mandala is the centerpiece.  I knew I wanted to use the metal sun that I found at the Pickens County flea market.  I started playing around with it, auditioning it on top of the black 78 record and then the red one ... until I decided to use both!

 

(Above:  The centerpiece.)

The process involved drilling lots and lots of holes in the black record. This provided a way to stitch the sun to the black record.  Then, more holes were drilled around the edge of the black record ... straight through the larger red one.  Stitch, stitch, stitch!

 

(Above:  The back side of the centerpiece.)

Finally, even more holes were drilled ... along the edge of the red record.  These holes were how I attached the centerpiece to the middle of the quilt section.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXL.)

Another task involved laminating all the air mail stickers.  I don't think air mail stickers are used any more but I remember them well from my youth.  I also remember aerograms!  Another thing from the past!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXL.)

I'm really please with the way this Found Object Mandala turned out.  I've had the blue and white quilt for more than a year but was afraid that the contrast was too stark for a mandala.  It worked though!