Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are the most common type of blood cells in the human body. About 84% of all our cells are red blood cells. They deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues through the circulatory system and are of course the substance giving our blood its colour. Their lifespan is about 100 to 120 days before they break down.
I find the biconcave disk shape appealing and wanted to really emphasize this. I decided to actually make the individual disks as 3-D shapes to be applied to the surface of the quilt. Approximately 2.4 million red blood cells are produced per second in a human adult! That is a staggering number. I settled for the more manageable number of 44, and even that was a lot of work as it took me about 15 minutes to make one – cutting out, sewing the rounds, stuffing, sewing shut, sewing the middle indent.
The black-on-white print of the blood vessels was done on a gel plate with acrylic paint. I printed two lengths of cloth to go on each side of the middle blood vessel.
To bring in a bit more colour I decided to use a red Inktense pencil to outline the blood vessels.
It was fun attaching the blood cells to the quilted surface, I was able to overlap and stagger and really play with the three-dimensional idea of this design.
It was a great prompt to think about the structures of cells, they are fascinating!
Title In the Blood
Regina Marzlin
Dimensions: h 39.5″ x w 25.5″
Material: cotton fabrics, acrylic paint, Inktense pencil
Technique: mono-printing, painting, applique, machine quilting
A striking work of art and the 3-D element adds so much dimension! A thoughtful study.
Andrea, thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!
So totally exciting to see the mono-prints and your applique move us toward the reminder of how important the red blood cells are to our lives…well done and yes, your study is fascinating, Regina!
Thank you Bethany, I was happy with the result!
Great design ,Regina
Thank you Birgit!