Freehand Patchwork by Danny Amazonas

Danny Amazonas is a fabric artist who uses thousands of different fabrics to create brilliant, colorful images of people, animals, flowers, and other subjects. The result is a combination of realism with an almost dreamlike quality, unlike anything we've seen in the quilting world. These pieces are often 4' or 5' across, or even larger, for great visual impact.  Read on for a closer look at Danny's amazing works of fabric art.*

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Intermission, 66 x 58", by Danny Amazonas

This piece certainly reminds of the famous paintings of Edgar Degas. Danny says,  "Against the blinding light from the window, one could still catch a glimpse of colors on the tutus and the floor." Slivers of fabric are used to create the appearance of many folds of the ballerinas' tutus.  In the photo below, notice how Danny used a tiny bit of orange print fabric to suggest the shape of the dancer's ear.

Spirit by Danny Amazonas (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

Danny Amazonas was born in Taiwan. When he was a teenager his family moved to Brazil and subsequently to New York City, where he worked and also studied at the School of Visual Arts. In the artist's description of Spirit, he says, "Cherish the sacred heritages of a nation. [With this quilt] I hope to invoke patriotism."

Swirl by Danny Amazonas

The hot pink, orange and purples hues laden with flowers are featured in this quilt, which celebrates Flamenco dance. Looking closely at Danny’s work you can see numerous fabrics from the Kaffe Fassett Collective.  The small pieces are cut from larger strips of fused fabric, which are prepared beforehand.

Stallion by Danny Amazonas

A handsome wild stallion is the inspiration for this piece; the animal seems to be leaping out from the surface of the quilt, its mane blowing in the wind.

Pinky by Danny Amazonas

Danny Amazonas says,  "It was interesting trying to express the rough skin yet depict the tenderness of this majestic creature. This artwork was inspired by Sophie Standing."  One of the elephant's eyes can be seen in the closeup photo below.

Iguana , 45 x 32", by Danny Amazonas

Danny explains, "While creating this master of camouflage, a stash of fabrics with special patterns must be collected in order to illustrate the texture of the skin."

The closeup photo below shows the way in which Danny finishes his work by over stitching the fused pieces with invisible thread using zigzag stitches.

Peonies II by Danny Amazonas

Peonies signify wealth and royalty. The contrast of dark background and different values in the petals make the subject appear three-dimensional.

*Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival, in a special exhibit titled "Freehand Patchwork by Danny Amazonas."