Artist Milla Malchow creates captivating and detailed animal portraits using a thread painting technique. Visit her website to see more of her work.
“Winter is Coming…Why Can’t Bears Fly?” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 21” x 31”
It wasn’t until 2015 that I started quilting in my signature freehand style.
“Dance of Blood” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 28” x 22”
With encouragement from my husband, who bought me my first sewing machine, I taught myself to quilt by taking online courses and reading instructional books. I had never used this medium to create artwork, and fell in love with the process.
“Waking up a Sleeping Beauty” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 21” x 21”
I originally “followed the rules” and created traditional quilts using classic techniques.
“I Am Watching You” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 15.5” x 20”
I soon, however, saw the vast artistic potential with the fabrics, threads, and fibers that were stored in my Wyoming studio.
“I Am Watching You” Detail
I love the technique of free motion threading. It is like using thread as a paintbrush, combining my love of both painting and quilting.
“Bliss” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 19” x 25”
Each thread art wall hanging has hundreds of thousands of stitches and takes about five weeks to complete.
“Bliss” Detail
My current series is all about the intricate use of thread to form gradients of color, creating many beautiful patterns and textures.
“Such a Beauty” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 22” x 18”
I use smooth transitions from shadows into light which create rich and detailed portraits of animals, the subject featured in many of my works.
“Such a Beauty” Detail
One cannot help but smile when viewing my charming animal portraits!
“Serenity” Material, Thread and Row Edge Applique, 26” x 22”
My drive to create and love art came from my parents. I grew up in Russia, where my father was a self-taught oil painter and my mother loved to craft.
“Eternal Expectation” Material, Thread, Acrylic and Row Edge Applique, 11” x 16”
My whole family is artistically inclined, including my sister, daughter, and granddaughter. They are my true inspiration.
Artist Milla Malchow invites you to follow her on Facebook, Etsy and Pinterest.
That is amazing! I have been to quilt shows and seen very few that look like this, but I think that they are just absolutely breath taking. I would stand in front of them and just stare at the stitching and the movement of the thread. It is just so cool! Great work and I hope to see more of your work!