Mishaps and Meanderings
You'd think it would be relatively easy to create a piece between 9" and 11" square with a center that would fit into an 8" opening on a mat. Since it was supposed to showcase a technique or style you're familiar with, you'd think it would go together quickly.
Not this time ......
First I cut, pieced, and discarded three sets of fabrics before I settled on the one I liked. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures at this stage.) I wanted to create the feel of a forest using the random strip width piecing I had used in my Ten Blessings - Twofold piece. (That's a slice of it in the header of my blog.) Once I settled on a group, I was happy.
Then the real difficulty started. I wanted an image of a pine branch on the surface. I thought I'd "stamp" it on. For my first experiment, I tried painting a twig and printing it onto fabric. Unfortunately, it just looked like a bunch of random lines. The result wasn't a bold enough image.
Then I thought I'd try gelatin plate printing on organza. It might be cool to have a wispy-ish print on top. Three tries and yech! What a mess!
I was getting a bit frustrated, so I doodled with a paint filled syringe and colored on a piece of painted fabric (rejected from my SAQA NY trunk show efforts) to maintain a mood of positive creativity.
Paint wasn't working for me as a way to create the image, so I figured I was just going to have to draw a twig. I practiced on tracing paper, then in my sketch book. I even tried drawing upside down (it worked pretty well, actually!).
When I'd reached some level of comfort, I tested it out on a quilt "sandwich". That's when I discovered how ripply this could make the fabric. Not the look I was going for.
I took another break and did some new gelatin plate prints. What do you think my mood is now? Here's a clue: look at the color!
To combat the waviness of the fabric, I figured I'd need to quilt in the background of my piece to keep it flat enough to accommodate the twig quilting. Not what I was originally intending. I stitched in the ditch throughout the piece with monofilament thread to keep it simple. With that done, I leapt into the flames with variegated thread. Oh no! The twig was too small for the space! Ack!
I went back in with a rayon thread to extend the needles of the twig. Much better.
Now it's finally finished, but it's a day before it's due in California for the SAQA's 20th Anniversary Trunk Show called Meet the Artists . Thank heavens Natalya was kind enough to let my piece piggyback with hers on a quick cross country flight to get there tomorrow. It was a long time getting to this point....the transcontinental journey will be quicker!
Not this time ......
First I cut, pieced, and discarded three sets of fabrics before I settled on the one I liked. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures at this stage.) I wanted to create the feel of a forest using the random strip width piecing I had used in my Ten Blessings - Twofold piece. (That's a slice of it in the header of my blog.) Once I settled on a group, I was happy.
Then the real difficulty started. I wanted an image of a pine branch on the surface. I thought I'd "stamp" it on. For my first experiment, I tried painting a twig and printing it onto fabric. Unfortunately, it just looked like a bunch of random lines. The result wasn't a bold enough image.
Then I thought I'd try gelatin plate printing on organza. It might be cool to have a wispy-ish print on top. Three tries and yech! What a mess!
I was getting a bit frustrated, so I doodled with a paint filled syringe and colored on a piece of painted fabric (rejected from my SAQA NY trunk show efforts) to maintain a mood of positive creativity.
Paint wasn't working for me as a way to create the image, so I figured I was just going to have to draw a twig. I practiced on tracing paper, then in my sketch book. I even tried drawing upside down (it worked pretty well, actually!).
When I'd reached some level of comfort, I tested it out on a quilt "sandwich". That's when I discovered how ripply this could make the fabric. Not the look I was going for.
I took another break and did some new gelatin plate prints. What do you think my mood is now? Here's a clue: look at the color!
To combat the waviness of the fabric, I figured I'd need to quilt in the background of my piece to keep it flat enough to accommodate the twig quilting. Not what I was originally intending. I stitched in the ditch throughout the piece with monofilament thread to keep it simple. With that done, I leapt into the flames with variegated thread. Oh no! The twig was too small for the space! Ack!
I went back in with a rayon thread to extend the needles of the twig. Much better.
Now it's finally finished, but it's a day before it's due in California for the SAQA's 20th Anniversary Trunk Show called Meet the Artists . Thank heavens Natalya was kind enough to let my piece piggyback with hers on a quick cross country flight to get there tomorrow. It was a long time getting to this point....the transcontinental journey will be quicker!
Comments
My trip to NYC for tomorrow was cancelled due to bad weather, so I'm considering it a found day and I'm planning to get something done in my studio. I hope I'm as successful as you were.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the processes you went through to arrive at your finished piece. All I can say is boy, you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve; and it was worth it because your finished piece is perfect. I love the contrast between your pieced work and the thread painted twig and the way the two support eachother. Great job.