Wednesday, January 02, 2008

ren's 32 degrees Fahrenheit


When the challenge came out, the wind was blowing, a few rays of sun shone, and icicles were forming. It was 32 degrees Fahrenheit. And so this piece emerged.

I pulled out the couching foot again to attached the long strands of beads. What you can't see here is that the bottom portions of the beaded lines are loose, dangling, dropping their icicle droplets into the pools they make.

12 comments:

Sandy said...

I really like the way you have done this, Ren! It is one of those pieces that would catch your eye and draw you over to have a closer look.

I think your decision for the layout...tall and narrow...is very effective. Much better than if it were limited to journal size, or even if it were horizontal.

and I especially like the water drop effect. It must mkae it a very tactile piece as well. good job!

Sandy in the UK

ren said...

Sandy,
thank you for your comments on this. yes, this piece is tactile. I like touching it and playing with the droplets. I like, too, that the fringe does not hang below the edge of the fabric.
Ren

anna k. said...

Ren,
this is a quilt that i would like to see in person....i think that the camera does not do it justice.
Very effective use of beads. I like this immensely
Anna

Wendy said...

Great job, Ren. I love the linear qualities of this piece. Reminds me of the icicles on my roof right now...

The beading and metallics add a lot! Good job!

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

Very nice. The beads really add to the drama of the piece.

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Ren, This is a great take on the challenge and I like your abstract view of things (like loooong drippy icicles).
Cynthia

Carole said...

Goodness, that beadwork is effective!!
Long, icy, drippy icicles... yes, its
still cold out there!!
Carole

brendaj said...

Hi Ren,
This is really unusual and dramatic. Great job.

Brenda

Roberta Ranney said...

Hi Ren- I really like what you've done with this challenge. I would love to see it (and touch it) in person. I particularly like the way you added the sun rays. Adding that diagonal element gives the piece more movement and interest.

Roberta

Kathy Angel Lee said...

Looks just like the icicles that were dangling outside my dining room window a couple of weeks ago. Nice touch with the beads. As a monochromatic piece, it works very well.
Kathy Angel Lee

LAQuilts said...

I love the beading on this piece. So you strung the beads then couched it - I really want to see this up close - from what I see you have a few random colors in the bead work that is just stunning.

ren said...

Thank you for your comments, LAQuilts.
Yes, I made a bead soup of white, clear, grey/blue beads and then had a few yellow and turquoise blue beads to intersperse periodically in each string. I tried to match the yellowish ones to the diagonal sun rays, but the couching pulls the thread taut so it's not always possible to place each color where I really wanted it to be :)

yeah, I like touching it and would love to send it around the country so that everyone else could fondle it, too. LOL!

I'm glad that you enjoyed this.