Saturday, December 01, 2012

Moonlight and Coconut Palms

I know this is quite late, but better late than never, right? I tried a lot of techniques in this project, and although the physical properties of the piece are not perfect, I still feel that I learned a lot from it. I used a gauzy fabric for the water to give it sparkle. Unfortunately, I touched it with the iron and burned a hole in it after it was all sewed on, so to cover the burn hole, I added some rocks. This piece started out to be a day scene, and then I found this really cool moon fabric and decided the piece would now become a nighttime scene. I had already stitched on the dock and cabana, but I felt I was lacking something, so I added the coconut palms. I decided that this would be a great place to incorporate buttons, so I used 8 buttons. The piece looked a little unbalanced so I added the posts and the boat to even things out. I then used glittery paints and fabric crayons to add all the shading on the dock, the boat, the water, the sky and the rocks. I added the crystals to add a little more interest in the sky. Our Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild is doing a challenge called "House it Going?" It has to have a structure in the quilt, so this piece will be used in that challenge, as well. The only thing I feel bad about are that my borders are not even, but I like the piece otherwise. The piece measures 14" x 13". Comments are welcome.

5 comments:

Julia in NZ said...

Pam,

If I hadn't read your description, I would have thought the design was a master plan from the beginning! It works very well. I like how the angled palm leaves direct your eye down to the left side, the boat and the moonbeam, and then the dock leads your eye back around. There's excellent contrast and the light on the distant shore and the reflections are right on the money. Great job!

Tobi said...

This is quite a strong piece -- and of course, I'd be the last one to fault you on uneven borders! I like that the lines all lead the eye toward the moon, including the borders. Great job!

fastfriday said...

great movement and balance. I love the tree it adds such depth.

Pat Havey

Silvia "OrkaLoca" Dell'Aere said...

I'm happy you've used your challenge reply to learn something new :) The fffc quilts are ideal to try new things!
I like those rocks, I would say that the iron burn was an happy accident. I'm trying to figure the piece without the rocks and I think that it would lack something. So rocks...rock!

You've obtained a great depth and a suggestive atmosphere, and it's not easy in a small piece.

I wish you good luck with the "house is going?" challenge!

Linda Mac said...

I like the reflections and shading in this piece. I agree with the others that the rock and palm tree are essential to the piece, so it was a happy accident that you had a burn hole. Without them the dock would have been too centered. This is a lovely piece.