I've called my challenge piece "Approaching Autumn". It is officially fall here in Texas, but won't be able to tell by the weather 'til Feb.
I did not turn on my PC this morning as I told myself that today was the day to just get-er-done! I had no idea what I was going to do. I opened a drawer full of scrappy strips & grabbed the colors representing fall. I set a time limit (very short) to pair them up, most where not straight or trimmed. I chain stitched/pressed/& magic sized them & found another same strip from my pile. I turned this to the wrong side & stitched to the pairs to get 3 fractured colors. I used wonder-under & did the 1st fuse to the strings & set them aside to built a base. My piece consists of 4 layers & a stabalizer. The leaves were fused to a heavy gauge black felt that I ended up cutting in a rectangle. I placed them in the order they would be in nature, turning to fall, & fused. The black was put on a burlap layer, then placed on the background layer of dark green felt. This importand element did not show up in the pic very well & I will try to correct this when I get some natural lite with the camera.
The leaves where machine appliqued with corresponding variegated thread. The black layer satin stitched on the edge, & the burlap was satin stitched inside the edge & was later frayed to add a bonus element.
The piece is 10x13 & has no binding. It will be hung by a twig.
I believe that the criteria for the challenge was met by the use of color, multiple layers & stitching. The idea being simple, minimalistic, & I did not add any beads or other embelishments thinking that it would distract from the floating of the leaves.
Hope all the other newbies are having as much a I did, & since I didn't use but a small fraction of the strings, I may be able to do another piece.
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5 comments:
I like your minimalist approach. The addition of the contrasting textures of the felt and the fringed burlap are nice touches. The leaves are very appealing - I'd love to pull out some scraps and string and come up with something like this! I think I read on the yahoo group that this was only your second attempt at an art quilt. You are off to a great start.
Roberta
Your piece is simple and elegant. I like the effect you got with the fringed edge, and the variety of texture achieved with different fabrics. Nice job.
I love how you show the leaves changing. You used the same leaf pattern and show the leaf changing from green , to red, to brown. Very beautiful.
Hi Sonja,
This is an eye catching piece..elegant shape, lots of texture, and glowing colors. The deep black makes the leaves look like they are floating above it giving it the piece alot of depth. I wonder what it would look like without the green felt on the outer edge...I really like the burlap frayed edge.
Cynthia
I love the curvy shape of your leaf pattern. It gives the impression the leaves are falling. And you can't go wrong with the glowing fall colors on black (also my choice, but mine isn't finished yet cause I got carried away with the leaves and made it too large).
Great job! I only wish the photo was clearer though.
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