Wednesday, November 01, 2006

It's just my Imagination!

This is my first try at the FFF Challenge, Bloging as well!

When I heard what the Challenge was, My first thought was to draw a scary looking tree with a sundial, I love trees. I wasn't sure where to start. I left home, thought about it over the weekend and came up with how I thought I might react to reading the poem, while at home alone, in bed, on a cold and windy night, with the trees swaying in the wind, blowing against the window, casting shadows about the room. Now to put that into fabric! I have a very vivid imagination, that's why I don't read Steven King books.
I titled this: It's just my Imagination, It's just my Imagination, It's just my Imagination, long but it fits me!
I used cotton batting, with cotton fabric back and front. For the "eyes of flame", I used red "berries", from leftover Christmas Holly and appliquéd cotton fabric. The Teeth and Claws are made with freshwater pearls. The body is cotton, quilted and trapuntoed, and for the wings of the "shabby-looking bird", feathers. I collected the feathers while hiking in North Eastern Washington State, some years ago. I made the head and feet floating free from the body, it just seemed to fit the "curious looking creature" line, from my version of the Jabberwocky. The closet door is two pieces of cotton fabric, I used this pattern on the door because it gave me the feeling of the light dancing through the trees, pouring in the window. I made a mini green quilt, then stuffed it using poly fluff to appear as if someone was hinding under the covers, it needed something so I stuck a lock of my hair out the end of it. I made the book cover and pages of "Alice" using two different fabrics fused together, written on with a "Zig" pen and I stitched the binding with gold thread. The digital clock is embroidered on black cotton fabric and appliquéd on. Curtains over the star lit window, are made of tulle.

This is my version of the Jabberwocky, Taken from a Glossary of idiosyncratic words, made up by Lewis Carroll:

'Twas four o'clock, and the foul, supple, curious looking creature did spin like a gyroscope and made holes like a gimlet in the grass plot around the sundial:
all miserable and flimsy were the thin shabby-looking birds,
and the lost green pigs bellowed and whistled with a kind of sneeze in the middle.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the desperate bird living with perpetual passion, and shun the fuming furious swift moving creature who's neck bends and jaws snap!

"He took his deadly, extremely sharp sword in hand:
Long time the monstrous and fearsome foe he sought -
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
and stood awhile in thought.

And, as in the state of mind when voice is gruffest, manner goughlish,and temper huffish, he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came blowing in fitful gusts through the tangled and ugly wood,
and singing a fluttering and quivering sound as it came

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The deadly, extremely sharp sword went with a slightly stifled laugh -hurriedly!
He left it dead, and with its head
he went galloping triumphantly back.

"And has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my happily, optimistic smiling, boy!
O fair, fabulous, joyous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chuckled and snorted in his joy.

'Twas four o'clock, and the foul, supple, curious looking creature did spin like a gyroscope and made holes like a gimlet in the grass plot around the sundial:
all miserable and flimsy were the thin shabby-looking birds,
and the lost green pigs bellowed and whistled with a kind of sneeze in the middle.


5 comments:

CalicoDaydreams said...

I love your playful approach and the 3D elements.

Your quilt is wonderful!

Jan said...

This would be a great illustration for a children's book about night fears!

Jan

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Nancy, Very clever and effective use of imagery! The piece tells a story about a story which is fun. I love the miniature patchwork quilt and all the various textures you used in the various elements. 2 comments to consider: The background would benefit from some quilting. And regarding the photo itself….cropping the wall or table out of the photo helps the viewer see the piece as it is.

Thanks for sharing your wonderfully imaginative piece!
Cynthia

Nancy B said...

Thank you all for your comments. I was thinking about quilting the background as well . . . This is my first attempt at anything like this and I started with the body which included the feathers. So that made it a little hard to quilt anything on it really. I was thinking of taking off the feathers and quilting a "wind" like pattern for the background. You think that would look OK?? As for a table outline, almost did that as well but I'm not very good with perspective! Maybe I'll do that and see how it looks. Thank you again for the comments!
Nancy B.

laura west kong said...

Wonderful imagery. The little green quilt is wonderful, as are the other 3-D embellishments. Ordinarily I would say that the elements are disjointed from each other composition-wise, but this is no ordinary quilt! It is telling a story, which it illustrates perfectly. The only thing I would change is what Cynthia said about the lack of background quilting. I like your wind idea. Did you ever consider hand-quilting? That would make it much easier to get around the 3-D stuff. Since it's not a large piece, hand-quilting shouldn't take too long.