This is a reference book titled "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path" by David Freidel, Linda Schele, & Joy Parker. The 1st line reads, "The plains of Yaxuna in northern Yukatan are usually covered with a green sea of waving maize plants and waist-high grasses in the month of July."
It measures 9 x11-1/2, & is constructed with commercial cottons. The background & 2 of the borders were machine pieced diamonds from a bolt end with many different degrees of pattern & color & lack thereof. All of the greens are fused & zig-zagged. I added 2 different dark borders, one to contrast, & the other to ground the piece. The Shaman figure was also fused & raw edge appliqued. I found the placement looked best in the lower left & appears to be looking out at the vast expanse of the plains. It was first machine quilted in a diamond grid with clear nylon, & then over quilted in gentle waves in variegated green to create the motion of the sea of green crops. I did enjoy this challenge, & was grateful to use a book that I had not read before, so it would not influence the outcome of the piece itself. Now to read it, & see what I could have done differently. I still think it's missing a little something.
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6 comments:
I like the placement of your shaman. He adds a lot to your quilt. He is partially obscuring the left leaves, and your two groups of leaves aren't competing with each other anymore (like they were before he was added). He is also helping to frame the center image. Good depth.
Hi Sonja, Well, this turned out wonderful! Love the patterns and textures and shapes you achieved.
Good job!
Cynthia
What a wonderful and intriguing piece you have created. I love your use of the "shaman" in the lower corner. Without him I think the piece would be adrift and unfinished looking. I also love the way you've used both contrast and value. Very nice work. Thanks for posting it and letting us all partake of this lovely piece.
Sonja, had a thought I wanted to pass on...what if you cropped the top light border off? I tried it in Photoshop and I think it balances the piece.
Cynthia
Hi Sonja - I am intrigued with your quilting on this piece. The combination of the diagonal lines and the waving lines really adds good texture and dimension to this quilt. The background fabric selection along with the shaman head gives the piece an aged feel that is very attractive. Your use of the two dark borders grounds the piece effectively. Nice work!
Rpberta
This is beautiful. You got the balance right, and the face is positioned in the perfect spot. I wonder if you had gone around the green a little with some darker thread, or maybe some wooden beads to help add a little more contrast to that area... Great piece, love the bottom border that it is darker then the other two borders... good job, and thank you for sharing it with us.
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