Monday, October 26, 2009

Challenge 38: "Pals"

I usually don't do literal interpretations, so this was a challenge for me. I made this whimsical turtle piece using a metal turtle I had as a template......the turtles are machine trapunto as I learned fromthe video. Grasses and rocks were fused on last. Lots of free motion quilting. I didn't finished the edges since I plan to use this for a pillow front......the theme for a new grandson's room is turtles so this may be a fun addition. All comments welcome......thanks!

15 comments:

janice pd said...

Chris, I like that you show only a portion of the second turtle. I'm bad about even numbers so what would happen if you put a small shellfish in the lower right to form the triangle? I also like your use of ORANGE, which I NEVER use, lol.

Chris Predd said...

duh.......I knew that about odd numbers but just forgot.....thanks for mentioning it! I'll see what I can do........

Jan said...

I really like the colors of the shells and the different fabrics used for the fins and head of each turtle. One's eye starts and the lower left and follows the other turtle up. A shellfish addition would be nice but I also think the rock below adds the 3rd object. I don't think you'd want to make a brightly colored shellfish if you do add one since it would distract from the turtles. Nice piece!

Chris Predd said...

thanks, Jan. Maybe a dark colored sea plant of some sort that differs from the other grasses. I know I struggled for quite a while with just the grasses and finally thought of adding the rocks which seemed to make it complete.

Cherie in Del Mar said...

Fun turtles Chris! I especially love the water though. How did you get that wonderful sparkly, ripple effect? So realistic!
Looks balanced to me :-)
Cherie

Chris Predd said...

Cherie, that is just a great piece of fabric I found at JoAnn's of all places.......When I saw it I had to touch it as I was sure it had texture, but it does not. Should have bought more of it!!!!

Kathy Angel Lee said...

I think it looks balanced - not sure you need anything else in it. Sometimes the "rules" are made to be broken!

Art by Rhoda Forbes said...

Very nice. Maybe some shadows on one side of the shells would add more depth to the turtles? I like your use of color and the water is great!

Nina Marie said...

The colors and the crop are what makes this piece for me - I think it will make a really nice pillow!

Chris Predd said...

Rhoda.....I agree about the shadows.....thanks for the tip!

Joni said...

What fun you had with your turtles, I'm sure your Grandson will love to have them in his room. (are you sure you want to part with them). Nice interpretation of this challenge.

LAQuilts said...

The cropped turtle works perfect. I ditto the comment regarding more sea grass.

Roberta Ranney said...

Hi Chris - I really like the fabrics you used for the turtle shells. The orange pops the turtles against the bluish background. A very nicely composed work that will probably be enjoyed by your new grandson (and the rest of the family!) for a long time.

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Chris, Love the fabric choices for the turtles, leaves and rocks. There are alot of shaded (blackened)colors in your fabrics including the background...would it be more lively if the background were a more pure hue or a tint (whitened)of the colors? I'm big on getting the right background...I think it can make or break a piece. I do love your composition, it's playful and interesting.
Cynthia

Della said...

This is how turtles should look! I like the way you have cropped the composition.