My original idea just had the cow girls in poses, but then all the sudden I remembered a piece by Kathy York, and the girls decided to hang out at the Sunflower Branch.I used variegated thread with a free machined zigzag applique technique. I think it works well for this piece because it is more cartoon like. I am not sure about the zigzag for other things. Surprisingly enough, it actually is less noticeable...if you look at the ladies and also the stem, even though there are some bright colours going on, the full view shows that the thread actually blends into the background more. I think that this piece might have actually wanted a solid applique stitch, though. It might have helped to give it a more comical feel like cartoons. 
detail
The quilting is an all over sunflower connected by vines with leaves. I did the trapunto part of the challenge behind the girls and the sunflower.
I think if I did this type of thing again, I would have more contrast between the cows and the background so they would stand out more.
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11 comments:
Sandy
This is such fun! I love their poses and the sunflower is a good place for them to hang out. I wonder if you can do anything to make the cows stand out more, since the hues and values are closely related. Maybe paints or crayons? It's delightfully quirky.
What a truly fun piece! I love your cow girls and their poses. Nice job on shading the sunflower stem and leaves.
I like the playfulness of the piece. It sounds like you know what would make the cows standout but I think you're onto something new and fun.
Great composition. As others have said love the title and their poses...great to see some humor.
Hi Sandy...very clever and funny! Love the expression on the faces of the cows...sort of sassy. Good job!
Cynthia
Whimsically adorable! I love your choice of fabrics and positioning of the cows. Great job!
Hi Sandy - This is so cool! Those big red mouths are just a hoot (or a big moo?) I think the lack of contrast between the girls and the background could be resolved with a narrow satin stitch of black thread to pop them out.
The title and cartoonish quality makes me think of Pam RuBert's work - if you're not familiar with it, Google her name and see what she has done with combining cartoons and quilts.
Thanks everyone! I am thinking about a bit of orange "shading" behind the girls a bit...like the sunflower is shining down on them as if they were by a pool. It might help them to stand out a bit. Part of what I want it to have is more colour. I like Kathy York's work, but if I wanted it colourful, I needed to start with more colour contrast.
I do know Pam RuBert's work. I love it! I have ideas that want to be like her when they grow up, but I was trying to find a way to do it without "copying"!
you will never believe this, but I actually made applique templates and saved them for these girls. I think they might have a few more adventures in the future. I wonder if they will meet any dragons?
thanks,
Sandy
This piece definitely put a smile on my face! I think your fabric choices are perfect for this piece. My only critique relates to the interior of the sunflowers. To my eye, everything else seems to have a grayer tone and a bit of texture (from pattern and/or stitching). Perhaps I can't get close enough to see the flowers, but the centers just seem too solid and saturated compared to the rest of the piece. Would you consider adding some stitching or painted texture to mute them a bit? My eye was drawn immediately to the orange and I think the cowgirls should be more of the focus.
I love the "girls"! They have attitude! Very funny and cute and I can see them doing lots of things.It is a great piece.
Elaine Koenig
Sandy---I love the humor of the piece. However the heavy plaid background is distracting to me and not in keeping with the rest of the piece. A plainer background would have shown the girls off better.
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