Trillium Grandiflorum

It is almost Spring in Michigan and that can mean only one thing – it's trillium time! Trillium grandiflorum, also known as the great white trillium, are low growing woodland flowers that are one of my favorite signs that Spring has finally decided to grace us with Her presence.

I love traipsing through the woods in search of these rare and delicate little flowers. In creating this piece, I used a photo that I took in 2012 in Columbus, Michigan (St. Clair County) on the eastern side of the state. Set against a mottled, impressionistic background of woodland decay, this delicate little flower offers the promise of more Spring beauty yet to come.

I hope that you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed finding the trillium inspiration for it. We still have lots of snow here - several feet in many places, but the grass is trying really hard to poke its way through in many others. . .that can only mean that the trillium can't be too far behind. 

14.5" x 17“

Raw-edge fused applique

Hand dyed and commercial cottons, tulle, pencils and paint

Sign me. . .

Anxiously awaiting Spring.

Cheryl Casker

Your comments and critiques are welcome.

Spring is in the Air

We are experiencing the early signs of Spring with the buds on the trees thickening a little more each day.  Today is overcast with light snow, so Spring isn't quite ready to arrive.  This 12" x 12" piece was made by dyeing white fabric with bleeding tissue paper in blues, greens and purple.

Snow and Crocuses

13½" x 17"

A picture of early spring, I think I have it -- Impressionist style, probably not!  However, I always love the sight of the first crocuses to pop up among the leaf litter from the previous fall.

With this piece, I began the sacrifice of a mattress pad for my backing, and found that the top layer of that pad could be pulled off and made a nice impression of snow on the ground.  All the other pieces are cut from various cotton fabrics, and then I over-painted with some glitter fabric paint.

I would love any comments on this.

Reawakening

This was a really fun piece to do.  I simply freehand cut all the fabrics, pinned them onto the background layered onto batting and started stitching.  The snow is a sparkle organdy in two colors layered over a blue hand dyed fabric.  All the fabrics are hand dyed except for the organdy.   The larger tree trunks are strips of fabric, but all the rest of the trees, branches and the grasses are all thread painted.  The crocus and leaves were each cut from a single piece of fabric, then enhanced with stitching and Inktense pencils.  

I think this represents the theme and the light and shadow aspect of this challenge.

Here is a close up of the thread painting...so much fun to do!

It's been quite awhile since I have participated and this challenge gave me the 'bump start' I needed to get back in the groove...Thank you Cheryl!

As always, your input is appreciated...Cherie

Challenge #90, February 28, 2014

Hostess: Cheryl Casker

Title: Hurry, Spring!

Theme: Interpret the gift of life (Spring) that rises from the death (Winter) that came before it

Technique: Impressionism incorporating broken color theory that depicts the subtle play of light and shadow

Due date:  March 8, 2014

Having set a historical record for the most snow in one month in January in the state of Michigan (as well as others), we are more than just a bit winter-weary and anxiously look forward to the exquisite flora and fauna that Spring gifts us with each year. 

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!

            ~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!
            ~L.H. Bailey

  

Color As Light

Impressionism was a new style of painting that emerged in France at the end of the 19th century. The Impressionist artists were interested in trying to capture the changing effects of light on the landscape by using a more exact analysis of tone and color. Their ideas were inspired by Eugene Chevreul's scientific research into color theory.

The Impressionist artists abandoned the old idea that the shadow of an object was made up from the color of the object with some brown or black added. Instead, they enlivened their canvases with the new idea that the shadow of any color could be mixed from pure hues and broken up with its opposite color.  For example, the shadow on a yellow surface could have some strokes of lilac painted into it to increase its vitality.

As the Impressionists had to work quickly to capture the fleeting effects of light, they had to sacrifice some of the traditional qualities of outline and detail. http://www.artyfactory.com/color_theory/color_theory_1.htm

Broken Color

http://www.larrymoorestudios.com/broken-color/

Role of Colour in Impressionism

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=43792 

Characteristics of American Impressionism

http://www.flogris.org/learning/foxchase/html/about_impressionism.php 

Resources:

Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926)

 “When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you own naïve impression of the scene before you.”

Snow at Argenteuil, 1875

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_at_Argenteuil 

The Water Lilies (series), 1899-1920

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Lilies

Garten at Giverney, 1902

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monet_-_Garten_in_Giverny.jpg

Garden Path at Giverny, 1902

http://www.claude-monet.com/giverny.jsp

Camille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)

The Garden of the Tuileries on a Spring Morning, 1899

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.103.3 

Fields: http://www.camille-pissarro.org/Fields.html

Gelée Blanche (Hoarfrost), 1873:  http://artchive.com/artchive/P/pissarro/frost.jpg.html

Snow Effect at Eragny, 1894: http://www.camille-pissarro.org/Snow-Effect-at-Eragny,-1894.html

L'Hermitage, 1868  (scroll down to #7):  http://camillepisarro.blogspot.com/

Rye Fields at Pontoise, 1868 (3rd painting down): http://camillepisarro.blogspot.com/

  

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French 1841–1919 )

“No shadow is black. It always has a color. Nature knows only colors … white and black are not colors.”

Boating on the Seine, 1879

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/boating-on-the-seine-pierre-auguste-renoir.html

Two Sisters, 1881

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Renoir_-_The_Two_Sisters,_On_the_Terrace.jpg

And one final note – have fun with this!

Blue Rose

Blue Rose Center

When the 'Coming Up Roses' exhibit was announced, I choose to create this blue rose.  I decided I needed to post before the next challenge comes out in two days.

I wanted to create something dimensional.  This is my first try after seeing the wonderful dimensional flower quilts by Barb Forrister at Houston last fall.  I also attended her demo and got to meet her.  What a thrill.  She makes it look easy.  However, I found I ripped out a LOT.  If I had more of the blue satin, I would have just cut more.  Having a limited amount of fabric really pushed my creativity.  

I have been experimenting with different ways to finish out the quilt.  I have already thrown out three tries.  Because of my fabric limit, I try ideas out using other fabrics.  However, for me, the blue satin is the only fabric from my stash that works. Perseverance is the name of this game.

Blue Initials

This little quilt was from a guild challenge to use

our initials. I like blue. It's nice to make a quilt just for fun.

Cityscape: A Study in Blue

51" x 61" 

Commercial cotton, silk and polyester fabrics and threads

This piece has been on my drawing board since last fall: the pattern was drafted, the blue fabric palette had been auditioned, and the quilting design was determined.  All that was lacking was the time and motivation to begin.  Thanks to this timely challenge, I have not only started the piece, but finished it too (albeit a week late in the posting).

I have toyed with the idea of a series of cityscapes since last summer, and have drawn inspiration from many quilts and quilt artists on the Internet, our own Fast Friday contributor Meena Schaldenbrand's "I Love Detroit" http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-love-detroit.html, and the many incredible art quilts created by Ludmila Aristovta http://ludmilaaristova.squarespace.com/.  

This imaginary cityscape serves as a practice piece to sort out a few techniques for my future cityscapes including selection of appropriate fabrics for building surfaces, the quilting of water, working with reflections in water,  and getting proportions right for a realistic look.  While admittedly, this work is not even in the same class as one of Ludmila Aristovta's works of art, I certainly aspire to her level of artistry and look forward to creating more cityscapes that reflect many of the great cities that we all know and love.  This is my first step in the process and I thank you for allowing me to share it with you.

Your comments, suggestions and critiques are welcomed.

Warmest regards,

Cheryl Casker

Comedy/Tragedy

Sorry for the bad picture but I have a new program and can't seem to make it work for cropping.  I saw a picture of this small comedy/tragedy block and fell in love with it .  I knew it would look good in blue and white so here it is.  It always makes me happy to see these masks.

Pat Havey

Sea and Sky

16½" x 13¼"

A while ago I had gathered some black and white fabrics, and I always have plenty of blues, so I got a good start on this piece, until I found that the sparkly organza overlay somehow got cut at the bottom, and I had to piece another scrap on top and hand-sew it in.

I found the larger pattern of the black and white fabric to be too stark as it was, so I mixed some blue and black ink into water and dyed them, with a bit more blue applied to the edges.

The only added color would be the bit of silver in the sky with their "reflections" of the sparkles in the water.

Thanks, Ann, for a great challenge.  Comments welcome, as always!

Ori-Nui Shibori

When this challenge was announced, I immediately thought of all of the wonderful Shibori fabric I have created over the past couple of years.  While I've used many colours, a fair bit of it was done in blues.  Looking through the various fabrics, I found this table centre that I started working on a couple of years ago.  This was during a time that my arthritis was making itself known.  When I saw this, I had to accept the reality that it is unlikely that I will ever start any other hand stitched project. I am no longer capable, but --I could finish this!  A sort of "last Hurrah".

While I can't really call this "art", I did create the  dyeing design on the fabric, and then used that as a basis for the stitching design. I used a fairly coarse running stitch, using Coton a Broder--somewhat reminiscent of Sashiko.  My days of 20+ stitches to  the inch are long gone. :(

I feel a great sense of accomplishment with this, and welcome any comments.
Pat Findlay
aka fndlmous

Blue Moose

I am working in a class taught by Pamela Allen.  One of our assignments was to do a monochromatic piece.  I chose blue, my favorite color. I call it Blue Moose. It was made from bits of fabric left from other projects the center mountain was a pieced triangle lft over from an indigo roman strip quilt I made a few years back.  It is raw edge applique, the applique and the quilting done by hand with embroidery floss.Rosemary Hopkins

Blue Form

This could have been any color, but since the challenge was blue....  Yes, it's sculptural, but note that it is composed of five sections, each of which has backing, batting, and front fabric, all quilted before assembly.  So, is it still an art quilt or quilted art? Do art quilts have to be flat, 2-D?  You make the call.  Feedback is welcomed.

It's 9" tall and approximately 10" wide.  It's not a a soft sculpture; it's hollow.  Contour mesh (aluminum screening) adds structure to the lower portion.

Robert Hartley

Field of Square Posies

Blue is not a color I use often, so when the challenge was announced, I was on the fence. But after all, it is a challenge, so I pulled what few blues I have and came up with this piece, Field of Square Posies, which measures 12 1/2" x 9 1/2". I thought I added only a bit of yellow, so was surprised to see  a bit of green as well. Sorry, I didn't notice this until the quilt was finished!
All comments are welcome.
Ann In Fallbrook, CA

Wild Blue Yonder

Some friends and I dyed white fabric in an Indigo dye vat a couple of years ago, and I never did anything with the fabric.  The Blue theme this month is perfect for this.  It is a quilt on a quilt, as I brought the lighter square forward to add dimension.
Size is 14 x 22 inches.  I still need to add the outer binding.  Comments welcome.

Bluebird of Happiness

My sewing room is too cold to work in right now, but I found this challenge irresistible. So I decided to make "something blue" by just using cutting and fusing. I used fabrics from my bag of blue scraps, and there are about 40 different fabrics in the feathers. 

Once it warms up enough for me to get to my sewing machine, I will do some quilting on the bird and in the background. The finished size will be about 12" x 12"

Challenge #89, January 24, 2014: Blue . . .

Hostess:  Ann E. Ruthsdottir

Title:  Blue . . .

Due date: February 1, 2014

Theme:  Thinking blue

When I think about blue, countless themes come to mind: blue bloods, blue mood, the Blue Man Band, blue skies, blue water, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Stocking Society, blue collar, blue ribbons, etc. Blue is often used to signify the best quality as well as the lowest emotional mood.

Blue was my Mother's favorite color, not mine. However, I am painting my bedroom a shade of blue-purple. Not sure if it is to remember my Mother. It just seems to appeal to me at this point in my life.

Blue is the most popular color for decorating a home. My first table ware was white with blue decoration. My neighbors got together and got 'the first set free' at a Kroger promotion. I tired of the decoration, but loved the gift of friendship.

My challenge is to create a quilt that makes one think “blue”.

Technique:  Limited color palette

The major color should be blue. It is OK to add white and black and ONE other color. These should be minor additions; just an emphasis on the BLUE theme. Any subject that appeals to you, real or imaginative; traditional, modern, abstract or 'art' quilt

Resources

Following are some links to BLUE sites that hopefully will give you some ideas. I tried to put the ones I thought the best first. I got totally overwhelmed with all the gorgeous eye candy that is on-line.

Picasso:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picasso's_Blue_Period

http://pablo-picasso.paintings.name/blue-period/

http://www.pablopicasso.org/blue-period.jsp

Matisse also had a BLUE period

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse

See specifically: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Nudes

Biblical uses of “blue”: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC89 or

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=blue&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue       

Blue quilts

Eleanor McCain: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/533958099540265816/

Kim Yasuda: http://www.kimyasuda.com/quilts/blue.html

Judy Laquidara:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2010/01/21/quilt-without-borders/

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt-patterns/quilt-throws/blue-jeans-quilt

Tanesha: http://www.craftygardenmom.com/2012/09/fo-lovebirds-art-quilt.html

Video: Hungarian Blue Quilts, Houston Quilt Festival 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m59YO-XLBQA

More references to BLUE

Depression Awareness Week: 11 Artists Who Had Blue Periods

 http://tinyurl.com/FFFC89-1 or  http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/04/25/artists-with-depression_n_1451512.html

Blue Man Group: http://www.blueman.com/about-blue-man-group

And to find more references, just google “Blue”!

One final note: have fun with this!

Sedimentary Strata

 

 

Painted Tyvek Rocks

Bend with the Wind

Painted Tyvek trees

Winter Ditch

Here is the full view, followed by two close-ups

This is my impression of a dried grasses in a snow filled winter ditch.  I started with white fabric and added colour using coloured pencils, because snow is very rarely seen as pure white.. The actual FMQ'g was done with three different colours of thread.  I used one of my own photos as inspiration.  I have been fascinated with the effect of wind and water, on snow and sand, for years and collect photos whenever I can.  Comments are welcome.
Pat f in Winnipeg

Challenge 88: Water and Wind

Challenge Hostess: Pat Findlay

Title: Water and wind

Theme: Create an image that shows the way the flow of water and/or wind can change things, over time.

Technique:  Free motion quilting

Due date:  Jan. 4, 2014

Both water and wind can move objects, sometimes minute objects, over time.  Sometimes the effect can be as simple as a gentle rain or breeze on our faces, or moving our hair, and is often indicated by repetitive lines or waves.  Over time the effect can be huge.

The result of this type of action can create a sense of awe within in us. Think of the way wind can sculpt a sand dune, or water erode a shore line, over time. Snow drifts can be both beautiful and sometimes a little threatening.  Think of the strata exposed in rock faces eroded by flowing water. You could show the actual action happening or maybe the result of the event over time. 

Similarly, you could use the technique of repetitive lines to show the effect on a skirt,  or even the fur of an animal.

Resources:

Judith G. Glover: www.judithgloverart.com?2011/09/16/beach-at-fort-fisher/

Roxanne Lessa, desert series: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC88-1  

Archived work of Charlotte Ziebart: http://www.charlotteziebarth.com/archived-work/ 

Claudia C.M. Raffi: www.cladiacamraffi.deviantart.com/art/water-and-wind-195950934

Tom Thomson: www.ago.net/the-west-wind

Marcia Baldwin: www.ebsqart.com/artist/marci-baldwin/5960/art-portfolio/thunder-wind/425777/ or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC88-2

Elizabeth Lunday: www.lunday.com/stormy-weather-wind-rain-and-lightening-in-art/

As well as the above, the usual Google images also show some excellent examples of the repetitive lines and curves that result from the long term effect of wind and water.

Google images of :

            wind effect on snow

            water lines in sand

wind action on sand

strata in rock formations

And one final note: have fun with this!

Butterfly Mobile

When I saw the mention of butterfly mobiles I got excited and inspired.  The first butterfly took 4 days.  I used florist wire for the stiffening.  Unfortunately, it is not strong enough to do what I wanted.  I have already made wings for 7 more butterflies.  Not sure how I will handle those.  For now, I hope you can imagine the movement.  Because they are so light weight, it takes very little to set them in motion.  That is my favorite LIKE about this project.

Butterfly Dreams

25" x 21"

"Once upon a time, Chuang Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting about happily enjoying himself. He didn't know that he was Chou. Suddenly he awoke and was palpably Chou. He didn't know whether he were Chou who had dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly who was dreaming that he was Chou."

The web is full of philosophical musings about this story (alternate name given as Zhuangzi) from 200-300 BC.  I decided that it had to be depicted with the contemplative philosopher meditating as an image on a butterfly wing, and originally thought of using reds and oranges, but it was the purple satin that led itself to become the sage's robe, and the purple and blue scraps to define the wings.  I made a couple of butterfly stamps and used some purple gauze as the wing surface, cutting out the other butterfly shapes and sewing the edges with coppery metallic thread.

Typical of me, I allowed an extra week for everybody to complete this challenge, and took two weeks for myself!  I welcome your comments.

Butterfly - OOOOoooops

My butterfly became a dragonfly.  And I confess, I don't have a myth or legend about it.
I really like the fabric I found for the wings.  And you have to imagine stems on the flowers on the lower right.  Maybe I'll couch some yarn or ribbon for the stems.  I may tilt him a little more to the right before stitching him down.  Not sure.  What do you think??

Karol Kusmaul

Hauntingly Familiar

13"x18"
Hand-dyed and commercial cottons, crystals, fusible 
Raw edge fused applique technique 

I finally finished it!  Well almost - it still needs a binding . . .

Based on a photo of my friend, Mauri, at her cubist best with her friend lovingly looking up at her thinking that she looks hauntingly familiar. . .and somehow - she is!  

I had a great time working on this piece and I learned a lot - which is the reason why I joined this challenge list in the first place.  Working on smaller pieces makes it easier to try something new - which this month was to work in raw edge fused applique without tulle on top to hold the fraying down.  

Thank you for this opportunity to participate and share.  I LOVED the cubist slant on the challenge.  It definitely took me out of my comfort zone - in a good way! :-)

Warmest Regards,

Cheryl Casker

P.S. Your comments and critiques are welcome.

 

Butterfly trio

I tried a couple of things before finally settling on this little trio.  I was inspired by the article on the presence of butterflies  in the belief system of  Pre-Columbian Central Americans.  I was also taken by the description of the use of stamps to embed butterfly images in pottery.  I created a stamp using Craftfoam and matt board.  The image was taken from the breast plate shown on a statue.  First I stamped the black out line and then painted in the coloured areas.  The entire piece was free-motion echo quilted ( Boy, does my FMQ'g ever need practice!) I felt that the binding needed to be black to frame the images.  Despite a couple of paint blobs and smears, I have become quite attached to these little critters,and hope to use the motif in other work in the future.  Any comments would be welcome.

Pat F in Winnipeg
www.mousefactorydesigns.blogspot.com

Just When The Caterpillar Thought The World Was Over...

 

The quilt is my fable of the butterfly's life cycle with a moral. The leaf, leaf with eggs, the eaten leaf that feeds the caterpillar, Chrysallis and emerging butterfly. The circle represents the world and the bar code is to count blessings!

It was designed in Make the Cut software. A circle and bar code were Boolean joined. Node editing from lines into curves provides a path for caterpillar to transform into a butterfly. It was cut with my electronic cutter and free motion quilted.

WHO are you?

When I started doing research on Monarch butterflies,  I became fascinated by the Monarch caterpillars, with their striking yellow, black and white stripes to warn predators away, and the fact  that they tasted terrible, due to their diet of milkweed. 

But, I could find no myths about the caterpillars! So I resorted to the Alice in Wonderland fable that featured an arrogant pompous caterpillar. I changed him to a Monarch caterpillar, and it was all fun from there!

I have enjoyed seeing the Monarchs by the thousands, migrating in Florida, and I love watching them on the butterfly bush by the window in my sewing room. But  now, I will also watch for the brightly colored caterpillars.

Challenge 87: Butterflies Are Free

Challenge Hostess: Marilyn Wall

Title:  Butterflies Are Free

Theme:  Butterflies and Myth

Due date:  Nov. 30, 2013

Butterflies have inspired mankind for ages, not just for their beauty but also as spiritual beings, symbolic of metamorphosis, rebirth, love, hope, and freedom. 

I have had a love affair with butterflies that covers the last fifty years of my life. I began planting a butterfly garden and following their grown with photography.  I have art work of butterflies and often produce art work of my own with butterflies as my theme.

My challenge for this month is to read about the myths that span centuries. These myths are prevalent in almost every society in the world. Each culture has their own adaptation; in some the meanings are the same, some are totally different. This challenge can be represented in a realistic or abstract manner. Please post your myth along with the fiber piece.  Don’t forget, it doesn’t have to be two dimensional.  How about a doll or a piece of jewelry?

Mary Alice Monroe’s book Butterflies’ Daughter was the catalyst for my interest in butterfly mythology. I had heard about many of the butterfly myths but never explored their meanings. Her blog post below gives you one idea of these myths and the special meaning to her.

http://maryalicemonroe.blogspot.com/2010/10/myths-of-monarchs.html

Return of the Monarchs, Marilyn Wall,   30” x 40”

The local people of Angangueo, Mexico have long believed that monarchs are the returning spirits of their deceased relatives, mysteriously arriving at the same time each year, coinciding with the Day of the Dead.   Aztec tradition holds that the souls of the departed will return as hummingbirds and butterflies, this link between myth and the monarchs’ annual return spans centuries.

Resources:

Myth and Mystery in Mexico’s Monarch Kingdom:

http://goodnature.nathab.com/myth-and-mystery-in-mexicos-monarch-kingdom/

Delaware / Lenape - How the Butterfly Came to Be:

http://www.ucan-online.org/legend.asp?legend=4473&category=7

Psyche is used also as the word for “butterfly” in Greek:

http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Psykhe.html

On Wikipedia:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_symbolic_meaning_of_a_butterfly

Maraleen Manos-Jones has a book entitled “ The Spirit of Butterflies: Myth, Magic, and Art”

http://spiritofbutterflies.com/

Butterfly and Moth Symbolism List

http://www.insects.org/ced4/symbol_list1.html

Some interesting images:  http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/molds.html

Goddesses Fly Again: Butterfly Images in Mexican Myth and Textiles:

http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab97d/p14.html 

And one more thing – have fun with this!

Flowers in the Window

20" x 25½"

Maybe it's a bit lame to be posting this piece from the last challenge right before I put up the next challenge, but anyway, here it is!

I can't even claim that it is all that cubist, but I went rather freer in my cutting than I usually do, instead of following shapes in the fabric. I added the dark fabric behind each of the planters to give them greater definition.

The flowers, especially side ones, seemed not to stand out from the sky that well, so I used a bit of foiling around the edges.

I like it as a piece in itself, but not necessarily as really fulfilling the challenge.  Your comments are welcome.

Sunset Swirls

I belong to a small Art Quilt group that gets together once a month. Our hostess last month provided us with oil paint sticks and textured plates to make fabric rubbings. I made this rubbing on white cloth. She challenged us to make the rubbing into an art quilt. I took mine home and colored between the swirls with colored pencils to look like a sunset, so I created my background in this way. I then traced these plants from a sketch done by Pam Holland. I used permanent fine point pen. I then quilted with black thread on the lines of the plants. I made French knots to emphasize the little berries.