On a beautiful piece of onion skin dyed silk noil
I have begun wrapping around some tucks.
I think they will be trees
on a piece honouring the totem tree the local woodpeckers
have created across the pond.
I look at it every day as I stitch in the studio.
When the tree died
a heron used to sit atop it
keeping an eye on the Rusty Pups.
This is an old photo of just one pecked hole
but today all that bark has gone.
Another rock piece
is up on the wall
for me to test what thread colours to use.
No, no, no
Those stitches just won't do.
Wrong colours
Wrong stitches.
They will all come out.
Always have a few false starts before I get into the flow pf a piece.
Taking time to consider the options is important to me at this stage.
I have to say I am a bit nervous over the puffiness
of using a quilt batt for the first time in years.
Not nervous about stitching it
Nervous that I won't be happy with the effect
of dimpled stitches.
But I am committed.... I think.
This is really exciting. I love the idea of using a specific natural item from which to create your design. Its going to be fabulous. The little bit of hand quilting I've done was not as pleasing to me as just stitching on flat fabric with perhaps a bit of light backing. I end up thinking my stitches don't look as good with the 'padding'. On the other hand it gives texture to the piece and that's always a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing your process and letting us understand the false starts that are so important to a creative process - especially the slow process of hand stitching marks. As for quilt batting, I think in this rock piece, it will add the 'weight' and substance that you seek.
ReplyDeleteThanks again. xo
One Instagram person I have come across does embroidered pet portraits and she said she likes to use a dark smoky lavender/purple on the inside of the ears. As soon as I saw it I agreed. So maybe you need a color you wouldn't suspect to be "rocky". Even looking at the hole in the tree...using some pink thread would give you bright spots instead of using a brown-family color.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to seeing the texture the batt gives you!
I am looking forward to seeing the tree piece.xx
ReplyDelete