It took me quite awhile to figure out what to do with the area surrounding my Crab. I tried large stones, dark stones, light stones and all these pulled the focus away from the Crab. See…
So I got an idea that if the background became muted it would enable the Crab to pop more and would still have a feel of stones and pebbles. Enter, tulle in many colors. I have yet to finish all the thread painting, but I think this it the direction. Let me know what you think.
Every project goes through the same metamorphosis. I find a subject that inspires me. With gusto I go at the project. I choose the perfect fabrics. I do all the tracing and preparation work. I begin to assemble all the little pieces of fabric, and I look at my project and think, “What was I thinking! This looks like a cartoon!”
Well, this crab project did not fail me. I got to the stage where I looked at the project and thought, this crab looks like ET! I started thinking a duck might work instead…
After a break, I was drawn to my sewing machine and began to add color and texture to the crab. Remarkably, it now actually looks like a crab! So, here is a photo in progress of my crab.The background needs attention, but at least I have something to work with now.
Here is a question: Should the background be lighter? Can you see the crab or is it too camouflaged?
I would like to give credit to Aharon Zuckerman, who photographed this crab somewhere in Israel and then graciously said I could use it as the subject for a quilt. Thanks, Aharon.
This is the original photo.
I can actually call this an art quilt now. I spent time arranging my fall-color leaves on a fabric canvas. Then, using thread painting, I added veins to the leaves and pebbles to the background. It’s a nice, quick project that came out well.
Maple Leaves. W: 14 in x H: 12.5 in. 2009
Available at my Etsy shop.
Now that I have some fall leaves — albeit in fabric, I shall make an Art Quilt from it. Watch for it! I will soon post it on eBay. I will need to thread paint the veins of the leaves and … Well, you’ll see it soon enough. It’s a nice, fun project. I love quilting.
I thought I’d try to do something new, having autumn in mind. So I went looking for maple leaves. Well, the tree across from us is a maple tree, but it’s still green. That’s what happens when you live in the Middle East. Never mind, I can imagine fall colors — that’s what makes it an art quilt.
I have finally reached a point where the basis for this landscape art quilt is done. The design is my interpretation of the photo. I think you can see the two banks connected by a bridge. That’s what I was going for. The images are appliqued. The overall look will still change a lot once I start thread painting using free motion machine quilting techniques.
I had a great time at the fabric shop finding the right fabrics for my stone walls. It always energizes to visit the shop and be surrounded by beautiful fabrics. It’s like a candy store!
This project has been an education in proportion and perspective. The land and slopes are now in place. I need to add the foliage.If I did it right, you can sense the 3D quality. I really like the effect under the bridge. It looks like another land I would like to visit.
Here’s the latest version.
Whew. This has been a real challenge. I worked intensively on the right side of the river and this is what I have come up with. The method I used is called collage. I allowed a play between dark and light greens to give the feel of a hillside. I’d be glad to hear what you think. Is it too busy? I think I like it. I need to leave it and come back to it.
This morning I decided the flatness of the sides and the bridge rendered the quilt ineffective. So, back to the drawing board. I worked on the lightness:darkness ratio, (known as color value), on the bridge. I didn’t even tackle the sides of the river though I did remove them… So here is the current rendition. Sometimes if you take a break from a project, you may realize you do not like parts of it. You can always shift things around and rework them. Don’t give up. Look at the next iteration as a lesson learned. I say this as much for myself as for anyone who may be reading this blog.
I have laid out the elements in the scene using cotton fabric. It still looks very 2-dimensional because I haven’t added any embellishment or quilting yet. The quilting will bring out the depth in the piece. I will embellish with textiles, such as silk, lace, yarn, tulle and bits of colorful fibers. For now you can make out the basic scene. Compare it to the photo upon which this work is based.
