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"I do believe in an everyday sort of magic...the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone." Charles de Lint

Monday, July 20, 2020

Learning Curve

This patch of coneflowers is on one our morning walk routes....and I've been watching it progress. I absolutely love that all the stages of the blooms  that are on display....there is something about the spindly way these flowers begin that make them look a little cartoony and whimsical.




Christine let me know that the inspiration photo for my "swoop of color" project was done by Ellen Lindner.  Christine and I took an online fabric collage class from Ellen several years ago...and I've been following her ever since. She's one of my inspiration artists.  http://adventurequilter.com/

You can read about my "Sticky Fingers" class project here:

It makes perfect sense that this is her work.  It's called Florida Native #2 and you can read about it here on Ellen's blog.


Although I'm practicing the skills from Isobel's class....as I look at Ellen's imagine again I love the simplicity of it.  I'll go simple next time....I certainly didn't this time.

I prepared my background as directed in Isobel's class. I stitched a "stem" line as a reference and fused down some Kaffe Fassett stripes to give me some guidelines for petal placement. 


Then I started adding fabric pieces....


...and decorative machine stitches.  
I was reminded that contrasting colors are better.  The purple stitching stands out...but the green under the yellow petal gets lost. This is why I practice.


Time for fibers....


...and hand stitching.


This is where I stopped....and probably not in time. There are things I like....and things I would do differently next time. I will likely do another piece inspired by Ellen's organic leaf shape....but keep it WAY more simple....leave more breathing space and do less stitching and embellishing. But It's all a learning curve....and that's how I roll. 
Practice, practice, practice. 
It's time to move on.

The day was way too bright to take photos....so the coloring is yellowed and off....and I know I say this all the time...but it does look better in person. 


16 comments:

  1. I think it is gorgeous- color, texture & dimension!! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. I love to share my process!

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  2. Thank you for sharing this. It is beautiful! Total respect out to you for the patience it took to put together.

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    1. Thank you so much! This was a really fun project!

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  3. I love the whole thing . It is spectacular

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  4. Thanks for the inspiration, I love this!

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  5. I have an idea for a “mood piece” using all shades of blue into black. This is just the technique I am looking for to accomplish it. I’ll post photos when I finish!

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  6. So beautiful it makes my mouth water!

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    1. I still have this piece....and would be willing to sell it if you're interested. I have no idea if you'll come back to this comment....I wish I had a way to reach you.

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  7. It is fabulous!

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  8. This leaf idea is amazing,all the colors are beautifully arranged….love it.thanks for sharing

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