I decided to put a sun under where the tree was going to be and knew that once the tree was sewn on it would need a strong element on the bottom right. That's when I got inspired to add the abstract element. To add the sun and the abstract element, I used sheer fabrics and hand sewed them using a stitch with a single strand of embroidery thread. I grabbed just a few threads of the fabric on the front and took a large stitches on the back so it looks like a basting stitch on the back and you can barely see any stitches at all on the front.
sheers sewn on with chosen embroidery thread |
To sew on the tree, I printed the tree onto printer paper, and then traced it onto yellow quilting paper with pencil. Then I pinned the yellow paper onto the top of my art piece and free motion stitched along the pencil lines. The paper rips off very easily after stitching.
tree stitched with quilting paper |
Then I felt that it needed some balancing with something in the top left and I tried several different things there. I love circles by using them there they helped unify the piece since I had a circle-like thing in the bottom right. The circles are strands of embroidery thread. I hand couched them on. I felt that it didn't need a border so I finished it with a pillowcase backing. All it needed was a name. Because the fabrics had layers of designs and the sheers hid parts and the tree and the bird were just suggested, it seemed to me as though the elements could have been from the past or the future so I decided to call it Rings of Time.
Rings of Time |
Lovely. Calm design but with impact by the clever addition of black.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I almost filled in the tree, but that would have taken away the calm.
DeleteGreat job! The tree was my favorite when you showed several choices last week.
ReplyDeleteThe tree was my favorite, too, but it needed more than just the tree.
DeleteLove how you pulled it all together.
ReplyDeleteThanks. And I don't think I would have without doing that exercise. I'm glad for that TV commercial that sparked the idea.
DeleteWow! talk about using a palette to create a mood - love this!
ReplyDeleteI've tried other palettes but always seem to fall back to that one. I love blues and grays. And always throw in a little orange or rust. My next piece may venture a little away from that.
DeleteNow I know what golden threads paper looks like. Thanks! Beautiful tree.
ReplyDeleteI thought I should photograph the paper so others would know the product. The tree is my favorite tree in my yard and the branch coming out to the right is actually a large grape vine that grows next to it. The squirrels love it.
DeleteThanks for showing the golden threads paper. I love the tree.
ReplyDeleteI showed the paper because when I first heard about it, I couldn't picture what it was like. I've found it to be a very handy product. That tree is just outside one of my windows. It's my favorite tree in my yard and I've sketched it several times in various ways.
DeleteLove the simplicity of the image... yet so many layers of technique. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. I too, like simplicity. But at the same time want to have things to think about when I look at a piece of art.
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