Do you ever look around at everyday, normal things and see something different? Something artistic? It could be a neat combination of colors. Like this: Or this: Other times, I notice the craftsmanship of something that I normally wouldn't. For example, look at this grating on the sidewalk. I found this down town and was struck by how plain the modern gratings are. Now, they are just lines and squares. Both styles are functional, but the one below is definitely more attractive! Sometimes I just have to look up to find something beautiful. In this case, I looked up through the sunroof of my car on a rainy day: What will I do with these pictures?
I'm not sure. Will they inspire me to create something, sometime? Maybe. Until then, I will remind myself to not get so busy that I miss the beauty in the things around me, the things below me, and the things above me!
1 Comment
Last week, when I finished the post, I showed you the back side of the piece, so here is the front! You can see the free motion stitching around the flowers, securing the off white piece of fabric to the green background. You can also see the thread painting on the flowers and stems. The green hand dyed fabric really pulls everything together by enhancing the stems and providing a good contrast to the purple flowers. Next, I used the same thread from the free motion stitching and quilted vertical lines on the green piece of fabric, taking care to not stitch on the flower piece. You might remember that there is no backing fabric on this piece, so when I was finished quilting the lines, I stopped and cleaned my machine. Lint had built up in my feed dogs (even though they were lowered) and all around the bobbin area. I have found that it is better for me to stop and clean everything right away so I don't forget later! :) I rethreaded my machine with green Sulky Cotton thread and straight stitched a border 1/4" from the edges of the green fabric. You'll have to look hard to see it in the photo, but I promise it's there! :) Get out the paints and brushes! This step takes time, and in my opinion, is just as important as the fiber art piece that goes on top. If you try this technique, I would encourage you to think about the canvas as an integral part of the art piece, not merely as a mounting solution. :) I used several green and brown layers of acrylic paint and some distressing to achieve the look I was after, Don't worry about the burnt sienna splotch in the middle. It will be completely covered up by the fabric in the final step :) Time to put It all together! I used the same green cotton thread and hand stitched the fabric to the canvas. I tried to match my stitches to the border line machine stitches as closely as possible and secured the fabric about every 3/4" around the perimeter. I signed the back of the canvas with the title of the piece, a personal message and my name and date. Ready to hang! My guess is, our friends will choose to frame this piece, but I painted the edges of the canvas just in case they don't. I'm pleased with the total composition. The canvas isn't too "matchy, matchy" with the fiber art, yet, it all just works. There is some good visual texture, but nothing stands out too much. But do you know the best thing about it? Our friends love it! Brighten someone's day with your creativity! :) |
About MeFiber artist, wife to a wonderful husband and mom to 2 awesome, grown kids Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|