After a bit of productive procrastination, I'm back to working on my art quilt.
Gaïa's Garden
It's always a long process, so I thought that I would share some of it with you. Here's a recap (see Related links below).
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| My model for Gaïa |
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| Choosing a colour palette |
My model for Gaïa is this picture of a reproduction statuette of a beautiful Pre-Columbian female figure from Colombia, South America.
I used photo transfer medium to make the fabric image.
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Gradients Multi
33366 11D Moda |
It took me a long time to start because I was looking for the right fabric, which I found in the Gradients by Moda line.
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| Fussy cutting and trying out possibilities |
Next I went through my stash and fussy cut fabric, including the background. I just placed them on the design board to get the general effect and to ensure that I had enough fabric.
That's where I was in my last post, with lots of work left and many possibilities.
The next part is the one I find most intimidating - taking everything off the design board and creating the background.
I attached the sky (including my hand-dyed yellow and pink cotton), the green background and the river. Then it was time to play with the colours. I took out my box of gauze, tulle, and silk.
It's difficult to see in the photo but the sky and river really shimmer. I separated the river into 3 sections - the reflection of the sky, a more turbulent riven and then a calmer lake.
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| Knowing what to keep |
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| Creating the background and adding shimmer |
From the many versions on my design board, there were a few things that I knew that I would keep.
These were the leaves beside Gaïa and the large plant, flowers and bird in this photo.
It took several tries to get the other side of Gaïa finished. My original thought was to use the light leaves. I also tried out some yellow/orange leaves but they just blended into the reflecting water. Finally I choose the darker blue leaves to create more contrast. Since the image of Gaïa is light, she needs a little help to stand out.
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| Should I use the light coloured leaves? |
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| What about the yellow/orange leaves? |
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| Finally choosing the darker blue leaves |
Below you can see that I added a couple of leaves on top to create a curve.
My next two challenges can be seen in this image. The first one is by the river where I want to create a quiet space with a bit of a swamp or pond. The second one is the lotus flower at the foot of Gaïa. This is where I'm at, although I can still change my mind since the challenging pieces haven't been attached yet.
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| What it looks like so far |
I'm working mostly from my design board which is on my ironing board. When I like something, I just pin them into place and go to the sewing machine next to it. I've been using Superior Threads' Kimono Silk thread to attach all of these pieces. I'm trying not to add too much detail at this point since once everything is attached, I'll be free motion quilting the piece. At that point, I may use heavier thread, depending on the effect that I want.
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| Working on my design board |
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| Using Kimono Silk thread |
What I learned
- Deadlines have their usefulness (I guess) but since I got a bit of a reprieve, it's taking that much longer to make. Turns out that the description was due in mid-May but the final product is only due in mid-June. I'm afraid that I'll be using every last minute of that extra time - to make it and to productively procrastinate 😉
- There is still a ways to go, although it usually goes a little faster once things fall into place.
- As I've been writing this post, I realise that I'll be placing the swamp in the lake part of the piece. It make more sense, although reality is not especially important here!
- As for the lotus flower, I think that if I add more fabric around it, I'll get a better sense of how it will look.
- My background has a few puckers in it. Since I'm making this up as I go along, I'll probably cut around the river and adjust the fabric.
Related links
Linking parties
Although I haven't started quilting yet, I've sure been using my FMQ skills to stitch all of this fabric down. I'll be joining Muv at last week's
Free Motion Mavericks, as well as many other great link-ups. Let's see what's going on this lovely Victoria Day weekend.
Oh Scrap!,
Monday Making,
Main Crush Monday,
Design Wall Monday,
Moving It Forward,
Tuesday Colour Linky Party,
Midweek Makers,
Finished or Not Friday and
Friday Foto Fun, Off the Wall Friday,
Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup,
Remember to link up any quilting projects on Thursday when I'll be hosting Free Motion Mavericks! See you then 😊
