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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
- 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
- Free Motion Quilting and Planning, April 20, 2019
- Free Motion Mavericks and an art quilt in the making, April 25, 2019
- Gradients Multi 33366 11D Moda
- Superior Threads Kimono Silk Thread
- This is the exhibit that I'm getting ready for: Summer Fibrations at the Mississippi Mills Textile Museum in Almonte, Ontario
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,
Gauze, tulle and silk. I have never worked with them, so they make me nervous just reading about sewing with them. You make it look simple! What a fun creative piece!
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy. There is very little of all three. I put the silk down then add gauze for colour and then cover it with tulle. It really is easy since I don't have to handle them much. I will be FMQ over them once I'm ready to quilt.
DeleteLove how your working with different fabrics to achieve the look you want - keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan, it's a lot of fun!
DeleteOh Andree, this is truly a vision splendid. All that gorgeous colour and all those beautiful flowers....so beautiful! It looks as if you are having the best fun with this sublime pretty! Gosh, you are clever.
ReplyDeleteHi Kim, those flowers and colours are just up your alley aren't they :-) I am having fun though sometimes I feel that I'm trying too hard. That's when it's time to take a break and not take it too seriously!
DeleteLovely to see you getting back to this. :) Thanks for sharing your creative process.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dione - I both love it and find it totally frustrating! I think that it's making me work hard....and I'm not a great fan of that :-) Right now it's going well, so I'm happy....tomorrow is another day!
DeleteSuch an ambitious project. It’s lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle - it really is stretching my capabilities. It's hard not to over think it.
DeleteYou are at the stage I like most: move pieces this way and that way. Of course a due date does limit that a bit. :-) I appreciated following along with some of your design decisions.
ReplyDeleteThanks Claire. It is fun moving pieces around. My daughter had a crack at it and I did keep a good chunk of her work :-) The hard part is this one. Once all of the pieces are down, the easy part is the FMQ! I'm almost there.
DeleteHello Andrée,
ReplyDeleteProcrastination, deadlines... I understand all too well! Perhaps because we know that once you reach a certain stage, projects almost seem to tell you how to finish them. The problem is getting to that stage.
I love the great jumble of flowers!
Love, Muv
This is a wonderful creation. I love all the details and the overall effect is really beautiful. I'll be looking out to see more of this :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful creation, thank you for showing us how you created it.
ReplyDelete