Since I live in Minnesota, no where near the coasts, I rarely get to see the sea. My favorite "sea" here is Lake Superior, and I go there as often as I can. I enjoy watching the waves crash over the basalt rocks, making them a deep gray. Lake Superior is a moody lake, particularly in November. My Sea Spray quilt is a nod to my favorite body of water.
The finished quilt measures 16" x 20". I started with a background fabric of grey ombre for the sky, blue for the water, and layered the clouds and rocks, freehand. Once I was happy with the arrangement, I stitched the clouds and rocks down by straight stitching along the curves and angles.
After that was done, I used white embroidery thread and began to add seed stitches to create the spray. That ended up being more work than I expected, with having to continue to add stitches to create the right combination of dense and loose stitches.
I have more information about the construction of this quilt on my blog today, if you are interested in reading a bit more about my process.
Wendy
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this challenge - it certainly comes across in your work! I love the spray, which also seems to sparkle just a bit, but all the textures you have created with your different techniques - like those craggy rough rocks, and the foam on the waves - have captured the feeling of this scene perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catherine. I'm glad you like the piece. It pushed me a bit, and that's the point, right?!
Deletei really like the seed stitches for the wave -makes things stand out. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I thought the seed stitching would be the easiest thing, but trying to get the right density was challenging.
DeleteNovember is my favorite month and you have captured my feelings in this quilt. The sky! The spray! The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is playing in my head. Just all around fab.
ReplyDeleteAh yes - those moody November waters. Such a great song, too. Thanks much!
DeleteBeautiful job, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara.
DeleteI like how you unified so many fabrics, and the motion of all the stitching. I feel like I have hiked up those rocks and now I am rewarding myself with a sit-down and study of the view before me!
ReplyDeleteThanks - I'll join you for the sit-down and bring coffee :-)
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ReplyDeleteThis is really lovely Wendy, I think the seed stitched spray is definitely the "icing on the cake" so well worth all that effort :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I thoroughly enjoyed making this, once I settled on what to make!
DeleteLove the layers and the colours are fabullous for the moody description you have given the lake. I'f love to visit it in person!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruth! It was a fun project, and I'm glad I actually was able to create it in fabric!
DeleteThis is beautiful and very atmospheric. The sky really is moody and I love your rolling waves and the sea spray flying back from the dark rocks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janine. Lake Superior is a very moody lake, especially in November, so that's what I was trying to show. Glad you like it.
DeleteThat is awesome. Thanks for explaining the process.
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