A Walk in the Park

That is what someone is hoping for anyway.



Think the idea was better than the execution but might be improved with a bit more work - I sound like a teacher marking homework haha

It's always exciting to see how everyone has interpreted the theme.

Texture

Ain't nobody here but us chickens

Actually it's a cock because they have the nost flamboyant plumage. I love the quills that overlay the feathers creating extra texture in the plumage

I have chickens so I should have chosen one of them!

I used some felting to do the comb amd wattle but I kept catching it in the presser foot. I added it before quilting thinking it would be easier to attach to a single layer of fabric but I think I should have on last

The quills were made from thin strips of dyed t-shirting which was then pulled to make thin curly strips

I echo quilted around him

The lower part is shibori, indigo dyed fabric which looks like feathers. different coloured threads - mostly variegated - were used to echo and accentuate the outlines

This is quite small so I may revisit this topic on a larger scale as I like the subject matter and the greater use of texture than I would normally do

PS ignore the Brit in Brisbane! I can't sign out and post as www.thecraftyyak.com which is the blog I use now!

Improv Reveal

Improve - Fractured Minerals

I got a lot of ideas from Youtube and used some of the ideas from the Mr Domestic to start me off. The fans reminded me of agate and other minerals so I alternated some of the fans to make strips. I did cross-cut a few to make small blocks and to make the piecing simpler I kept to 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 strips and blocks

I finally ended up with this

The big reveal in my case is I got stuck. Should I trim and bind? Seems too traditional for it. Maybe bag it out so there is no binding instead?  I do like the uneven edge. Or bind, keeping the wobbly edge Has anyone got the answer!!!

I was so inspired by some of the clips I saw that I have ordered Improv Patchwork: Dynamic Quilts Made with Line & Shape by Maria Shell! This theme has started me off in a new direction, although thinking about it, crazy patchwork is really improv patchwork too, so not so new afterall

The Endeavourers ‘Change/Transformation'

May 1, 2018KayEdit"The Endeavourers ‘Change’"

I am late posting this morning. Couldn’t find my camera. Found camera. Took one photo and the battery gave up. Got more batteries. Camera comes on and goes off again. Found rechargeables that I charged a couple of weeks ago. Put in camera. They are flat. Is charger broken? Use tablet instead. Save photos. Can’t find them. Add to ‘creation’ new folder. Can’t find them. Go back and ‘save as’. I found them!!!!!

Too late to remove random bits of fluff from these not very good photos of my interpretation of Change/Transformation

The ocean changes according to the weather on the surface but below the surface there is greater change in its inhabitants. The scary looking deep sea fish fascinated me as a child and still do.

I had been looking at them recently and it struck me how much fish change according to the depth of the region in which they live. Of course they vary depending on the region of the ocean and the temperature but not in such an extreme way as depth.

They were all created by decolourising with bleach. It’s interesting to see how differently the blues decolour as they are made up of different dyes.

A little tidying up was done with a permanent blue marker and a little white inktense pencil was added to the white areas on the two deep sea fish.

Lines of zig-zag and straight stitch add a little movement to the scene, with more lines on the upper layers to contrast with the more sluggish currents in the deep. Lighter blue thread changes to darker blues until it finishes with black thread. The last piece of fabric is actually darker than it appears in the photo.

I particularly like the way the dyes decoloured differently adding to the texture of the fish fins in this fish and the one below it

So my interpretation is not very philosophical although the subject could easily have been deep and meaningful. The only deep thing here is the sea!

Nature

Well I must learn about scheduled posting so that these posts go out at the right time, still better late than never! It is great to be part of this group which promises to be inspirational and exciting!

I  love the theme as it is very broad and can be interpreted in many ways. I made a slightly ambiguous mini quilt which could also be interpreted in many ways. It could be the Sun, it could be a flower, or an anenome; such strange flower-like animals.

The background fabric was dyed using Procion dyes and the print was made from soft-cut lino. I used slightly thinned acrylic paint for the linocut and used a brush rather than a roller to have better control of the colours. It was then ironed with paper place on top to push the acrylic into the fabric.

This close up really shows how much variation there is in the printing.It also shows the variegated thread. I used two; a blue, purple and green one and one of different green hues. Looking at it now a little orange would have been good. Just lately I feel more and more drawn to orange, It was one of my favourite colours as a child and I loved to put it with purple!

The binding is ice-dyed Procion which gives a lovely mottled effect. I did slightly pad the centre to make it stand out more but it doesnt really show up in the photos

I am looking forward to the next intriging topic!