I have finally finished my Connections piece. It has changed a lot in the last couple of days!!
This piece is about my connection with Australia, place of my birth, sometimes not the best place for me to be, but somewhere I am continually drawn back to.
Originally it was to be an entirely paper (fronted) quilt. I stuck pages from an old book together, painted them, sprayed them, splattered them, then put design of gum leaves and blossoms on them. I have to tell you all this because its not possible to make this out anymore!!
Then I put some reproduction stamps on, in a grid pattern to represent the changes that began with white settlement of this land. The stamps have aboriginals, kangaroos and wallabies on them.
Next I layered up the quilt with wool wadding, and cloth backing, and stitched the gum leaf and blossom design - and that's when it started to go pear shaped. The stitching cut through the paper, except where the stamps were. In what's becoming obvious as a major character flaw, instead of stopping when things werent going right, I kept going!! LOL!!
So then I got the check fabric, another grid reference, layered it up, quilted it with a gum leaf and blossom overall design, and then in green the block design that had torn the paper, and next I picked up each of the torn elements and lightly glued them in place on the new background. An enormously tedious task!!
Tulle over the top - too many grid references? - and then restitch the block design in red, trim, deliberately but only slightly off centre, it looks right, but then when you look closely its not - a reflection of connection - and then bound and finally here!!
OK, I'm going to make my reflections piece a dozen times over or until I'm happy with it, because I now have 2 little quilts I'm not best pleased with!
Catchya
Rosie
It's interesting that you look at your own work, and just see all the problems, whereas I look at it, and see a beautiful little quilt full of meaning. I love it! It has depth, interest and a wonderful feeling of peace and beauty. It's all in the eyes of the beholder.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda, that's kind.... but I know I could do better on a second try!!
ReplyDeletea huge amount of effort with a gr8 result. please post a close up. well done rosie!
ReplyDeleteOh Rosie,I totally sympathise with the trauma of having things go off at a tangent and spoil your best laid plans! Thanks for sharing the ups and downs - the end result is deceptive - no-one would have guessed the trouble you had. The gum theme brought back memories of going up with them - the wonderful peeling bark and the acorns that we used to make pipes from and smoke!!!! Oops, shouldn't have said that... But the colours and shapes are all there.
ReplyDeleteHilary
I think that planning things out beforehand is overvalued, and that often the best result comes from adapting to the unexpected. And Rosie, I also think that you need to put that inner critic of yours in its proper place! A lovely piece, very layered in its references and its construction.
ReplyDelete