I was rooting around first in my own hand dyed fabric, but nothing really spoke to me, so I moved on to needlefelting various silk waste and yarns I had, then cutting them up again, but the design wasn't good. I then pulled out some commercial fabrics, mainly batiks, and started fooling around with circles and curved lines, like the piece above. Something about the prints on the fabric made me unhappy so I sulked for a few weeks, then decided I really needed to come up with a design I liked, and try to make the fabrics work with it. I sketched out a few versions of the design above, and realized I wanted to use solids, to highlight just the design, not the fabric. Several years ago in Houston, there was a fabric booth that sold these beautiful handdyes and I bought lots, probably 75 fat quarters, that I have never used. It was perfect for this. I don't have a name for this, other than Line Study, which I think sums up what this challange was about for me.
10 comments:
You were right - I had a shortlist of four of us- you were no where near it! But like Terri's I love the clarity of this one. Funny - I was explaining to my husband last night how you do such complex surface design stuff and how I wanted to get to learn to be able to do all that too... and then you do this :) Tonight I shall be explaining how simply EVERYONE buys 75 FQs at a time :)
Ha ha! This does not look like a Karen piece at all, That being said, it is a wonderful composition and that is true to your aesthetic.
I was fooled also. I like the simplicity and straightforwardness of the design and its execution. No fuss, no frills.
My reaction is pretty much teh same as Gerrie's -- I would not have pegged it as yours. However, your best work is the abstract pieces and this fits right in to that group. The colors work beautifully together.
I just love seeing this from you, Karen, and am really delighted by this piece. Like everyone else, I would not have guess this as yours -- but I have so enjoyed seeing you try different things in your pieces, and this is another very successful exploration. It just shows that when you have a good eye for composition and balance, you can really venture far. Wonderful. (And it makes me want to go buy 75 fat quarters, too.)
I love how these challenges provide a forum for us to try new things, experiment and create quilts that nobody would guess were ours. I do see a hint of the line study in your Lorikeet quilt, with its strong shape. And of course beautiful handdyes are a very rich example of solid colors.
There is a certain whimsy to this piece that I find enchanting. And the stitched detail around the spots is delightful.
You are right Karen! I would not have guess this as your quilt. I'm loving it! It has a simplicity that screams "look at me"! Your light colored stitching lines gives it a fun feel as well.
Who is this artist, and what has she done with Karen?! Very interesting composition. I see whimsy. I see two green caterpillars climbing along some big flower petals. Great line study and lovely color study.
It's so interesting how the yellowish stitching seems to change colors when it's on top of the purple vs on top of the mauve. I often strive for more simplicity in my work. It is so hard to achieve and you have really put together such a thoughtful, dynamic composition with just these few lines, shapes and colors. Great job.
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