Saturday, April 5, 2008

March TIF Finally Finished... April Already?


9.5 x 17.5

I could have kept going with this as I see more spaces and seams that could be worked.... but I had to concede to it being done. I started with the idea of the details of paw tracks in the forest... how something bigger than just the prints could be right around the next tree or hillock. After I started stitching, I was letting some of the details of the fabric prints guide me through.

My first attempt ever at a spider and web turned out more taut than I wanted. The spider was a "booger" but I was just happy that he looked like a spider when done. The nest is out of proportion but it works its point... I added the sticks to the nest to counteract the feathered look that it had when I made it. The little bear face is hiding in there if you can see it along with some other little things..

Now I might be called a cheater that I didn't do real silk ribbon embroidery for the leaves but I found a huge bag of silk flower heads and leaves at St Vincents ($2) and saw the opportunity to use them and save myself some precious time ( which was very precious in March). This block is the epitomy of crazy quilting, both the quilting and me. I am finding the outcomes of my stitching very untraditional to the Victorians CQ. This may be a new genre, coined Ozark CQ !

Heres what this block taught me...
Theres lots of details in the stillness of the woods. Theres lots of accountability in making a commitment to something and sticking with it. Theres much to be said for using details already available, and theres lots of details I'd never paid attention to before. I'm a novice at this and my best teaching has been from my mistakes, creativity is born from a good laugh, my best tool is a needle threader, I can't have a couple drinks and sew straight, and alas... know when to say when.

When!!! .... and happy to change direction to something new. hint, hint, of whats to come.

till the next time, Jane

9 comments:

Tanguera said...

Nice details. Missed the spider (thankfully!), but noticed the birds nest.

Betsie said...

I adore the beaded blueberries! Superb details! =)

Anonymous said...

I really like this Jane, I made it super big so I could admire all the details. (fancy cheating and not doing your own SRE leaves!) I didnt think bears carried posies of flowers around! I like the nest - very nest like and the spider looks great. I dont know what a booger is (well i know what it is is Australian) - i like his long legs! I also liked the little footprint beads. The colours are lovely - lots of interesting details! looking forward to seeing Aprils efforts. I've drawn a blank on this one.

Cheryl said...

This is very original and creative Jane. Your use of color here was sonderful. The blue color surrounding the bears made me think of blueberries and how much bears like them! This was quite a large piece for the challenge, but will be a wonderful accent in your home!

Bernadette said...

I love the colors, I love the spider, and the tiny paw prints are delightful. You are very creative!

Life Scraps and Patches said...

Jane, this is absolutely exquisite. And I love how shared your paragraph about what you learned, too. I think it's important to sit down and think about lessons learned when we finish a piece. What a great job. Connie

Judy S. said...

Hi Jane,
I love the way your TIF block turned out, especially the nest. Boy, that's one scary spider I'd hate to meet in a tent! Your work looks very accomplished to me....and thanks for sharing what you learned, a sign of of good project, I think.

Anonymous said...

What a neat idea: tracks in the woods. You did a beautiful job of interpreting the theme and using the colors. This piece is really lovely.

Gayle said...

Absolutely wonderful! I love the nest.