#NeedleworkMonday: A Tree Grows In San Bernardino
Continuing on with last week's silk and bead doodling--
https://steemit.com/needleworkmonday/@creationofcare/needleworkmonday-beading-for-its-own-sake
--this shade tree emerged from its charmeuse silk circle with the point of view I have when seated beneath my own shade tree in the morning, looking upwards-- to where the branches truncate the perspective.
I figured out what my direction is with this open-ended textile playtime. I am making a crazy quilt background, with all of these circular remnants forming vignettes of my own garden.
Last week, I completed the fish pond. This week closes with the top of a tree I planted some 15+ years ago pointing a tendril into the great beyond.
I am very eager to create discs featuring my hens, the blue jays, hawks, and finches, not just all of the generous plants cultivated in this garden. Perhaps even some silk representations of mantids, bees, and other invertebrates that make a microcosm healthy.
For now, I am busily transforming slim, tapered, waste scraps of silk into beggar's cloth.
This technique is known as "Strip Quilting", which sounds WAYYYY more risque than it is.
Simply put, you sew together two long strips lengthwise, press open, cut a fresh straightedge, and repeat. When you square off the patchwork with a rotary cutter, wow! It looks like I meant to do that!
I just kept halving it one way and reattaching it the other way until I ended up with 28" x 2" pieced ribbon to insert.
Now, I am practicing serious dissociative trance states by learning various crazy quilt border stitches.
Embracing my inner Cretan (stitch)
And so, while this ends my transmission on the topic of #needleworkmonday for now, I still sit here, busy at my work table, surrounded by silky remnents, shreds, beads, and threads.
Love,cat
Thank you so much for being part of the #socalsteemit community.
Thanks so much for this!
I love how you combine quilting and embroidery :)
Thanks! Crazy quilts have always mesmerized me with all that detail.
Wow, I really appreciate you including me in your curation! That is such an honor. May #needleworkmonday continue to gather momentum!!!
I am so intrigued by how this is coming together! The beautiful shades of greens, blues, browns and pinks compliment each other well. I love how you are having fun, free styling and making a beautiful art picture out of textiles. Is it challenging for you to work with silk? The tree and the pond it’s all so beautiful ~
Thank you for sharing this lovely painting of silk with us. I’m so curious to see the finished result now! 😃😍
Thanks so much for your comment! I have a bin full of silk remnants from various commissioned pieces from a few years ago. They tend to collect into colorways naturally, maybe I will do a post about my stash. I am a total sucker for luxury textiles and fine materials! I feel such sensory bliss handling fine silk, it just has a soulfulness that synthetics lack.
I am so happy that you enjoy this unfurling silk garden! It is gathering a certain urgency inside me.
Blessings!
This is growing into something very special. I still love the harmonius (blue/teal) colours. And these stripey sewing technique - wow. It looks so beautiful.
Thank you. It feels so relaxing and peaceful. I like how you said it is "growing", that is def how it feels. Cheers!
this looks so cool! I've been working on a cross stitch with instructions for ages and even find that difficult hahaha. Can't wait to see the finished product!
Oh yeah, I have started yhose in the past and set them aside unfinished every time! Instructions use some other brain state, I believe. Thanks so much!