Thursday, March 27, 2014

Blank Canvas

The evening Crazy Quilt class met tonight, and because I was able to sew on the binding I moaned about yesterday, I had time to think about getting ready for class.  Having finished a block featuring my great-grandmother, my "rules" allowed me to plan a "fun" block (that is, one dependent only on my imagination and not constrained by any factual matters such as names, dates, history, personality, likes, or dislikes).  

I had already decided that the four corners of this crazy quilt will represent the four seasons.  The gifts I have been given by the women in my family have to do with creative needlework, something that can be both an source of tranquility and of creative energy year round.  I had also drawn a simple landscape that will be the same in each corner and different only in the way each corner shows that scene in varied seasons.  

Today I had to figure out how to translate that drawing into fabrics suitable for a crazy quilt and then how to adhere them to the backing (fabrics for a crazy quilt block are sew onto a plain background that will support all the pieces as one adds the embellishments).  My pieces would be more oddly shaped than usual so I decided to use paper so I could get both the shape and the sharp edges I wanted.  

Here is what I wound up with:


This is my "blank canvas" on which I will create a winter landscape.  What you are looking at are rolling hills covered in snow (white for those in moonlight and blue for shadows).  On the left is a tree and its shadow stretches across the lower right edge of the block in a very deep blue.  The very small, brown boxy shape with an X stitched on it is a house off in the distance.  In the far right background is a purpley mountain.  It will be interesting to see if the finished block matches the picture in my imagination.

Of course, I put the block on my design wall so I could take a picture of it to use in this blog and promptly walked off and left it there.  That's right.  I didn't have it with me to work on tonight.  But . . . I was able to work on another aspect of this block in class so it wasn't wasted time.

Do you think the idea has merit?  Will this block work?  Can you see it done as a series of seasons in the same landscape?

2 comments:

  1. I love this block and I think it's going to be stunning. God knows you have had enough inspiration for a winter block! Can hardly wait to see this come alive!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with ME...this piece is just beautiful and the colors are perfect for the "topic"...cannot wait to see it in person!

    ReplyDelete