Don't Be Koi

 

This project was in the works over a very long time frame. I started off with a very traditional background as the layout for the water. I had a vision of koi fish in a pond & I wanted them to be hiding under the shade of an overhanging branch. But I didn't know how to do the 3D element of the branch so it was pinned to my board for quite some time. Then the GOE group decided that we would use our quarterly challenge as entries for the then, upcoming Threadworks challenge "Water".

 

I had another idea for what I wanted to enter for the water challenge but nothing was coming out right. So due to lack of time, I pulled my water background down & just got down to business finishing my Koi piece. The branch was made using a wire hanger covered in scrap strips. Then I started making the leaves for the dimensional element. Once I knew the layout of the branch I stitched down my koi, quilted & then beaded the background & fish.

This quilt followed me to Istanbul in order for me to finish it for the deadline. The GOE group decided that it was best not to post our finished pieces until after we knew if they had been accepted or rejected from the Threadworks show. I decided not to enter my piece for the show but I didn't post it anyways. The show is now on and I'm told that it's fantastic. Some of the GOE members had their pieces accepted.

 

Monochromatic Challenge

The last challenge submission for the GOE Group was Monochromatic. I had no idea what I wanted to do and all I was thinking about was spring and purchasing seeds for our property. I was also consumed with bees...and learning all I could for our new apiary. All I could come up with was a flower...monochromatic was devastatingly hard for someone who loves colour. It was extremely hard to take a picture of the finished piece because it's 3D and the beads reflect from every angle.

I have details of the progress but it's way too many pictures.

I started out using flexi firm purchased from my local Fabricland.  Then I stitched stainless steel 20 gauge wire to the underside of all the petals. I gesso'd both sides, added cheese cloth & painted it with a gel matte medium & jacquard textile paint. Then I spread some molding paste over everything in a very random...scratchy motion. These are the brighter portions in the pictures because after you apply molding paste, those parts don't absorb the paint in the same way. After the molding paste was dry, I then applied paint & hand stitched for some added texture. Then I decided to add some encaustic wax over the whole top side of the petals. Once I did this the hand stitching actually changed colour & the embroidery was less visible. I wasn't really expecting that but I was reading a book called Hot Textiles...and that's what she did and I loved the effect. My pictures don't get as close as her professional pictures in the book so you really can't get a feel for that.

All the petals were stitched together and then nailed to a back board. I then worked on the center beading, adding sequins and stuffing in a donut shape so that the very center is actually recessed a bit for an added 3D element.

 Posting has become a very difficult task lately. Not only does one have to find time...but one has to find time where the computer is not in use. In my house this is becoming quite the task. Is it too hard to ask for a dedicated computer that has some speed to it. Is this growing world of computers one would assume that we could have fast service but I'm finding that it's getting slower & slower...and this "cloud" is bogging everything down. lol. I've been working on this posting in my spare minutes for days....crazy...In my next life, I will have a computer that works fast and I'll have all kinds of time for my studio.

If you want to see more pictures of the process...