The one at the top of the list is my piece for the Sanctuary challenge coming due in a few weeks. I've been fiddling with it off and on for a while but finally found the right direction last week.
I spend nearly as much time writing as I do making fiber art. I've always got a journal and a sketchbook going at the same time, and I love handmade books. I usually treat myself and purchase a handmade one each year but I recently bought a couple of books so I can learn to make them myself.It didn't take me long after Karen announced the theme as Sanctuary that I knew I wanted to do something about writing since I find total piece of mind when I do it. My initial plans were to make a black and white piece but the more I looked at it, the more underwhelmed I became with it.
So I did what any self respecting artist would do...I kicked its butt into the trash can and started over.
I found a good groove and today spent much of the day working on it. I stitch everything by hand and I mean everything. I feel like it connects me with the piece more. The first thing I do is what I call a foundation stitching. I like big bold stitches (I figure if I'm going to spend hours with the needle and thread, I want it to really show up) so that's the first layer. This holds everything in place (almost like a fancy basting except its permanent and part of the design) and then as I continue to add things to the piece, I stitch it more densely.
Here's a peek of the foundation stitching:
I also enjoy adding three dimensional things to my pieces as well so that's what I'll be doing tonight. I've got three elements that I'm pretty excited about so I need to stitch on those as well.
If you'd like to see an another sneak peek of a different portion of the quilt, please visit my personal blog.
Can't wait to show it complete!
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