Saguaro

It was so hard to figure out the difference between 'Icon' and 'Logo'...as in the Nike 'check' and Marilyn Monroe.... especially to make something I wanted  [as in having to live with whatever I make]. I could have used the Canadian Maple Leaf... but do I want that on my wall? Not really..... then , while going through some of the maps in the car, the Saguaro on the Arizona map caught my eye. And...so true... is the Saguaro not synonymous with the desert... particularly in Arizona? That is how I chose what I would do... and here it is....

Saguaro in bloom


I started with a piece of hand-painted fabric... somehow it seemed to have the right color and texture for both the background and the foreground.  Free motion stitching, some decorative stitch and hand stitching complete the 'feel'. The binding.. which this piece seemed to need was hand dyed commercial fabric using a tjapa from Indonesia. It had the prickly sense... so it worked. The flowers and the saguaro arm are painted and the 'prickles' are thread.
Here is a close-up shot of the flowers.... which were made using a soft polyester and rusted cotton interfacing... [nothing is sacred!]

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do . My neighbor... a retired florist said... 'I love everything about it! It has a wedding feel to it'....
Carole