I didn’t realize it until I tried to describe some of my projects to someone, and all the ones that reflected my own art and not just a pattern designed by someone else, usually included trees.
And if not trees, then at least something that grows in the ground. I can’t tell you what it means, except that I have a deep longing to connect to the earth.
I recently pre-ordered a book that has apparently been wildly popular in Europe: “The Hidden Life of Trees — What They Feel, How They Communicate — Discoveries from a Secret World, ” by Peter Wohlleben.
An article from the NYTimes profiles the German forest ranger’s book.
I’ve always known that the natural world — birds, animals, trees, gardens — have more to teach us than we ever give them credit for. In the woods, I learned to listen, and look…much more than I ever do in my daily busy-ness.
Art is a struggle. We are reaching, reaching, always striving to capture the thing beyond ourselves. I do believe that trees (as well as the rest of nature) try to teach us something. When I break through the barrrier and discover the lesson, I will let you know.
Until then, like most of us, I continue to be a student.
Multi-hoop project is quilted, bound and finished.
The center is basically quilted. The outside two rows of blocks are still undone all the way around. And then there’s the border. And then I’ll need to add the binding. Progress is slow, but I AM making progress. Those hand stitches are so cozy-looking up close. Everyone needs a long-term project. If nothing else, it teaches me patience and perseverance. It reminds me that work done by hand is still precious, still relevant and still worthwhile.
I selected a decorative stitch and added it to the edge, and finished everything off with a triple stitch. Because it doesn’t fray, you don’t have to finish the edges.
The only caution I would offer is to be careful about the decorative stitching you choose. Because Kraft-Tex behaves like leather, the stitching causes perforations, and you don’t want to use a very heavy satin stitch as it will separate along the holes. You want the project to hold together well, so the lighter the stitching, the better.
I’ll admit the quality is better than I expected, and captured quite a bit of detail. The fabric then lifts away from the paper backing and can then be used as any other fabric. The poplin is very thin and I would certainly use a woven fusible interfacing on the back.
I’ve been working on this quilt for my teenage son.
I guess what I’m enjoying about the quilt is that up close, you can see the details of the food, but you have to step back a bit to notice the quilt pattern.
It was larger than I expected, hanging over the top of a full size bed, so quilting was a bit of a challenge.
The border is chocolate chips. My son picked out the binding fabric which I thought was quite hideous against the chocolate chips.
Finally, I pieced the backing from other fabrics he had selected along the way: maps, pheasants and computer gear.
