May 30, 2012

just can't keep it simple

pillow_1 

sometimes. When it was time to decide what to do with all my lovely Umbrella Print trimmings, I got a bit obsessed the last weeks by piecing an elephant and experimenting with different techniques on a small scale. That is something I have meant to do for a long time and never get around to it. So the bittersweet journey to this pillow cover began. Playing around with ideas, auditioning, reconsidering, sewing, appliquing, ripping apart and starting all over. Sometimes it felt like being in elemntary school when trying to remember embroidery stitches like the daisy stitch.

pillow_5 

The elephant and the mouse were paper pieced whereas the coati was appliqued (needleturn) using some softer trimmings. This little guy is just 2" high. Now, Let's talk about tiny. Somebody should stop me next time. The ruffled grass gives the needed perspective.

The words floating from the upper right corner tell the wondrous tale of the elephant meeting a coati. Therefore the wordstrips were quilted in lines that yould easily be seen as Chinese calligraphy. At the end I added some trees and a little feather to complete the scenery and a few handstitches. It was time to practise free motion quilting again.

pillow_3 

The panel finished at about 10" and got framed with the rest of my trimming package (the darker blue belonged to it as well). All that is left is dust and some tiny pieces. Not sure if they will get anything in the near future. Taking pictures was a bit different with the rainy days here and my little helpers. But nevertheless, it is finished and sits now in the reading nook of the munchkins where it belongs.

pillow_4

Here is a closer look on my trimming package I have used and let me tell you get quite a lot out of it.

trimmings