My client requested veins in the leaves and a swirly maple leaf filler in the colourful blocks of this quilt - and the rest was up to me.
Half a plan is better than no plan, so I dove in!
 |
| Client Quilt - very Canadian! FreshofftheFrame.com |
First I ditched the white blocks, stitched down the applique, and then added stylized veins to harmonize with the stylized leaves.
. . . well, okay . . . that's not *exactly* how it happened . . .
I ripped out my first attempt at veins because (yup) I hated them. They were too organic, and I didn't think they worked very well in this situation.
After sketching several different options I came up with Plan B.
Much better!
 |
| Love the look of Plan B! FreshofftheFrame.com |
Next, I filled the white background using loopy lines, alternating their direction in each block. I like how they add movement and soften all the straight lines of the design without being too curvy.
 |
| Soft and curvy complements strong and straight. FreshofftheFrame.com |
Meanwhile, I'd been considering the filler design for the coloured blocks.
It would have been tricky to freehand maple leaves that *look* like maple leaves, so I decided to use a pantograph instead. That meant I had to turn the quilt. (I also had to modify the panto to fit the space, but it was worth the time it took!)
Starting with half a plan sometimes means an extra step (or two), but it always leads to a finish - and I think this worked out beautifully!
 |
| Swirly (and leafy) adds another complementary texture to the mix. FreshofftheFrame.com |
BEFORE quilting:
 |
| The flimsy FreshofftheFrame.com |
AFTER quilting:
 |
| The quilt! FreshofftheFrame.com |
What a FUN finish!
Also Fresh off the Frame
 |
| Client quilt - Fantasy Flame pantograph FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Client quilt - Hearts in Bloom panto FreshofftheFrame.com |
And a couple more that will have to wait until their owner sees them first!
Other Artsy Adventures
Adventure ONE:
I spent a whole, delightful weekend in a lino cutting and printmaking workshop with Mary Parslow!
It was my first time using carving tools, so I had much to learn.
I'm happy to report I only suffered one accidental finger jab, and it didn't even bleed all that much!
First up, I carved lines of many thicknesses - willy nilly, with no plan in mind - to try and get used to the tool.
 |
| As it turns out, I'm quite happy with this carving - it reminds me of a tree root or a seed pod, depending on how you look at it! FreshofftheFrame.com |
I also decided to make ghost prints alongside the original - definitely not a printmaking technique, but it made sense to my fabric loving brain!
Other people created masterpieces with their first attempts.
I like to think of my work as "expressive". Ha! ;-)
So then I decided to try a butterfly from one of my photos.
I still couldn't wrap my head around the positive/negative aspect of the lines, but I figured, what the heck. I'll dive in and try stuff! (It's how I roll!)
 |
| Gotta start somewhere! FreshofftheFrame.com |
Still not a masterpiece, but I learned A LOT from making it!
Mary suggested that I could fine tune the wings, but I'd decided not to bother investing more energy into this piece. I had learned, and was ready to move on.
 |
| Chine colle technique incorporates thin Chinese or Japanese paper into the print. FreshofftheFrame.com |
After day one, I came home and browsed my photos from last summer.
My brain had grasped the positive/negative concept and I was eager to find an image that could become a strong composition.
I landed on a photo I'd taken from the back of a horse and knew it would be perfect as a line drawing!
 |
| I get it now! I love this image. FreshofftheFrame.com |
We used baby wipes to clean our lino blocks, and wouldn't you know - - - I couldn't resist lifting a print to see if it would work (and it did!).
 |
| Experimental print on a baby wipe - why waste perfectly good ink, right??? FreshofftheFrame.com |
Now I have a little stack of baby wipe prints, too - Oh, my happy, quilty heart!
Once we had mastered the printing aspect of the process (well, practiced it, anyway...), we "graduated" to coloured ink, and learned how to create ombre effects using a single colour (dark to light), or a whole rainbow!
 |
| I pulled baby wipe prints every time I cleaned my block - heh, heh!. :-) FreshofftheFrame.com |
A wooden jig hooked over the edge of the table offered a corner to prevent the lino block from slipping during printing (or carving, for that matter). Very handy.
 |
| Curvy carving - trying circles and line variations FreshofftheFrame.com |
I quite enjoyed the whole process, and am excited to apply what I've learned to my quilted art.
Adventure TWO:
Laina has decided to enter the CQA Youth Challenge again this year. She has a vision involving local landmarks, so we traipsed through the snow for an afternoon so she could take reference photos.
I can't share yet, so I'm not even sure why I brought that up. Oh, wait! It's to provide the link and encourage you (if you're Canadian) to mentor a youth and enter the challenge!
Information for Canadian Quilter's Association YOUTH CHALLENGE
Adventure THREE:
Again, I can't show much - but I've started the "slicing and dicing" part of a big project!
It doesn't look too exciting yet, but it will get better!!!
And, final share of the night (morning?): Two new books that I can't wait to get my nose into!
Try, Learn, & Grow!
Carole
