I think my design process goes in fits and spurts and sometimes emerges over several months and years
I made this hanging from a piece of hand dyed silk… I started quilting it a year or two ago without much idea of where I was going or what it was going to become. I eventually saw a sort of fantasy garden emerging..
This is how it was half finished:
I added the red scrim to unite the pink at the bottom and the flowers at the top but wasn’t really sure where it was going. However, I finished off the quilt (or so I thought!). It hung on my wall for a few months like this:
But I was never really happy with it as a piece of work. So yesterday I went mad!!! I have some Tsukineko walnut inks and sprayed the pink bit and around various other parts with it. I could then see a tree trunk emerging from that piece of scrim… I’m a lot happier with it now. But I do leap in without thinking!!! I have no idea if the walnut inks will be fast on fabric and I think I’ll have to rinse it to get rid of the excess… watch this space! Anyone know about the properties of these walnut inks? Anyway, if it all rinses out, I know what to do now, but I’ll do it with silk paints instead… What is that they say about fools rushing in?
Here it is at the moment:
I cut into the scrim a bit to emphasise the tree trunk idea. Here is a detail:
I will keep you posted on its progress!
17 responses so far ↓
1 Myfanwy // Apr 13, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Great, Liz. What a difference. We’ll have to watch this space with those inks!
2 Mystic Silks // Apr 13, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Wow!–How excellent this turned out!
3 Dayna/Scottie Acres Boutique // Apr 13, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I love the way it is emerging. Sometimes ya gotta just let things hang for a bit and come back to it.
4 Brenda // Apr 13, 2008 at 10:31 pm
The walnut ink wash tones down the base colour and enriches the quilt top beautifully. Well done for pushing on…
5 Helen // Apr 13, 2008 at 10:37 pm
It’s amazing the difference the ink makes. Fantastic work.
6 Judy Nolan // Apr 13, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Liz, I don’t know anything about the walnut ink, but I like the final results a lot. Just beautiful!
7 rayna // Apr 13, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Getting better and better, Liz. Jumping in and following your instincts is always a sure way to improve something that you’re not happy with. Too much thinking is a BAD thing with art, IMO.
It really is looking great!
8 Terri // Apr 14, 2008 at 1:04 am
Wow, I kept liking it more and more as I scrolled down. I love how you’ve altered the colors.
9 Vicki W // Apr 14, 2008 at 2:03 am
The walnut ink added so much depth! I love the texture from the quilting.
10 sixsisters // Apr 14, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Liz this is great ! love seeing the changes in this piece. I also loved seeing the photos of your DS’s in the other blog. They look like you.
11 Potiron // Apr 15, 2008 at 11:57 am
Sometimes I find we think too much and it ends up keeping us from moving on….
Sometimes a bit of “foolishness” as you put it does a lot of good!!!
I like your end result. I think I’d stitch the scrim a little to give it even more movement gathering it a bit, but colorwise from what I see on the screen, you’ve given it more depth….
I like your stuff!!! and have fun!!!!
12 Lea // Apr 15, 2008 at 3:46 pm
LOVE love love your work! So beautiful and delicate. Very inspiring and uplifting. Keep it up!!!
13 k baxter packwood // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Which walnut ink did you use? The brand that is? I found the greens to be fast for the Tsukineko and the Adirondak inks but not the reds so much. Heat set first with an iron before rinsing as there will be some wash out regardless and the heat setting will keep ALL of it from washing out.
14 k baxter packwood // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Btw Liz this piece is simply LOVELY!!!
15 laura // Apr 16, 2008 at 6:04 am
I agree, liked it more and more as I scrolled down. Well done! I also liked the pic of your DS’s. How did you all find a seat on the tube?
16 Mags // Apr 19, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I love this one Liz! I can see you have been experimenting a lot with your Gocco. I think those discharged look fantastic. i will have more time in a week or two to play I hope.
17 Janine // May 11, 2008 at 5:22 pm
This is gorgeous! You are such an inspiration!
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