Design Decisions

I have been working on a sample piece, in preparation for a larger one the will be done with the same hand dyed fabric.  I got the hand embroidery done while on a business trip a week ago, and finished the machine quilting today.

I tried all kinds of quilting designs on paper, and nothing much worked well- or at least, that's what I thought.  I want the quilting to contrast with the curvy lines of the spiral- that decision was made after drawing some curvy quilting, kind of like McTavishing on a grayscale photocopy of the piece.  Nope.  None of the straight line designs did much for me either, so I went with this.  I'm not sure about this one either, but at least it's only journal quilt size so I haven't got a lot of time or materials invested.

I like how the outline around the spiral appears almost like I did trapunto.  That is an effect I will do again on the larger piece.  I'm also happy with the hand embroidery, although I may play with color a little more in the larger piece.

I used a golden yellow for the straight line quilting, and although the colors of the thread and fabric blend well, I think it washed out the entire piece more than I like.  I will probably use monofilament in the larger piece, so I get the texture without the color. 

I will have more surface design going on in the larger piece- more stencilling and stamping, and probably some done after I quilt.  I want the large spiral to be the focal point, but I want the viewer to see layers also once they come in for a closer look.

I am still feeling totally uninspired in the studio, unable to focus for any length of time.  Diane summed up how I've been feeling very well, even though I haven't been doing any mindless piecing.  Maybe I should try it, I can think of at least two UFO's I need to get done this year.  I'm beginning to wonder if what creativity I have melted away with the fat I've lost the past few months??