I spent a lot of time in the studio over the long weekend. I got this small study completely quilted, and then spent time doing hand and machine embroidery. I am really happy with how it turned out!
I quilted heavily in the green pieced areas- all straight line, with a variegated King Tut thread. I'd planned to do some free motion on the tree trunks, but when I saw how my straight-line quilting made the trunks stand out and look almost dimensional, I changed my mind. Then I did some machine embroidery, and topped that with hand embroidery in colors to give some pop. I loved the effect it created.
The quilt is bound with a zigzag stitch and rattail cord. I like this much better than yarn, it gives a cleaner and sleeker look. I think the piece needs to be bordered some how, so I started auditioning fabric for a 'matte', something I learned from Jean Wells' books. I found the perfect piece (in the top photo), which I plan to quilt before sewing Walk in the Woods 2 on it. I'll be thinking about how to quilt the matte to best show this off.
So many things about this piece work for me. I love how the heavy quilting softens the piecing lines, and makes the tree trunks stand out. I love the effect I got with the machine embroidery, and will be experimenting with this a lot more. And, I love the pops of color from the hand embroidery.
One more note: I have FINALLY mastered French knots! I have tried to do them many times over the years, never successfully. Today, after watching two video tutorials and one book, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. The French knots on the bottom of this piece were the final design element I wanted- crunchy texture to remind me of the crunchy leaves underfoot in the woods.
I'm really glad I did this small study, I'm already thinking about how I can take what I learned from it and make something similar in a larger size for a show next year.
I am linking up this post with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday. Make sure you go take a look at what the other artists have posted!
