Monday, August 30, 2010

Janet Bolton Exercise

Simple, small and beautiful.
I will need to choose more colour fragments for this.
This morning I have chosen to make this Janet Bolton exercise from her book 'Patchwork Folk Art ' (2009). The piece is titled 'Bluebird in the Early Morning ' and has dimensions of 9 x 3 and a half inches. I want to work through this small piece for several reasons, the main one being that I want to experience making something so small, to see if it suits me better than consructing larger pieces. I am also so taken with Bolton's designs that I thought perhaps some of her gift might rub off on me if I do a copy. Ha ha. Another reason is that if I can discipline myself to match fabric and tones with her choices then I could almost be guaranteed of having one decent present to give at Christmas time. To these ends, I have selected, washed, and ironed a small range of fabrics I had at hand which may work for this picture.

At close of weekend needle yesterday, I am happy to say, I had almost completed 'How Raven Wrecked a Wedding'. Not sure what day exactly, but some day this week I will post it.  Overall, I am glad I continued through to the final embellishing stage as I enjoyed it very much. It really has not ended up as I had imagined. But if truth be known I didn't really have an imagination about its finality. I just have a small amount of embellishing left to do. I also have to adjust to moving on to another story. I am wondering whether it may not be better to have several storycloths on the go. Less intense perhaps, and that way there is always something in process when one construction ends.

Happy stitching, Gilly

8 comments:

  1. i thought about you this morning because i am waiting for my janet bolton book to arrive. i read about it here. love the way your piece is progressing. i'm always working on more than one piece at a time because i need lots of thinking time as i work a piece. i admire people who can just whip out a piece in no time. looking forward to seeing 'how raven wrecked a wedding'.

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  2. lovely work! and I have to report that my domestic goddess period is over!!

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  3. sometimes one piece affects the other.

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  4. i hope you enjoy the process but be sure to make it your own...k.

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  5. Hi Deanna - yes I think it might be a good idea to have a few on the go. I will have fun beginning them all for sure.

    Hey Karen - domestic goddess times are important for self nourishment, the benefit to others is a good reassuring bonus.

    Hi jude - well actually this is the nub of it. They prolly talk to each other and would have me as a partner. Plus I think it would allow creative splurges in differing directions rather than trying to squish it all into one piece when it might not be the right piece for the particular energy.x

    Hi there Kaite - thank you so much for this. I HAVE to remember that this is about my designs, my expressions, my being. Not much to really give if it isn't truly from me. The reasons for copying still stand tho. Haha - I'll see how it goes.

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  6. you can copy the techniques and still make it your own... i do like the idea of bluebird out there chirping away in the early morning dew...

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  7. There is definitely an art to working small. I need to work smaller and to finish more pieces. I think its good to have lots of pieces on the go though as you can always go back to them.

    xt

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  8. Mmm nandas, yes, I like the blue bird early morning idea as well. Early morning herald.

    Hi T - well this is reassuring from a professional. Thank you.

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