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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

sketch of the day... on fabric

flower sketch  10"X 8"
It's not very seasonal but it was a sketch of the day, done with portfolio paint sticks on fabric.
Recently I led a workshop for my friends using paint sticks and texture sheets on fabric. One of the exercises was to draw orbs free hand blending colors. The next exercise was to draw a simple flower shape, to see how to control stretch of fabric while drawing straight lines. Then they were to start drawing their own compositions.

A friend gave me a little scrap of the striped fabric, when I got home I saw how my little demo piece looked on it. In order to keep the stripes going I had to do some fussy cutting and stitching.
I wanted to do some quick simple quilting. I started with couching the metallic fuzzy pink around the image. Then stitched repetitive lines with pink then red, rayon threads. I finished by stitching the border lines with sulky hologram metallic hot pink.

You can still see the texture plate through the stitching.




When you teach a technique, you end up with a lot of samples, and unfinished bits and pieces. Often they get thrown away. With my goal of a sketch a day this month, I was happy to turn this into a finished quilt.

Is it a plumeria? A poinsettia? I don't worry myself with reality. It's a flower, bright and pretty. I like the blue and green done on fern texture sheets giving the flower a place to rest.




 It was fast to paint, I'd say 5-10 minutes. It was fast to quilt, I'd say less than an hour. I bound it with black, done on machine.
I have no idea what to do with it but it was lovely to work on, and I like that the border fabric was a scrap given to me by a friend.
I have learned so much about drawing this month. I am no longer unnverved by a blank white page. I start making marks, add to them, move fast, enjoy seeing an image develop. I have turned three of my sketches into quilts so far this month, and will share the others soon.

17 comments:

  1. I think it looks fantastic! I would love to learn more.

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  2. Hi LeeAnna!
    This flower looks great!
    Is there a way to hang all these gorgeous small quilts together (safetly pins or clips of some sort or big loopy stiches) then hang it as one on a wall? A quilt collage? rustic modern!
    Take care,
    Joanne

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  3. Hi LeeAnna!
    This flower looks great!
    Is there a way to hang all these gorgeous small quilts together (safetly pins or clips of some sort or big loopy stiches) then hang it as one on a wall? A quilt collage? rustic modern!
    Take care,
    Joanne

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  4. It's great and if it is a poinsetta, then it is the best :o)

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  5. Are you using the Portfolio water soluble oil pastels? I like this cheery flower very much!

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    Replies
    1. yes, there are two brands I use that don't smell, portfolio that blend well, and pentel.

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  6. Your sketching has been really interesting to watch. I still have trouble picturing you as being unnerved by a blank piece of paper - your creativity always seems to be positively overflowing. 8)
    Getting a lovely little quilt out of your playing is such a bonus!

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  7. So pretty! I love the texture and depth this has.

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  8. It's beautiful. The black frames it well and does its magic with the happy bright colors. Matching the stripes makes a much more polished look. To me that really gives it symmetry and is well worth the effort. I think it really would be lovely hanging anywhere in a house :)

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  9. Really pretty! I love the textures!
    Susie

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  10. Love how the shapes and textures mirror each other drawing the eye both out and in. I agree that placing the flower on a background of barely there tropical leaves was a great design choice. Excellent contrast of hot and cool colors.

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  11. That turned out great! I can't wait to get to a real computer so I can see the stitch detail!

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  12. I really like the amount of detail in what looks to me like a pretty tiny piece. Your process of developing it from a sketch to a finished quilt is fascinating to me. I would never have thought that you would be intimidated by a piece of paper, because is seems you are always willing to take risks and see where a project leads you.

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  13. Fantastic. I am full of admiration for your drawing, so it's cool to see you turning it into quilts too.

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  14. Lovely bold red, LeeAnna! It is always interesting seeing projects that evolved, the spontaneity really shows through.

    Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

    Love, Muv

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