Sunday, February 21, 2016

A thimble full of color

My scrappy tumbler project has grown.

Little by little...choice by choice... slowly done by hand, basted on printed thick paper templates, tiny pieces of fabric scraps come together.
It's a study in:
Line and  repetition.  How do the lines intersect? Where do they cross and how does it feel when they come close but don't match?

Scale... from 1" to 2.5". How does the scale effect the mood of the piece? large next to small...

Color... Mostly chosen from one side of the color wheel, cool colors of green to turquoise to blue to purple, then one step toward red. The red sparks it to me. The red and the flashes of yellow in the green. Warm against all the cool colors.

Shade... from deepest dark black to almost white aqua. The variation makes it sparkle.

Print to solid ratio... if there is a print, it's blendable. I chose to include only a couple of recognizable prints, for instance the tiny thimbles of black are actually black with tiny stars of bright color. Otherwise the print looks mottled, hopefully like tiles or glass.
Right now before borders, it is about 20" X 26". I have pieced in the stonehenge border fabric with an eye to putting one of them on the outside. Or both.

My inspiration for this piece are tile mosaics hanging on the wall in the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Etruscan I think. Old for sure. The broken areas make it more interesting to me. The colors no longer brilliant but faded to an organic soft look.

My friend asked why I am so invested in working small, with little scraps of fabric when I own so much yardage. I feel free when playing with my scraps. And it's physically easier to work small. And I get such joy from seeing the colors blend in artwork.

This has been on the cutting table, slowly growing long enough and it's about ready to finish.

How thrilling!

Funny that they tell you when they're done, isn't it? 

Interested in more handwork? I believe the label on the right, "this is gonna take a while..." has more posts!



27 comments:

Vicki in MN said...

A labor of love-love with color and scraps!

The Cozy Quilter said...

Such a fun and colourful little project!

Sandra Walker said...

Being near-sighted has definite advantages: I took off my glasses and looked at your piece. FAB!! The pops of lime immediately leap off amongst the cooler colours. This is great, and why in hello do we have to justify WHY we do creative things? If it makes you happy, and nobody got hurt, and you're adding beauty to the world, that is enough. :-)

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Oh your so brave using all those different sizes! Love the outcome!

Julierose said...

Love this piece--are you sewing by hand? Your colors are so rich--just like stained glass beautiful hugs, Julierose

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Wow absolutely gorgeous. I agree with Julierose the colors are so rich, but I love the breaks where it lightens out a little.

gayle said...

I love all the different sizes you've got playing together. Sooooo wonderful!

Julie in GA said...

I love your idea of combining different sizes of tumblers--that's brilliant!! That makes it so much more interesting. Your colors are gorgeous too!

Quilter Kathy said...

Oh LeeAnna... I just love it! The colours, the variations in sizes.... it's amazing! And that is all hand stitched makes it even more amazing!

Joanne said...

Use it indeed!
Your creativity has so many outlets! thimble to bedsize! Must be a joy to do!

Joanne said...

Use it indeed!
Your creativity has so many outlets! thimble to bedsize! Must be a joy to do!

Teje Karjalainen said...

This looks gorgeus! I like the colours and different sized thumbles mixed. x teje

Tails Around the Ranch said...

Totally loving the blues! ღ

Linda Schiffer said...

I really like the juxtaposition of the two sizes of tumbler shapes!! The color mix is gob-smacking luscious. ��

Mystic Quilter said...

This quilt in the making takes tumblers to a whole different level!! I find it stunning, interesting to study in detail and oh so colourful! Love it.

sonja said...

Something old takes a tumble into the future>>>>
Color play,juxtaposition of color,scale,and the shift, is a great zone of creativity to BE in! Thanks again for the i spy pieces. as for folk that might puzzle at our construct, "because i can!", "what if is fun" both instantly come to mind!

Deb A said...

That is such a beauty! You can tell you enjoyed making it - it shows.

Sarah said...

Gorgeous fabrics, a real riot of colourful happiness!

claudia said...

I really admire this quilt! It is so interesting.

Ruth said...

Really love the palette in this - the pops of warmer colour are lovely!

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

Wow, this is wonderful! It is interesting to see how all those tiny scraps are coming together, isn't it?

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

I love your palette - you're so right about the touches of warmth and the varied values giving it pop. Love the differences in scale, too. So much more interesting than all the same size tumblers.

Marsha Cooper said...

so much color and I love it. I have yet to try tumblers....and at the rate I'm going on projects I won't ever get to them! LOL

quiltedfabricart said...

I love hand work - peaceful. This piece does make me think of mosaic tiles. Nicely done :-)

Lisa said...

Oh Lee Anna, I loooooove this!!!

Kris said...

Love what you are doing with this and the method!

Jayne said...

This will be amazing when its finished! And yes, it's crazy when our quilts talk to us! Can't wait to see more!