The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside => Current Projects => Topic started by: BrendaP on August 31, 2020, 22:41:50 PM
-
Back in April, at the height of lockdown Terry thought he shouldn't be taking George :woof: for two walks a day so I was taking him out in the afternoons - a youngish labrador needs his exercise. Half way along the road, before it turns into a country lane and fields, there is a front garden with a flowering cherry tree. By the end of April the tree was in full bloom and I wanted to try and capture it as a textile picture.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
I got the background fabrics sorted, with poetic licence to edit out the houses, and was pleased with the way the I did the 'blossom' with eyelash yarn and a very loose sort-of 'blanket stitch' made up as I went along. The rainbow is there because there was one chalked onto the pavement about 10m away from the tree.
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
About a week later after some wet and windy weather the ground was covered in pink petals and the tree was back to its dark red foliage. I did a tiny bit of hand embroidery to the picture but I just didn't know how to finish it so I put it aside for four months.
Yesterday I looked at it again, and I could see that the stark emptiness of the background reflects the way I was feeling during lockdown. On some days I didn't see another person for the entire walk and when I did I felt that they were invading 'my' space. The picture with its emptiness was complete and only needed to be backed and bound.
Through lockdown I sewed at least twenty sets of scrubs, through the FB group Medway Scrubbers. The first batch was with the preferred 80-20 poly cotton but after a few days all the online supplies of that had sold out and heavier 50-50 was used and then it went down to donated new or lightly used bed sheets and duvet covers. I used some left over sheet in a rather nasty shade of green for the backing, fused to the support with Bondaweb and the last scraps of the original 80-20 for the binding.
Not a particularly attractive picture but it is what it is; my memories of lockdown 2020.
13" x 16.5"
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
ETA - the colours in the first two pictures are much better than the finished one, taken just now under artificial light.
-
I think that is wonderful @BrendaP you are so artistic and have captured the "2020 experience" really well. You kept that quiet :ninja:
-
It's lovely. You've captured the shape of the tree well, & I agree that the empty background echoes the mood of lockdown. The rainbow will remind you too - it's suddenly on everything but I suppose will dwindle.
-
That is lovely @BrendaP You are one talented lady!!!
Lx
-
That is so clever. I don't think my head has that compartment. If it has I've never seen it.
That is beautiful and a reminder that even when we're going to hell in a handcart we can still admire the view. :loveit:
-
Wonderful @BrendaP just wonderful!
Its a pity we didnt have a lockdown contest ... but I suppose we were all in shock.
I have the Corona quilt, which was a great focus for each new strange day and that is currently doing a fantastic job of weighing the footstool in the lounge down, (aided by a few other quilts)
-
Thank you all for your nice comments. Let's hope that we can continue to move away from the restrictions without too many hiccups along the way.
-
Beautiful work @BrendaP and a great way of dealing with what is possibly the worst time most of us have lived through.
-
:D it lovely. I would love to have a cherry blossom tree.
-
Thank you @CraftyIrish The blossom tree isn't ours, it's about a dozen houses down the road. A little Irish leprechaun tree - as per your avatar - would be nice in our garden ;)