April 16, 2007

Mellow Yellow

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you are home alone - I am happy to say I have my April Journal COMPLETE!!! I started on Saturday when my small group 'The Material Girls' was here for our monthly gathering and finished yesterday as DH had to go to Las Vegas for some work related technology show. I even managed to get the laundry done as well and attend a Spring Fling party at a friends house in the afternoon... So here it is.....
MELLOW YELLOW

For my journal quilt this month I followed the lead of my on line journal group “CPS Journal Quilt” and worked with the established theme:

  • April Theme: Renewal
  • April Technique: Fabric strip weaving
  • April Color: Yellow

Starting with color – I pulled yellow 2.5” strips I cut when my mom and I made a yellow charm quilt for my grandmother recently. I laid them out on my big board and pinned them in place vertically and horizontally and began to weave them in a simple over and under pattern. Once the weaving was complete I fused the fabric to a base of fast2fuse heavyweight stabilizer. This was more complicated than I anticipated, but the outcome is nice…I like the collage effect of the weaving and the straight lines it offers. Then, I used an all-over free-motion doodle quilt pattern in a gold color to secure the strips permanently to the stabilizer. The spirals on the piece are my call for renewal; therefore the name “Mellow Yellow” seems appropriate. They represent my constant search to find tranquility and balance in my life. I often kid my husband that I am that little hamster on the wheel and I am running so fast that I cannot get off… Some day I will find my Zen. For balance I added embellishments – all in a circular pattern to echo the shape of the spirals. The combination of the straight limes from weaving the background fabric and the circle patterns are a nice contrast giving direction and movement to the piece. On the back, I added fabric ink spirals before printing and beading to the front as an enhancement to the simple satin stitch edge finish.

2 comments:

Granny Fran said...

That is a great piece. The spirals and circles over the woven fabrics give so much movement and texture, and you can't beat yellow, especially mellow yellow. Very Springy!

Kay said...

Wow! I love it. Fran said it perfectly about the texture. A great piece.