Tree Project Gone Wild

I watched the Juno awards tonight (Canadian Music Awards) feeling like the young have taken over.....and I loved it!!  I was especially impressed by K'Naan the young Somali Canadian rapper (Waving Flag).   I saw him last summer at Bluesfest and knew he would go far.   Another great performer was Drake, another rapper who also won some awards.   I have to admit, I like rap when it is poetic or involves social commentary.  St. John's Newfoundland did a good job of hosting - they have so much musical talent right in that city ...and I am heading out there this summer to hike the East Coast Trail.

So back to the quilting.   My friends and I had decided on a new challenge and since Shirley is getting back soon from visiting the Chicago show,  I thought I had better get going on it.   We have to take an 11 x 14 stretched canvas and create a grid composition in the back of it.   I had a great idea about creating a piece based on a tree photo I had been saving for a year and a half.    The theme was 'What is a Tree'.   It is beauty, home to creatures including humans, shade, protection, the air we breathe - it is life!    So I painted a bare tree with inks, watersoluble wax crayons and fabrico markers, cut it out and fused it to this great background.    Then I cut zillions of tiny leaf shapes from fabric backed with fusible web.  I must say I developed a great way of cutting the fabric by zigzagging the edges and cutting furiously so I had them done in no time (make that about 4 hours).  Next I ironed them onto the fabric using my photo as a guide and placed it inside of the back of a stretched canvas.    And here is the result below.

I loved the result!   Already I was having qualms about the next step.   I had planned to either cut the piece into squares or add grid lines with couched thread to make a grid.   I don't think I can do it.....


Anyway, part of the plan was to print photos of trees on fabric and use them to cover the frame.....so I soaked fabric in Golden digital ground, dried it, ironed it onto freezer paper and started printing.   I was pleased with the results - except when my printer tried to eat the photos a couple of times.





So now I have these great photos as well.   When I tried wrapping them around the frame I knew this was not going to work.   Which is just as well because I love my tree just as it is.    So it's back to the drawing board.

I have another idea.  I will try using a tree photo for the centre rectangle with rectangles of fabric around it.  I'll fuse tree trunks over and around the centrepiece and cut the pieces up into separate rectangles then attach them to the background....Wait a minute, isn't this how I started???    But I have a vision and this time I won't make it so pretty.   I'll post when I have developed this further.  

So Shirley and Iris, I hope you have not progressed too far.  Be patient with me...the tree went wild and ruined my plan.