Torn Fabric Quilt

Autumn Reflections in the Swamp

 When I was away at our weekend quilting retreat I worked on a piece that was totally outside my usual style.    I had a lovely photo of a swamp in autumn with interesting corals and greens, lots of reflections, lines across the water etc.    So I chose a few fabrics and ripped them into strips then fused and placed them on a background.   At the retreat I stitched and stitched across them to blend the colours together then added some reeds and hand stitching.   It is still a work in progress but I am liking it - and I loved the process.   It was such fun to  mix in the fabrics, moving them around to give a feeling of water and movement.  

I will hand stitch tiny trees and bushes at the top in the background and I can see where it needs more machine stitching on the water, and maybe a few more vertical grasses etc. I'm not sure if I need something on the left side to balance the leaves but I kind of like that one gesture of realism.  There are things I would do differently the next time and will give it a bit more thought but I wanted it to be more abstract than representational and this method does that for sure.  

First Step - Laying down the strips

Close up of the hand stitched leaves

Original Photo Inspiration

I had some good news waiting for me when I returned home from my quilt retreat.   My quilt "Kuan Yin: Mother of Compassion" was accepted into the Sacred Threads exhibition in Virginia.   I am very thrilled!!!  

This post is linked to the Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesdays.   Take a look at what some Canadian fibre artists are doing.WIP Wednesdays