Recently my online landscape quilting group had a challenge. The theme was fantasy and I created this eerie forest scene complete with fairies and butterflies. This piece began its life at a workshop on layering and translucency at Fibreworks in Kingston with Susan Strachan Johnston. When I started out, it was going to be trees, beaches and a giant snail (don't ask) but that didn't work out. Then I thought about the fantasy challenge and decided to keep the trees and the layering but turn it into an airy fairy forest - pardon the pun. It was constructed by layering several colours of organza using gel medium over a stretched canvas. The trees were done with transfer paints. I frayed the edges of the organza and couched some gold threads across it all. The fairies were embroidered and painted with watercolour crayons then I glued these lovely ready-made butterflies to it, added beads and presto, my first fantasy scene. To my surprise, when we voted, my piece tied for second place. I also just completed a mermaid piece which I call 'On the Rocks' or 'Sometimes You Just Need to Get Away'. It's still under wraps for now. Not sure where all this fantasy is coming from. Maybe I need to get away too.
