Monday, October 19, 2009

Landscape adventure

There's nothing like learning from the master. Perhaps "master" isn't quite the correct term in this case... but "mistress" doesn't sound right either!! Valerie Hearder is more like "the source" of landscape technique quilting. After all...she has two books on the topic...and if you have TWO books, then you must be some kind of source!! That's the way I see it!! "Points of View" may just be my current favorite book. Moving on.....

Saturday morning, October 17th 2009, was my introduction to Valerie and her technique of producing small landscapes in fabric. I had done a landscape before and was pleased with it, but this one, under her direction, was MY landscape. I picked the fabric, cut the shapes and pieced them together. It was mine. I like it; very much. But I am ahead of myself. If you know quilters (and I assume you do), it's not unusual to find someone ahead of themselves, going on about the product and not talking first about the process. I love the process!!

The task of overlooking a sea of fabric of all kinds and colors was at first daunting. Val talked about viewing fabric 'with new eyes': seeing shapes in the designs; seeing possibilities; jumping in and cutting, maybe from the MIDDLE of the fabric! How we hate to think we are wasting fabric by cutting into the middle!!! Be bold. Cut. Recut. Audition shapes and colors and designs. Use different types of fabric; search for textures; try again. And then...it emerges. What fun! And the thing about landscapes is that they can be any size but small is so charming and once you get started, you can finish a project in a reasonable time. This technique is hand appliqueed which in itself is a bit of a challenge but well worth the effort and well worth working on your stitching technique to make those tiny stitches invisible.

So two days ago I did my FIRST landscape that was totally mine and I can't wait to start the next one. In fact last night before heading to bed, I took down my box labeled 'landscape and texture fabric, batiks, etc' and started pressing. I saw a fall landscape scattered across my sewing table. Everything in large pieces but already I saw the cold fall sky and the splashes of red and orange mixed with the evergreens; the browns. I can't wait to get at it. It's waiting!!! More on that project in a day or two!

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