Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Basting Fool


With darkness and the night, doubts return. But in the light of morning, they flee. It's amazing the effect these azalea colors are having on me, on my outlook, how sure they made me feel when I walked into the studio this morning. They are cheering me and making me so eager to work with them. I'm trying to think of the last time colors alone had this effect on me, especially in a project.

First order of business today, though, was to work with the green. There wasn't much of the hand-dye I pulled to match the leaves - I'll use it on round two - and nothing else in my hand-dyes or batiks is like it. However, I found this wonderful piece hiding in my "regular" stash, something that came in an applique scrapbag purchase from Keepsake Quilting. There was just the right amount to pin and start basting into place. Yes, I am becoming a basting fanatic. It demands so little of me, can be done inside or out, solves the logistical problems. Click on the picture for a bigger view to see those basting stitches outlining my mosaic "tiles."

I was hoping I could pin the azalea fabrics in place too, but the overlap creates a problem - must do this sequentially. It didn't stop me from laying out the fabric though, to test the balance, see if any of the mottling needs to be strategically placed. Oh, my - something really exciting is happening here. This is the most basic rendition of my idea, and as I had hoped, my "wholecloth" method is allowing the fabric to do the work. With any luck, I'll have an example to show you tomorrow.

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