Hanging on the design wall since November, waiting for me to decide if it needed anything else, Masks has never looked finished to me. It is not anywhere near a standard size and looked squat. That dark edge on the right asked for something to help integrate it. The dangling bead idea never left my mind. Today, I started working with the wooden beads and leftover trade beads still on the work table.
Yes - exactly what it needs. I like the way the different beads are working together, how the darkness of the wood ones echoes the dark color along that one side. The dangles continue the tribal feel of the piece, move the eye down and visually as well as actually elongates it, gives it a balance it didn't have without them. Masks wasn't done. But it will be soon.
9 comments:
The beads will be perfect!
A lovely piece and the beads are really pulling it together.
Amazing how much balance those beads add.
Those dangling beads are lovely - great colours to integrate well with the stitching in the piece. I really like ragged or unusual edges ... mental note ... make more use of them in my work.
YES, YES, YES!!! Yes I am shouting.....the beads are the icing on the cake. Chris
I love things dangling - don't know why, it just appeals to my slightly rebellious eye I suppose! What will you use? Thread, ribbon? Fascinating! H xx
Yes, that's just what it needed!
See you knew what was needed all along. Funny how we do when we look back sometimes.
Wow - that's a lot of positive support. Thanks everyone!
Hilary, I considered alternate means of stringing, but in the end went back to the good strong and basic bead thread, Nymo. Pictures soon!
Charleston Stitcher (Margaret, isn't it?), I can hardly think of another instances when I've chosen an edge finish like this. I'm a neat and tidy sort of person. But because I worked on this off and on for so long and so intimately, I found myself become very fond of the look of those softly fringed edges and ultimately knew they would help carry forward my overall theme. I'd always planned to follow the uneven shape, another thing I'm not prone to do - square that quilt up! The whole process has been the classic case of listening to what the quilt wanted, not what I was used to doing.
Amanda, I often don't trust myself, or my thinking is clouded for one reason or another. Such a relief when clarity arrives and it often takes awhile to get comfortable with what the gut is saying. I'm happy I stepped away from it for awhile instead of confirming it done just to be done. That nagging little voice whispering "not quite yet" was right!
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