Fall has been on my mind. I have this very clear picture of a fall wall hanging in my mind, and in order to be *true* to the process pledge I took, I thought I'd jot a little of it down today! There's probably a kit out there somewhere that does something similar to this, but this is what's in my head, and I think I'd like to go with it.
My thinking is a rectangular wall hanging -- not overly big -- probably around 22" X 17" s (Which happens to be the *exact* size of my desk calendar; wasn't that convenient?). Maybe a little bigger, but I want it to be something I can hang in my RV, so it really couldn't be too much bigger!
I sketched it out on paper. My idea is a bushel basket at the top left corner, with leaves falling out of it, starting small, and getting progressively bigger to the bottom of the quilt. I am not the best of sketchers, but I get my point.
I like the idea of just a tree trunk in the background, with the quilting making the bark look. I got my basket in there, but I wasn't happy with my leaf drawings, so I pulled up Publisher and played around in it a little. I like the effect of the larger leaves spilling out over the inside border!
So far, so good. I added acorns at the corners -- I love acorns! I just used a couple of different clip art leaves and resized/rotated them to get the feeling I'm after. I found a clip art tree that I chopped up in paint, so I didn't have the rest of the leaves and limbs showing on it. Then after I printed it, I realized I want the trunk a bit thicker, so I penciled that in, along with my quilted bark, and my basket. I'm not sure I like the holes in the tree -- that was just the picture I pulled up -- but it does give the roots definition. I dunno. In my mind, it makes the tree look a little spooky, and that's definitely not the feeling I want. I want substantial.
I felt like my basket drawing needed to be heavier, darker, so I put the pencil back to that. I'll probably use more leaves than what I've pictured -- it needs to be a little fuller -- and I'll probably use a mossy-green batik for the background. I didn't think I'd like green as the backdrop, but it sets off the fall colors very nicely! I'll keep a darker green for the outer border, and bind it in a dark brown.
I was originally thinking of quilting the leaf definition on the leaves, but now I'm thinking I'll machine applique, and quilt a twirling, falling leaf pattern instead! (Whew!)
I found a great template for a maple leaf -- I'd like to have at least two different styles of leaf (like a maple and an oak), and may two or three of an odd shape thrown in for interest. I think I'd like to use bold, fall-colored batiks. Batiks are perfect for autumn leaves, because you get that rather mottled look -- it also adds eye interest!
I have to admit, the thought of cutting out all those leaves is rather daunting! This is definitely where a GO! cutter or even pre-cuts would be nice. Really, the GO! cutter would be most GREAT! Perhaps one of those will find its way into my possession someday soon!
So there it is. The process has begun. FIRST, though, there are some Lissa blocks and a Sawyer quilt that I MUST see to!
TGIF!!
:)
My thinking is a rectangular wall hanging -- not overly big -- probably around 22" X 17" s (Which happens to be the *exact* size of my desk calendar; wasn't that convenient?). Maybe a little bigger, but I want it to be something I can hang in my RV, so it really couldn't be too much bigger!
I sketched it out on paper. My idea is a bushel basket at the top left corner, with leaves falling out of it, starting small, and getting progressively bigger to the bottom of the quilt. I am not the best of sketchers, but I get my point.
I was originally thinking of quilting the leaf definition on the leaves, but now I'm thinking I'll machine applique, and quilt a twirling, falling leaf pattern instead! (Whew!)
I found a great template for a maple leaf -- I'd like to have at least two different styles of leaf (like a maple and an oak), and may two or three of an odd shape thrown in for interest. I think I'd like to use bold, fall-colored batiks. Batiks are perfect for autumn leaves, because you get that rather mottled look -- it also adds eye interest!
So there it is. The process has begun. FIRST, though, there are some Lissa blocks and a Sawyer quilt that I MUST see to!
TGIF!!
:)
