My grandmother loved to garden. She had a real "green thumb" as everything grew beautifully for her indoors and out. Inside I remember a stand with small pots filled with African Violets. Outdoors the house seemed to be swimming in huge bright yellow chrysanthemums! I decided to give her her garden of chrysanthemums on this piece.
I feel like I have been looking at it too long. That blurry eyed feeling when I am not sure I have it right. But a part of me knows it is fine. Last night and yesterday I "stitched in the ditch around every seam. This morning I finished that up, cut off the excess batting and backing from around the piece. Yes, Kelly, I was able to remove all the white lint from the black border using scotch tape wrapped around my fingers. It didnt' take long either. The pattern for the leaves I got from photos of chrysanthemum leaves on line. Very scientific I am! ;-)
The frame around the larger Ella photo in the middle is not yet sewn down. It's gold and sparkly giving it more of a collage look. Not 100 % sure about this. Will await comments. (In the end I'll do what I decide but do feel free to comment. DH thinks the stems are too thick, but I like them just the way they are. Since it's a wall hanging it needs to be seen from a distance. At least that is my reasoning.) The leaves and stems are from the green fabric I got in Tiburon at the thrift store a week or so ago.
Okay, here goes nothing. Adding photos for your viewing and comments.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE IT.
At first I thought it was going to be very traditional & that doesnt seem like you. But you did an awesome job taking it out of the traditional look & into Lynn tistic..Thats Lynn and artistic together. :) I think the flower stems are fine.. gives it a family Tree affect even tho they are flower stems. I like that you put that little frame around the big pix of Ella since you have frames around the rest. What a fantastic glorious gift that is going to be for Amy. WOW
oh and one more thing.. The little bit of yellow you added to it makes the whole thing POP. Very good use of color too.
ReplyDeleteYes, Cris is right :
ReplyDeleteIT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!!
Dearest Lynn. Here it is raining and the atmosphere is so mythical... when I opened your blog I was shocked .. it was as if this rain is pouring down in your fresh garden...
This novel idea of winding stems with blossoming yellow flowers, all adds to the underlying meaning of your art work:
Ella and all those beautiful days of past are alive in us, flowing in our blood and growing and blossoming in the time being as well as the futrue.
Winding plants have a mystical connotation of growth and perfection... they are very recurrent in Persian art...
Now your art work is not an ordinary work it has freed it self from tradition as Cris put it beautifully.
The frame for Ella's big picture is a really good weld.
Thanks for all the joy you give us by sharing...
May your hands never ache!!!
Dear Lynn your quilt has a lot to catch the eye in it. A person could look at it and meditate on life and life stories and our ancestors and what they leave behind for us to remember them by. thank you for showing this as it proceeds toward completion. I don't know the answer to the frame. I'd have to see it prob with frame off and then frame on to compare. Have fun as you continue with your wonderful project.
ReplyDeleteSuki, you can see the photo with out the frame by scrolling down one post to "Pinning Ella". She sort of floats there. The gold frame is rather bright. Maybe even garish. Not sure. DH looked at it and said "festive" but I wasn't sure if he liked it "festive" or not. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think I am trying for a collage look to this, away from traditional...but am not sure I am succeeding.
I do appreciate all of your input, all of you...words of praise feel good. Human Being you write so poetically about this piece it makes me smile. I think I may include yours and the others words with the gift. As the "reviews" are all so positive! (SMILING)
Thank you all for your in put.
The others put their comments so eloquently all I can share that is unique would be my emotions that I felt when looking at this "labor of love." It made me immediately feel a void of my own loved ones lost and the contrast you have created with the black and white and red and yellow are a wonderful juxtaposition of the here and now and the past. It's really, really special piece.
ReplyDeleteThank you Clevelandgirl for your heartfelt comments on Ella's Garden. It feels good to know this touches you in a way that connects you to your own memories of family/loved ones/history. That says a lot for the power of the piece doesn't it?
ReplyDelete