5/20/18

Final Day

It's the last day of class for the flamingos. After today, I'll have the piece safely home in my own sewing room. Almost the entire day yesterday was spent auditioning fabrics and putting the pieces in place. The pieces are not tiny, but they are small, and so it's slow going. Here's what I have so far:


After I took that picture, I switched out the polka dot fabric at the top of the head. Ann made that suggestion, and it didn't work for me. The strategy is to create the bird on the right in oranges and the bird on the left will be in pinks. This will, hopefully, avoid the problem of building a two-headed bird. Also, to distinguish the neck of the orange bird from its body, I'll be using brights for the head and neck, and pastels for the body.

With so many pieces, it took a lot of time before the bird popped out from all those lines. Today I'll focus my attention on the head and beak of the pink bird. If there's still time in the day, I'll start looking at the body.

The fabric hanging on the extreme right is one Ann suggested for a border. I kind of like the turquoise as a background, but Ann thought the scale was too small and feels it would compete with the birds. She suggested a couple of other fabrics for the background...not shown in this image. I like one of them, but not the other. She can be fairly forceful in her opinions, but I'll make the final decision on my own. For now, I'm getting kind of anxious to get it all home where I can work on it in peace and at my own pace. I'm appreciative of Ann's input, but at some point it's time to start making my own decisions about it.

Since you're probably Jonesing for news of the kitties, here's a blurry image of Sadie enjoying her morning lap time this morning.


Mike's been taking good care of them while I'm gone. They're fairly demanding about the meeting of their needs, and so there's no worry that he might forget about them. They'll see to that.

There was no time for stitching yesterday, but I'm heading there next. Class starts an hour later this morning, and so I'm going to enjoy a more leisurely pace before I need to take off for the final commute.

10 comments:

Debbie said...

Love the turquoise color for the background. This one is going to be dynamic, take your time, let the colors and fabrics do the hard work. Follow your instinct:)

QuiltE said...

Oh how I like what I see!
Agree, the top of the head, just didn't seem right.
Background .. What about a tonal batik with shmooshes (great technical word!!!!) of the colour to give some variation?

Tilly said...

What a work,but like to follow your steps in this project.
Regards Tilly

Brown Family said...

I agree that the white dots drew your eye away from the rest of the colors! Have a safe trio home!

Dorothy said...

Oh Barbara, "she can be fairly forceful in her opinions"----very politely said
I've had multiple classes with Ann and have gotten the same feeling. You're much politer than me :-) I think she forgets that we all see colors, values, etc our own way, and what is some one else's idea is not always ours
You flamingos are going to be fabulous

Sandra W said...

I don't like Ann's choice for the border, but think the turquoise here is a bit pale. Can you delay choosing the border a bit longer? You might get a better feel for it when there is more of the birds completed.
I once commuted to a workshop (more than 1 1/2 hour each way--to save money--but I found it really exhausting and probably didn't get as much out of the workshop. It was doable and saved me hundreds of $$$.
I know what you mean about "forceful" teachers. Sometimes they are right and sometimes...? You are paying for their advice but sometimes you just don't see eye to eye.
I have been to many, many workshops over the years. I used to describe myself as a "serial workshop goer." I like the synergy of sewing in a group. Now I find so few workshops of any interest. I have always learned something new though.

piecefulwendy said...

Well, I know you made more progress and it is amazing, so I'm curious how much farther you are today. Love the pic of Sadie. I'm a little teary-eyed here, because Max is not doing well. Hoping to get him in to the vet today, and I'm a little concerned about what the news will be. Hope you find the perfect background for the quilt. I love what you are doing so far!

SJSM said...

I guess I’m the odd duck (or flamingo) here. I liked the dots. It immediately sparked an interest in this being a piece of dramatic art. Choosing the right background would be key and maybe a repeat somewhere else. But that is the joy of developing your own work. YOU get to decide if it reflects your view of the of the picture you took. This is completely yours and should do what feels right. Yes, do listen to suggestions to learn and to consider possibilities but then make your own decision.

Keep up the good work and keep us in the loop on your progress. I love seeing bits of fabric come to life in your hands.

Linda said...

Frankly I like your choice for the background.
I am in awe of your tackling such an intricate project! It will be stunning.

quiltzyx said...

I am with you on the dots on the flamingo's head - kinda looks like "he" has a hat on.

Oh my, look at Sadie's beautiful green eyes!!