The answer occurred almost immediately---the joy that came from making these new "Mini-Scapes" had bolstered my immune system like nothing else could have, going into this pandemic. And what a welcome distraction from the news.
(I think I will add some sea foam to the bottom of the cliff.)
UPDATE: added the seafoam. Didn't realize how much that non-foamy cliff bottom was bothering me.
These are all roughly 10 to 11 inches wide by 7 inches high. Most of the fabrics came from 10 years of leftover landscape scraps---which explains the "pyramid" type mountains in many of them---all triangles trimmed from making binding strips!
Most of them began with the sky piece, and went from there. None of them were based on photos, sketched, or even planned. It was all done on the fly. That's partly what made it so much fun.
The pieces were glued to a larger rectangle of fusible fleece, then tacked down with mono-poly thread.
The fusible fleece, with its tacked-down quilt top, was then fused to a backing fabric.
Then the real fun began, choosing thread colors and using free motion stitching (except for the occasional decorative machine stitch).
Binding was made the same as I make it for my large landscapes. (04/26/20 UPDATE: Not quite the same! Same width, yes, but for my larger landscapes, I hand-sew the folded edge of binding to the back of the quilt, in case the quilt gets entered into competition, because the judges care about that. However, for these mini-scapes, I machine sew the raw edges to the front as usual, and then turn the folded edge to the back and machine-stitch-in-the-ditch from the front. Much faster.)
(This last one is similar to the first one, but not the same.)
It just occurred to me, these Mini-Scapes were "mini-EScapes," too. As in escaping reality.
I've listed them in my shop but am resigned to the possibility that it will be a good while, if ever, before they sell. In the meantime, they won't take up much storage space! Always a silver lining. :)
Hope you are finding projects that make you happy (boost your immune system) and use up stash. Being a quilter, I'm finding "sheltering in place" less weird and disruptive than it probably is to most people. Then again, I'm missing my 5-year old granddaughter terribly.
Don't even get me started on that. I keep saying to myself, "this too shall pass." And it will.
Keep on quilting!!
Linda
A wonderful series, Linda. You're right - our quilting does help us keep calm and get through these days. While I'm not doing a series, I am trying out new blocks to me (complexity, new technique, shape, etc)- it is helping. I definitely miss my grandkids. I have three nearby that i use to see about every day. There is a dearth without them, but we talk every other day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angie. I almost feel selfish in that I have something to take my mind off things. Everybody should have something they can do at home that they love, but I know that's not always the case. Yes, the social distancing is becoming somewhat distressing. Thank goodness for the internet and facetime on phones. Now I just need to get the right kind of phone to do it!
DeleteThese are beautiful Linda! It's quite possible that sales for our creations will be in a downturn for awhile - understandable. Hopefully they will pick up but even if they don't, at least we're enjoying our creative time. I had actually been toying with attempting to create some of my landscapes on a smaller scale and you've given me additional incentive. Stay well, stay safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MA! I hope you try the small ones. I was surprised at how much fun they were; somehow I thought they'd be more challenging than the larger ones. You be safe and well, too.
DeleteOh, they are all so lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vicki!
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