Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The Artists Muse

Recently I joined an online group called The Artists Muse and each month we have a challenge-the first was to make a mandala and this month was the Spring of Creativity.
The theme was to have a flower/spring feeling.
I have just attended a Nuno felting workshop(see previous Post) and I decided to do my challenge in this medium-I was unsure as to how it would work but I am happy to say I think I achieved what I set out to do.
The base fabric is cotton that I had rusted a few years ago and on this I lay out at right angles the wool fibres .
I used 3 different greens and then put the whisps of red down to resemble a flower and several buds (primitive as the are) and I added a small amount of mauve as a hi-lite.
The gold centre is a piece of wool challis.
The felting process was done in a bamboo blind and finished off on bubble wrap-less stressful on the hands than the old circular motion technique.
When I had finished and it was dry I then hand stitched with running stitch firstly the flowers- stems and leaves then I echoed the design to give it texture. I have varied the distance of the rows as an added feature.
I didn't crop the photo completly because I wanted to show the finished edge where the reverse side had rolled over to form a border.
This is the reverse side showing the rusted fabric and the detail in the stitching.
Here is a close up showing the detail around the flower.

And the reverse side where the flower is.


My hands are sore from all this stitching and I still have to do my TAST challenges (2 now).
I wonder what next month holds for us

8 comments:

Annica said...

Doreen, I love this piece! The stitching is gorgeous! The reverse side looks beautiful! Well done!

Dianne said...

It's really lovely Doreen!! Love all the stitching - bet it looks even more fabulous for real.

Unknown said...

Looks lovely Doreen!!!

Terri Stegmiller said...

It's fantastic. Great job. How big is it? Is it done? Are you going to frame it?

Purple Missus said...

Do you know what I admire most about you Doreen? Its the fact that whatever you take on, you stick with it. Unlike me who always gives up at the first hurdle. Well done you. This piece must have taken you an age to complete. I'd like an answer to Terri's questions too if thats O.K.

Doreen G said...

Lynda -I did the felting on Sunday afternoon and had finished the stitching by Monday night.
It started out at 18 inches square and finished up at 11 inches square after felting.It is finished and I think I will mount it on a canvas art frame but I would like to display it some way that the front and back could be seen so maybe between 2 sheets of perspect-- still thinking on that one.

Val said...

Doreen, your piece looks gorgeous, the background so soft and the flower so vibrant, and I love the 'wobbly' edge. Val

Unknown said...

Doreen, the nuno felting has turned out fabulous, I have huge admiration for anyone who can nuno felt, as my one and only try turned out a disaster :)