Not Afraid of Color

 

I've been progressing on each project this week. Each step teaches me, each color excites me, art is healing

just blocks lying next to each other

The Index Card a Day challenge is on, I'm woefully behind but have now done several. We use the prompts to create something each day....

"Spring"   "Cobalt"  "Iguana"

Love how the paints blended in the petals

I could have drawn an iguana but chose to do mixed media. I printed out an image on paper, tore away what wasn't the black line drawing, glued it to index card then painted with watercolor pencils and ink

"embroidery"  "Tidal Pool"

"Iridescent"  "Leopard"

Back to sewing.... I finished piecing the Spring Leaves top basted the layers together with pins, and began quilting itfirst pull threads to use, think about how I want the texture, face using the tiny Gem machine to do this it has a bold thick texture, a lovely gentle color change, and looks so good when stitching in more leavesA mix of straight line quilting to stabilize then some detail work here and there, keeping it flat and balanced with each addition. I don't do all one area then the next as that can distort. 

 

I have just a few things to share with you this week starting with one of my two rainbow scrap challenge blocks this year. The color focus is on orange scraps this month, and using them.

I chose 4 duos this week, cut them into 2.5" strips, sewed cut sewed cut sewed them into blocks of orange

Orange covers a large spectrum of color, from yellow orange to pink orange (coral)

close up of the pink/orange block to show the words

like a rose kind of, or a like life, making some order out of chaosa mix of gouache paint, and inktense ink pad with brush. Tried to control the slanted leaf brush, but the bristles tended to separate. I must be doing something wrong. At the end I did the hyacinth in blue/purple, lavender and white dots of posca pen.pencil, and inktense pan set on top
feeling proud of myself for making a decision the borders started going on, and from looking at it as a picture I saw those two light green strips looked like railroad tracks... GRRRR so here's to overcoming anxiety about my country and life, for long enough to be my true self, 

2.5" squares cut to baste to EPP hexies

I have a few things to share but it's been like walking through mud this week.... 

The color of the month on rainbow scrap challenge is orange. I do like orange and it's energizing. I cut colors to make this month's spiral hexies, and will baste them this weekend I hope. 

the orange bits and scraps ready to use

I hand sew at night in front of the TV but in the studio I'm trying to finish the green spring leaves top, and find myself having trouble making decisions.   I pulled some fabrics including this one I hand dyed years ago....so I cut strips of them and auditioned them for setting the piecework.... 

a morning doodle painting

but I thought making art and working with color would lift me up.... but even it's become harder dailythen filled in with color from my ink set and a brush, using also some old gouche colors on the palette. I love the leaves. I am adding slips of tiny fabrics now and then, laying it on, then stitching over the scrap grasses, you can click on pics to enlarge them and find the additionsMy plan was to applique seedlings when the top was together but might save that for doing on a simple background later. https://daisyyellowart.com/vividlife/icad-2025-1-7
draw, then add water, and voila! I love her, and kept this journal page open to see all weekstart with plain pencil in non dominant hand, scribble. Move on to stabilo crayon, then eraser done over areas, then water soluble pencil again, markers, ink and voila! I love it too. I did this lesson before when she first showed it and this shows that we bring our current lives and what we've learned to the table. 
this was a morning doodle.... watersoluble colored pencils traced my coffee cup, then blend with plain water.... I see some zendoodles or mandalas in the centers or quotes I might need to remember.... 

 

This was a full week of creation, inspiration from color outside, inspiration from a stitch workshop, morning color work in paint, and seeing my green quilt top growing like seedlings outside.

In using scrap fabrics, I am open to possibility. How would one look against the others? I love this gentle block, but each pretty fabric plays off the others... it's one of many components now done, on the wall, waiting for a design to grow.

choosing textures to set the blocks

I'm enjoying the design process but....
it really can't be rushed. I see in my mind's eye, the finished piece with applique,& long lines of stitchingfrom the cut off triangles making the curved leaf shapes... base fabric, layers of scraps, cut off threads and trims, one flamingo motif applique from another project, a green sheer overlay, fuse and get ready to stitch with embroidery thread
the question is, will I do the instructor's prompt of thick lines of embroidery or do I like it enough to not introduce more attention seeking lines? Hers was more abstract but my use of flamingos changes it. 


or trying something on my home made journal pagesand I kind of like the effect! I wrote my intention over it, and as you freely write ideas can come out, phrases you like, such as "power of color" which resonates with me. So I have quite a few projects to continue, I want to try some of the stitch techniques making jewelry, work on my "emerging green" quilt top, and continue my audio book (I only listen while in the studio)