To border or not ?

Not always easy to answer that question.
My first idea was not to add a border but then I said :
Why not ?
and
What if ?
Let give it a try.
I have to say that I layered the border in a hurry and the choice of the fabric is not ideal ; I only wanted to visualise a type of border I had in mind.

If I add this kind of border I will have to change the colour of the border and pay attention to obtain a more jagged edge between the central theme and the border.
I will also have to keep in mind that this quilt will be “uncomfortable” to machine quilt.
It’s not THAT big but with the border it will measure +/- 52 x 36 inch .
In a way I want to add this kind of border because it reflects the abrupt cliffs from the isle of Frioul !

“Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I’m doing.”
Phil Jackson

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Nathalie

Nature Quilt Marseille V

Working with the “Art Quilt Workbook” written by Jane Dávila and Elin Waterston learned me to like working in series.
The quilt I’m working on, is- already- number 5 in my series about my trip to Marseille.

As some of you know, I’m following a workshop ‘Design you own nature quilt’ conducted by Ellen Lindner.
I really enjoy this workshop, where you have to adapt a picture in a quilt.
I started from a picture I took on the isle of Frioul and made some transformation while sketching.
I like Ellen’s way of conducting workshops because she lets you do you own thing and only advises if you ask for. She’s –for me- more like a coach.

These are on-going pictures :
Here I added some light greenery :
And here some dark green leafs :
This work is really taking shape. The diagonal line of the flowers gives this work some dynamic . It’s coming to life.
I will start to sew the shapes soon. I still want to make the flower heads dimensional : I will make some thread leaf and flower heads.

"Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction".
Jimi Hendrix(1942 - 1970)


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Nathalie

A step at the time

Since I have a lot of work in our shop, I do not have as much creative time as I wish. But I’m going a step at the time. I enjoy it when you see a work changing.

I took this picture when I thought I had added enough green.
I find it useful to take on-going pictures because I can see ‘from a distance’on my computer screen.
You can’t see the ‘total picture’ well when you have your nose on it.
This is even more truth when it’s a bigger work.

After I took the picture above, I decided to retrieve some green stems. Maybe I will decide to add them again later, but not on this stage !

Here I started adding my flower heads.
I cut them in a ‘naïve’ way.
Don’t think, DO !
Some more flowers are added. So far, I like the result !
The vivid colour of the flower heads is adding rhythm and balance to my work.
It begins to swing.

I think I will add some yellow/orange flowers near the light green on the bottom right.

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

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Nathalie

You Are Worth the Time

Frioul

After sketching and hesitating about the ‘what if ?’ and ‘how ?’ I finally started with the fabric version of ‘Marseille V-Frioul’.
I first tried with different sky fabrics but I wasn’t happy with the result, the sky transition was too abrupt.
For the water fabric I had less problems after deciding adding a blue organza on the surface, I wanted the water to shine a little.
It is not very noticeable on the picture.

Without organza :
with organza :
I retrieved the different sky fabrics and used a fossil fern fabric.
It is a different fabric than the middle fabric of the first pictures.
I didn’t remember I had that one in my stash.


I’m happy with my background and I will continue to build my quilt on it.
I will add the green fabric this evening.

“The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

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Nathalie

Back !

I’m back and glad to be back !
I really missed my king-size bed !

This year, our trip to the Champagne, France was a real surprise.
We visited the ‘other’ Champagne-region.

We slept in a ‘(small) bed and (large)breakfast’ -Villa Primerose- in Arcy-sur-Aube ;
that is in the ‘plaine Champenoise', the only Champagne region without vineyards (!) and from there we did some day-trips to the ‘côte des Blancs’ and the ‘côte des Bar’.
There, we saw the vineyards.
What a variety of landscapes, some views were spectacular.





We were surprised that the ‘côte des Bar’ wasn’t as touristic as the ‘côte des blancs’.

On our daytrip to the ‘côte des Bar’ we only met locals.
The ‘maison champagne’ where you can taste and buy champagne are cosier and friendlier.
We enjoyed the tranquillity in the ‘côte des Bar’ and the region is much more ‘pittoresque’.
We picnicked every noon and went in a restaurant in the evening.
The restaurants were also a surprise and not always a good one.
The positive side : we didn’t gain weight !

On our way back, we stopped in Namur to see many of my family.
I gave ‘Abstract III’ to my uncle and aunt for their 50th wedding anniversary. I saw that they were truly happy with the present.

“Mountains inspire awe in many human person who has soul. They remind us of our frailty, our unimportance, of briefness of our span upon this earth. They touch the heavens, and sail serenely at an altitude beyond even imaginings of a mere mortal. “
Elisabeth Aston

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Nathalie

Champagne trip

I'm leaving to the Champagne for the rest of the week.
I will blogging again next week.

I added a few pictures from our trip to the Champagne past year :

" The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. "

Mark Russell

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Nathalie

Flower Parade

Next week we go to the Champagne for some days with DH and my parents. I’m glad to go again.
This is a beautiful region in France – not to speak of the gastronomy and the champagne.

We are also invited to go to a –I think 50 year - marriage celebration.
I finished “abstrait III” and I will give this as present :

For once my blog will not be only fibre or sketch related, but will be a hommage to all the people who made it possible to realize this fantastic flower parade.

This was the last flower parade representing some of the greatest Flemish Artists going from the 15th century till now a days.
There was only a little rain during the parade full of music, grimed kids and adults representing the personages from the artworks of the Flemish Artist.

There were more than 30 decorated “wagons”.

Many came to look this 50 year old parade and many are already nostalgic !
But back to reality : this was an expensive parade with all those flowers.

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.’

Socrates

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Nathalie

Marseille V Frioul-Quilt

I went wild with a Frioul-sketch. I went on the hard rock tour with a gothic touch.
I changed the colour of the cliffs into blue and made a gray, anthracite and black heaven.
Just had fun, without intention of making this in fabric.
It could be a 'State of Mind', some friend of my kids found the result 'too cool' or 'f..'
Now, back to a more conventional way of working.
Again a pastel sketch :
And the watered version :
I think that this is it.
I have eye- movement with diagonals
I have focal points – in the fabric version there will be less- my watered colours went on a walk in my sketch.
I made the design abstract – I wanted that.

I quickly picked some fabrics from my stash :
Some greens

Some blues
And the focal colours
I’m almost ready to start.
Still have a question :
What size will I make this work ?

"I can do to him whatever I like. I'm allowed to torture him as much as I want. He's mine. "
J.K. Rowling

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Nathalie

Quilting

I finished quilting some works and I’m sad and happy at the same time.
When you finish a work you spend some time with, you’re glad you see the finished result and you’re glad you can move on to something else. At the same time you have to let go that work and you realise you never will hold it like you used to hold it in your hand while working on it.
I kept the quilting very simple : the boat is quilted in the ditch and I echoed the colour accent with a metallic thread. The quilting lines are parallel with the accents, it’s the picture that was not so well taken.
The binding will also be a sheer ribbon.


I received some wonderful compliments about this little quilt :

One from Dena Crain- she gave me the opportunity to learn the ‘darning method’- and Ellen Lindner. See both links at the right.

Dena wrote me that ‘a picture on fabric will still be a only picture’ but thanks to what I did with this work, she had a second look at it.

Ellen wrote me that what I did with this quilt made her ‘wanting to search for some pictures and also work them out.

I don’t need to say that I was very flattered.

“An executive is a person who always decides, sometimes he decides correctly, but he always decides.”
John H. Patterson

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Nathalie