CLEAN/SIMPLE DESIGN

Isn't it great when family members express interest in your work??  I'm always eager to create a special piece for family/close friends.....but there's that hesitation....am I pushing them into having to hang a piece of art they may not actually care for?

Hopefully, that won't be the case with this new project being made especially for my niece who is moving into her own very first condo that has LOTS of wall space!

Like many young folks, she prefers simple & clean designs.....nature based....but not necessarily patchwork.

 I have almost no drawing skills so when I say I began by sketching two trees on lightweight tracing paper (the size of the desired finished piece)....I mean.....with pencil and eraser in hand!  

Due to a long lingering cold/flu, I've had a lot of down time.  So, hand applique seemed the most appealing construction choice for this project.  Nature isn't perfect, nor are these trees.....so it wasn't necessary to precisely transfer the motifs using many of the traditional methods.  Instead, with a Clover chalk marking tool...one fitted with a metal wheel at the tip, I retraced my pencil lines, pressing down firmly onto the paper which covered the piece of cotton fabric that I'd chosen for my trees.

 This procedure yielded a faint chalk mark where the paper tore as I traced, or a deep indentation (pressure traced).  Once all the lines were traced, I removed the paper and went over the marking again for better visibility.

In this photo, you can see where on the left side of the tree... it's been cut out, allowing a scant 1/4" seam allowance.  I'm not very fussy about this process because I trim the seam allowance as I needle turn applique if it's too wide or uneven.

 Remember this is going to be a simple/clean design....no parts have to fit into each other so precision is not vital here.

 Rather than using pins to secure the applique motifs to my background, I prefer to take the time to thread baste.  I find I have more control and less hassle using this time tested method.

 Once the applique has been complete, it's time to audition 'leaf' fabric.  My intent had been to use batiks in a variety of greens....  Yes, this looks sparse....it's supposed to!

However, now I'm leaning toward using this multi-color batik print instead.....follow along tomorrow to see what I decide......