"Tropical Fire"

"Tropical Fire",
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

remember this??? I posted this quilt a couple of months ago...I decided to entry it into a juried show so I had my Dad photograph it with his great set-up.....he has been working hard ( and spending some money) to get a studio photography system up and running...he wants to be able to digitally photograph art and print for re-sale or digitally enter shows etc......even offer the service for some income.....he is really getting good at my Mom's art and now I am pushing him to deal with the intricacies of textiles...we learned alot with this one and I think next time we will try some different lighting techniques....what do you think can you tell the difference ????? this was my original photo with just my little camera

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE,
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

improved photo

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE DETAIL

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE DETAIL,
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

new and improved

"Tropical Fire"

"Tropical Fire",
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

original detail

nutcracker cont

allrighty then we have lift off......the first bits are getting fused down...what fun to choose the fabric and decide on the placement ....I cut these freehand till they look right ...lots of the detail will be added with stitching later on



this is the first act ...in a simplyfied form...I simply cannot put every thing on this quilt that is included in the ariginal story and then there have been lots of embellishments throught the years as various ballet companies created their own versions so I am going with the "dummies guide to the nutcracker" version....all the important visual bits ( at least to me) will be there
still part of act 1 ....I need to add the bed above these guys ...and they need swords!!!
and a bit of klimt inspired small work that I am doing for a swap...as a bonus 

process

I like to see the process of creation more that I like the finished product...it's not that I don't like the product ...just that I am more fascinated by how it comes to be...so I am going to show you my process...at least in this creation's case....I am creating a quilt for a challenge off of the quilt art list...the challenge is to create a quilt based on a children's story....I grew up in a ballet school...my Mom was a dancer and my sister and I spent the better parts of every day in the ballet studio....we used to be able to go and talk to her when the class transitioned to "the center" from "the bar"...we were so little I can't believe we were usually so good...even my Mom says so...anyway...every year the big production was "the nutcracker" my Mom was usually the "mother" in the first act and the spanish dancer ....you would think I would just hate the thought of the whole thing but I don't....I love the story ...so we will see if I can capture it in textiles.... this is where I started...making notes of the pieces and parts of the story...did you know the the dances are all based on "party foods"
some thoughts about the battle scene....
choosing the background...this was harder that I thought ...but here it is ..the "batting" will be the wool...I like the subtle plaid you can see under the main fabric
now I am cutting out large shapes to "block" the general scene....top left will be the party...and then the bedroom to the top right ...then middle right will be the battle ...and the whole lower 2/3 will be the palace scene with all the variations ( that's what all the dances are called ) will be..this is a good start I think..... now I am off to my work week.... more next weekend!!