Quilt number 3 for International Threads challenge is finally completed after several months marinating on the design wall. The theme was change of scale or large/small scale. I returned to ideas I worked on a while ago on incorporating a photo of door within a large scale detail as in these JQ's
The smaller scale area is a photo of part of a patched, mended door with newer wood inserts among the old on Queen Charlottes Cottage in the grounds of Kew Gardens. The larger scale shapes and colours are based on some of the sections of the photo, a mixture of African batik, hand dyed fabric and monoprints with acrylic paint from Jae Maries course. I used different weight threads ( 40 and 12) in these areas to further emphasise the change of scale.
I took this quilt along to the Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles group meeting yesterday in Bracknell - which apart from our AGM featured an interesting talk by Jane O'Brien on the history of Damask ( co-incidentally I've reading through the silk route section of the 'History of the World in 100 objects). She highlighted the damask on various Renaissance paintings, many in the National Gallery which reminded me of my drawing courses there - remembering how I struggled with the patterns on cloth in the Bellini painting of the Doge!
In the afternoon, it was good to be reminded of design principles, particularly the golden section and I couldn't resist assembling a small flock from the delightful knitted sheep the Kate Crossley had brought for sale.
Ian meanwhile had been picking the last of the figs from our tree but even he admitted this time they were seriously underwhelming in taste - we need that Mediterranean sun!
