Feeling of Accomplishment

One good thing about being home with a sick doggie is that I can hole up in the studio in between cleanups with the roll of paper towels and visits to the vet- look at her sad sick eyes!  (She is doing better tonight and gave me this look when I wouldn't give out any cookies just yet.)

  I am getting some things off the conveyor belt here thanks to the imposed incarceration.  I had about ten prints left over from the 'Flying Over Bridges' book I worked on last fall so picked the 6 better ones and did some embroidery on them.  I gave away all the 6 ply thread and am left with the much heavier gauge floss which I like the looks of better, but is damn hard to pull through this tightly woven painted cotton.  So, here's the lineup from left to right:  (click to get details)




I had it all put together when I came upon the bunnies in the wastebasket, a remnant of my student's toile.  And you remember how I get with toile.  So I had to use it, and added the bunnies leaping over the bridges to escape.  Well, how do you escape over a bridge?  It must be THE EVACUATION ROUTE!  Those of you who never get to lowlands or spend time on islands or skinny peninsulas might never know about evacuation routes, but it's the designated road to get out of the way of whatever coming disaster is looming.  Then whoa, there were also some baby chicks escaping, and then the boys fishing from the bridges need to get away, but first they need a fish so they push their luck.  Oh, I hadn't finished their rods when I took the picture.  Imagine them with rods.

Never push your luck with evacuations.

Next I just cannot leave these rolls of tar paper alone.  These were the ones with the fish and starfish collaged on that I couldn't sew through for the last attempt, but here I have sewn the binding on by machine and kept it only 1/8" around because---

I was using a bias binding.  I had simply forgotten the joys of using bias, it actually molds itself exactly how you want it to be.  Why had I forgotten this?

Here are two circles coming together so neatly no one will know it's MY work!

And finally the free-form shape taking form on the wall.  The bottom 2 circles don't yet have their backing and binding but since the pictures were taken I have finished those too.  I am attempting to hang this puppy straight from one 12" slat (in photo) that will attach to the back of the top circle.  I am somewhat concerned that even with my careful engineering that it may decide to hang wonky after it stretches and pulls itself out of whack.  But for now it's working and all the circles are balancing and hanging flat thanks to their attached yoyos.  We'll see if it lasts, but I have already figured out how to fix it very simply if it doesn't stay where I put it.  Drapery rings.

Third in the TidePool series, but I need a better name so I don't get it too confused with the Tide Pools Collage or the Tide Pools Quilt.  Maybe 'Seven Tide Pools' as a working title.  I am soooo happy to use the fish, loved the fish!  Stay with me here, I know you have seen a bit too much of these damn circles, but I am feeling it this time.  

Besides, Lois and Judy, my cleaning gals, both loved it.