I actually finished it. It is my Challenge quilt from the November 2009 FFFC group challenge. The challenge was to use the theme of Microbiology with the composition techniques of exaggerated scale and paint effects. For this challenge I actually had an immediate idea, and some available time to get started on it. But getting started was about all I was able to do before getting caught up with school homework. I did take the unfinished work with me to Chicago for Christmas, but between starting the Spring Mandala and getting sick I didn't work on it. After Christmas I was too busy with school and other mandalas to want to work on this.
But I am host for the FFFC group challenge for June so I knew I needed to get my act together and start working on my quilting. I felt a good lead in would be to finish Challenge # 39. The design is based on one of my drawings for my 3-D design class Protozoa project. I liked this design but knew that creating it in aluminum would be tricky to say the least so I chose a different design for that project. When I needed a design for the November challenge my thoughts immediately went to my existing designs and I selected this one. Choosing fabrics was fun, I wanted something bright and not necessarily true to life. I started by stamping the background fabric using Lumiere Paints with a stamp I had cut for another challenge, then I added additional lines using green Tsukineko fabric inks. The protozoa design was machine appliqued down and then I started the hand work. It was about that point that it got put aside. In the past week or so I finished all the embroidery with Pearl Embroidery floss, added the beading for the body ridges. I realized that the background needed something so I added the amoeba shapes to the background, first outlining them with Pearl cotton, then using Shiva Paint sticks to color the fabric inside the shape. Then I added the hand couched fibers and the scrunched netting for the amoeba's nucleus. Fabrics used with either Primrose Gradations or Cherrywood hand dyes.
The question of course is do I like it. Hmm, not sure, I feel the design could be stronger, I really don't like to center elements though that is how this one ended up after I trimmed the background. That is why I added the amoeba shapes to the background to give the viewers eye someplace else to go on the quilt surface. The quilting is simple and is my second plan, if I had gone with my first concept the quilting lines would be more vertical and wavy, I did sketch some lines like that on the quilt in chalk then decided that would be too much vertical since I wanted to add the fiber and so went with the more circular large meander. I suppose I could have echo quilted the protozoa but I don't usually like doing that, and the protozoa is supposed to be as viewed through a microscope so the background should be just that a background with its own textures features. After all a drop of pond water doesn't hold just one creature but many.
The name is Latin as all good living things names should be, I looked up the word for orange on-line though the closest I could come to orange was aurantiacus which according to the list I was using is actually a red orange. Still it is close enough so I am calling my creation Aurantiacus Protozoa. Now I need to go work on my challenge # 46, which is Geology with unexpected colors. If you want to read the exact challenge you can go here. You may need to scroll down a bit since members will be posting their finished quilts.
Per usual comments are welcome.
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