FALL –
the colored leaves; the cooler temperatures; the delicious stews, soups and desserts associated with Fall. Apples, pumpkins and nuts of all kind are with us again. There is no reason to wonder why Fall remains my favorite time of year.
So much has happened since I last posted a blog – hardly anything worth repeating here. 2020 has not been the most positive of years. At least we are closer to the election -4 more sleeps – enough said about that. The hot temperatures have been blown away by the numerous hurricanes winding down as they have passed over and around us here in central North Carolina. We send concern to those more directly impacted. I have about 2 dozen green tomatoes still clinging to the vines. My fault, as I didn’t buy the plants until mid-June. Yesterday, I moved them closer to my window so I could watch them, thinking they might ripen if they knew I was watching. Hmmm… as with boiling water, I don’t think this will do the trick. They also needed protection from the swirling tail winds of Hurricane Zeta and possible frosty nights that might creep in unaware to me.
AND, most importantly, our tiny family bubble of 4 has managed to stay healthy and isolated from the hideous virus that is threatening the world.
To take my mind off of the world around me, hesitating to wander into it, I challenged myself to make some hangings for my sheltered entrance and the narrow space under the light by the garage where I usually hang a seasonal wreath. My September piece features coneflowers which I have used in previous works. I credit Jan Soules, a well-known quilt artist, for the composition layout. I usually work from original ideas, but fell in love with her use of piecing for the background. Starting from that, I worked my own end of summer design. My piece is made from mostly patio grade fabrics – canvas and jute cord, with regular weight quilting threads so that I could hang it in the sheltered weather elements by my front door. There are some fabrics in the sky that are prints from my sky paintings.
For October, I created a small hanging featuring a front yard scene of appropriate items. Again, I used patio canvas, but used a rusting process to add textures to the pumpkins.
For October Bounty, I wanted muted values to reflect the general colors of the season with pops of color to feature the bounty of the month. The sky is strips of duck fabric interwoven to create a textured sky, but still remaining in the muted tones. The strips were raw edge, but secured with lots of stitching in due process. A few of the woven strips were previously printed and some have sequins attached to the purchased fabric. The fields are duck fabric which has been rusted to various degrees. Texture was added with colored jute cord to separate the fields. The binding is jute as well. Most fabrics are either canvas, burlap, or duck.
There was no pattern. I drew the tree in a simple line drawing while looking at a sample and then widened and enhanced the branches with paint. The tree was then enlarged in my printer and the sections were taped together to serve as a pattern. The hanging was completed in sections and then assembled with fleece as batting, just because I had fleece on hand (covid variations). The backing is a nylon/polyester fabric that was in my stash. Some of the fabrics melt when heat is applied – a lesson learned. Luckily, I am finding that the rusted fabric does not seem to fade, even after being displayed for a month through wind and rain. It has been in a north-facing location, so no direct sunlight. The piece was submitted for SAQA’s challenge, Land Art-from the Forest to your Balcony, but did not make the cut this time. I have created two additional pieces for outdoor display, and am working on Maple Leaves and Gobble for display in November – SOON.
Stay well. Be safe. Wear a mask. Self-distance. Wash your hands, and most of all… VOTE! We’ll get through this world-wide challenge as best we can.
Brooklyn Bridge with Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center (with the spire) in center view. (Photo by Norm Ritter)
Our Amtrak Route from Cary to Penn Station.
Narrative Textile Illustrations 