It's Friday. (I finished it!)

It started with a sketch.

The sketch was from a photo I took of a field full of new spring growth coming up in last year's dry, yellow stubble & seed.  I have to find a good name for this.  (Hint, hint!  Your suggestions appreciated.)   It's old & new, spring and fall, future and past - all together in one spot.  As I stitched, I felt focused on the yellow grasses, which really isn't what the photo should have been about if you think about it.  It was spring.  Green was coming forth.  hmmmm.

Here is what I had done as of the last post (three days of stitching):

day three

Some of you asked why I used the grey background.  Hmmm.  I don't really have an answer.  It's a good piece of wool to do a bit of needle felting into.  I've used dark grey before and it seemed to give some depth to the piece.

...three more days of stitch, stitch, stitch....

day six

I love the blending.  This was very interesting to do.  I have to find it interesting right?  How else could I stitch for fifty hours?  I stitched green, then yellow, then green, then yellow, and again once more.  I didn't want to add French Knots for the little spots of brown from the year before.  I decided to add some beautiful wooden beads that Margot had given me.  I laid them out on the piece until I was happy with the placement and snapped a photo so I would remember.  One bounce of the taught fabric and the beads would be sent flying.  (haha - I speak from experience!)

auditioning beads

The whole piece is a blend of wool, cotton, and silk.  I thought the wood beads were perfect!  They are all the right colors in shades of brown and rust.  I spent this afternoon stitching them down one by one.  I stitched them so they would show face out, with a several stitches through each bead.  This will framed quite differently and I want them on there securely.  I think they look better this way too!

done!  (click to view larger)

There you go!  WHEW!  What a marathon.  I can't wait to take it to get it framed.  I like it.  It's kind of impressionistic.  That's challenging for me.

I am glad I challenged myself.

Well.  I should have new work (my usual threadpaintings) to show you next week.  I did have enough art for my upcoming solo show at The Centre Galleries but then sold some in the last few days.  That was so unexpected!  Thank you so very much to those of you who contacted me for art.  : )  After all this I'll be able to start up 2 new & totally fantastic commissions.  Thank you also for that!  One is from the USA, and one is from Australia again.  That will make four pieces of mine over on the other side of the planet.  That's so exciting for me!  Every once in a while I stop and pop my head up out of my sewing room to take a look at how far I've come and it always blows me away.  I pop my head back down and just keep stitching.  : )  Too much excitement makes me nervous.  lol

Have a great November and thank you so much for following my blog.