Last week I ran a landscape patchwork class with children. I provide the fabrics and they have to be creative with what they are given.
This was the random selection. I pulled a packet out of one of the autumn shaded boxes.
An interesting selection, some florals, a few solids and some plaids as well. I am curious to see what they do with them
I told them to choose at least 4 different colors. I didn't tell them to choose solids and patterns I wanted to see what they did.
This took her 5 minutes to choose. She always knows exactly what she wants. She spends about a minute looking at the pile of fabric, pulls a few strips out and is happy with her choice.
Now this student asked for some help. She really only wanted to use this fabric. I am not strict and usually allow them their freedom of choice. But for a landscape patchwork art quilt one needs a variation of either color or pattern to get the landscape effect. Every few weeks I have a really stubborn student who either doesn't want to stitch curves or is very set in a choice of colors.
We first laid the piece down and I asked her to tell me which colors she sees there. I told her, that to me it looks romantic and cottagey. I only volunteer my opinions if the student has asked for help.
She spent a few minutes looking at the fabric and then told me that she had found a few colors. The first was a tan in one of the floral buds. She went to the pile of fabrics and found some tan strips.
She surprised me by saying that it was boring so she chose the next color. And this time she smiled, a rose.
Now she began to enjoy the process and looked for more colors.
A deeper tan almost brown was her next choice.
A floral with green and blue? She wasn't too happy with this one. She said that it doesn't suit the color mix. I told her that in art there are some rules about using color, but, the most important rule was whether you felt that the colors were "right". She asked me how does one do that.
You place a piece of fabric down and ask yourself if it makes you feel good when you look at it. Does it fit in with what you are trying to say with your piece of art.
You could be saying summer, or romance or happy or angry - you are trying to send a message with your art and ask yourself if the colors that you choose send that message.
Now she said that it was perfect. She wanted a romantic, cottagey look.
Her selection
He pulled out all the red, plum and fuschia solids, his mother's favorite colors and he wanted to make the landscape for her.
We will have to find an interesting colored thread to make it work.
He chose all the plaids that he could find in the pile of fabrics.
She chose all the greens
A red pink and orange combination
I had taken fabrics from the autumn box but she managed to pull out all the bright summer shades.
And last but not least a surprise. She only wanted to use florals.
She had chosen 4 florals from the fabric mix. I waited to see how she would lay them out.
This is going to be an interesting wave landscape piece. We could choose a green thread or a blue thread or a plum thread for top stitching. Next week we will choose.
Each selection was laid on 2 layers of flannel sheeting
Rolled up and stored in the container for next weeks lesson.
Next up, to iron all the strips and to begin stitching them down on the flannel base.