The second stitch challenge was created by Cas Holmes. The idea is to create a stitched collage using items you can find at home from your stash.
Start by finding an object in your home that is special to you and use that as the theme to work from. I immediately thought of my dried flowers. My spring garden has been one of my greatest sources of pleasure during quarantine. The fact that the flowers bloomed right on schedule, the sun rose and set, the birds still chirped, and the animals still went about their business grazing, gave me such a sense of balance and peace amongst the chaos.
The collage is created by using a background fabric, such as cotton or linen. I then added some paper I had been saving for a very long time. It was hand made paper with leaves embedded inside of it. I tore the edges without rhyme or reason and placed it on my background fabric, which was a piece of linen.
I then started arranging my dried flower in top of that.
I taught my son to embroider one quiet rainy day and remembered that he had cast these bees aside as “not good enough.” Maybe I’m biased but I thought they were fantastic and, just like that, it became our first mother/son collaboration.
You can use a glue stick or tacking stitches to hold everything down once you are happy with your placement.
I opted, instead, to just begin stitching between all the layers of fabric with different sizes and shapes of straight stitches.
I found another piece of paper that fit so perfectly with my theme. It was a quote on a card I received (thanks, Aunt Beth). It really sums up how I feel about my time spent outdoors during quarantine.
I was delighted that the flower on the right fit perfectly into this area of the collage, bending into that torn piece of paper. It was clearly meant to be.
Stitching over the frail flowers was slow, careful work.
I made tiny yellow french knots to mimic the tiny buds in the yellow flower and inside the columbine.
This was such a fun challenge. I have never created a stitched collage before so I learned something new and it really helped me zero in on the positive side of being at at home and the things I hold near and dear.
Maybe this will inspire you to try a collage piece. So much fun!
Thanks for stopping by.
Warmly,
Pam