I finished my painted/stitched version of Klee’s painting ‘Clarification’, which is part of the cover for a sketchbook. I’m fascinated by that solid line across the lower third, which also features in the original painting, and somehow ties the whole thing together.
I decided though that this is going to be the back cover, not the front, so there has been a bit of cutting and splicing.
I’ve kept the seam on the right side because I’m going to cover the spine area later so the raw edges will be covered. The sketchbook is a 12” square spiral bound one, so I didn’t want the raw edges on the back interfering with the wire spiral, and I didn’t want the bulk of a turned seam.
So now I’ve started on the front cover, which is based on Klee’s ‘Small Picture of Fir Trees‘ (1922). I did a sketchy collage just to understand the colours and shapes and used a view finder to isolate a square area.
I’m trying this one in layered sheers and semi-sheers, with a base of hand-dyed cotton organdie and bits of silk organza over the top. You can just see the outline drawing underneath.
I really like layering sheer fabrics. I used to use them a lot; less so these days but it’s maybe something I might revisit. I like the way they are solid and transparent at the same time.
The best bit is putting in some tacking stitches to get rid of the pins, which will be my next step. Then you can see much more clearly what you’re dealing with. Less hazardous too. I don’t know why, but I am always surprised by how sharp pins are. Makes me feel like I’m maybe not the sharpest pin in the box.
You have inspired me to peruse my local library’s Art Book section. I have a friend–Anita Mayer–who took a 4 year Cities and Guilds in Embroidery. She is now 89 and a dynamo–she is embroidering panels for a bedspread for her bedroom. She is an incredible clothing artist.
Wow, what an inspiration!
Love the tree. With my recent Boro piece I was tacking with the sashiko thread as best as I could to get rid of the pins! Sneaky little blighters.
Ha, I’ve already trapped a couple of rogue pins under the layers of sheers and had to fish them out with a crochet hook. I occasionally find the odd pin buried in finished work, and they also end up in my slippers on a fairly regular basis 😳
Ouch! I try and be careful because of the dogs but they still escape. 🙄
I am fascinated as always by your creations and love this idea for creating a book cover. BTW I have left Facebook as my account had been hacked again creating all sorts of other problems with my e mail accounts. I am anticipating the next instalment of your fabric journey.
Hugs Mo
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Lovely to see you here Mo 🙂 sorry to see there is trouble with FB or Meta or whatever their name is now, what a nuisance.
Pins are always unexpectedly vicious, aren’t they!
We might say ‘sharp as a pin’… 😆