A surprising development - continued!

So, when I left you last, my evergreen tree was in the hoop, I was stitching merrily along, I was pleased with how it was developing - everything was going gangbusters.

When I was done, I had a look at it, and began to doubt myself...

I had envisioned a Charlie Brown Christmas type of tree amongst the birches, but when I was done, I decided that the tree wasn't wide enough - that it's branches should spread further to either side.

I tried adding some stitched onto the existing branches, but it looked like exactly that - some stitches added on the end of the branches. Not good.

So I pulled them out, shortened my tree, and started adding my fatter birches as planned.

I wasn't best pleased with the result, but "in for a penny, in for a pound": so I continued adding my fatter trees.

At this point, I thought I had wrecked it, and was ready to toss it. (And I certainly wasn't sending it to SAQA!) But I slept on it for a couple of nights, and decided that with some more work, it might be okay.

So, I think some "snow" made of french knots and beads (like Red Bellied Woodpecker), perhaps a tiny bird in one of those trees, and then, perhaps a winter hare - like the ones in Hare Raising, only more developed.

This is very interesting to me, because this is the first time I've made something with no idea of where I'm going, what the finished piece is "supposed" to look like, or even when it will be, in fact, finished.

And speaking of finished, remember last week when I talked about the stretcher bars being mis-measured and how I hadn't got it right? Well, when I finally pulled the piece and the fleece off (after removing approximately one million staples); I found that the bars on the top part of frame had shifted, just over an inch. Which would account for the one inch that I was off!

I was so happy! I hadn't made a mistake after all! (Well, I had, but not the one I thought I had.) It's one thing to make a mistake, but quite another to measure three times and still be wrong. So that was a relief.

Do you see the mistake I made? Yup. Forgot the braces. So I added them, re-wrapped the stretcher frames and put the work back on. And?

Ta da!!! It fits perfectly. Phew!

See you Friday with a lunch-time update and some cool links!

Toodles!

8 comments:

Living to work - working to live15.1.14
I love your angel, Kit. He looks so modern and bang up to date.
Anonymous15.1.14
É a melhor forma de se plantar um bosque: agulha , linha, tecido, imaginação, técnica, habilidade, bom gosto e senso de artístico. Parabéns! Admiro muito seu trabalho!
Um abraço!

It is the best way to plant a grove: needle, thread, fabric, imagination, skill, technique, taste and sense of artistic. Congratulations! I greatly admire your work!
Hugs!
Maggi15.1.14
So glad that you sorted your stretcher bars out and didm;'t have to make another purchase. Your SAQA piece is developing, look forward to seeing what happens next.
quilthexle15.1.14
Your winter scene is beautiful, and I can very well imagine a hare and / or a bird. Your description made me grin - because I love working that way, just starting and let the art evolve ;-)
Beth15.1.14
So glad you didn't toss this piece. I love it - all of it.
Unknown15.1.14
Yea!! Thank goodness that the mistake was an easy ( relatively speaking ) fix. Flying without a plan on the trees seems to be working very well for you!
monika@mysweetprairie.ca16.1.14
Oh Kit - I just love that final one. What a great project. (ps - testing testing - I think I fixed my reply email!! : )