Step Into the Forest

I've been a bit obsessed with the "tree" theme the last year, so it isn't surprising that my finished project this semester involves trees.

The assignment was to paper-piece the traditional "Courthouse Steps" pattern. I used different tree and leaf patterned cottons and really did like the colour composition, so I quilted it and put on a binding. Nice, but all it did was sit there. Nice blocks of colour-but nothing more than blocks of colour. I spent far to many hours on it to file it away in a binder as another "sample".

After a few days of having the quilt lie around on my table like a place mat, I decided it wasn't enough to just have the tree fabrics, it needed sculpted trees on it too. So, I pulled out a role of wire and a box of beads, and twisted up a few trees. I placed the trees on the quilt and it immediately came to life. In fact, I liked it so much I thought it was worthy of using some silk (I don't use silk for anything). Stitch the quilt to the silk, pull the silk around some stretcher bars, tack on the trees and presto!

If you look at it from across the room, you see the simple blocks of colour. Take a step or 2 towards it and you start to see 3 strange black lines running vertically up the quilt. Curious? Step closer. Now you can see the branches twisting towards you. Step up even closer to the trees and you can see the leaves. The side view (how I see it when I'm at the sewing machine) is quite charming too!