It's been a long journey for such a small elephant, but along the way he's not only found some temple arches to walk through, but also some bling to adorn himself (that's the exuberant Orient, after all). And finally, here he is.
You can read more about his journey here and here, I'll just tell about the quilting in this post. I usually prefer some sort of overall quilting pattern for the whole of the quilt or at least for the whole of the background. Here it was evident that each part needed its own quilting, that's why I kept putting it off and spent a long time considering the options.
The elephant was easy, I just echoed some of the shapes, trying to keep him not too flat, and created an arching pattern in his coat (blanket? rug? saddlecloth?) to rhyme with the border arches.
Finally, I decided to quilt the immediate background with paisley-feather-mussel-like something in golden-brown variegated thread.
Then quilted simple rosettes into the corner patches,
And mini-arches in the narrow borders.
Finally, the "temple arches" were quilted with stylised architectural details, and the space between them - with echoing curves.
Despite the small surface area, it was a lot of fiddling, but that was not all, the handwork still remained, and the quilt sat waiting till I was in the mood to do that.
I went to three shops to look for suitable trimmings, and there was not a lot of choice in something Indian looking, but small-scale and not too colourful, so I just bought this gold lace, blingy red trim and some plastic "gems" that rhymed with the trim. Some hand stitching - and the elephant is ready for any ceremony he wants to attend.
On the whole, it's very unusual quilt for me in an uncharacteristic colour way, but it was fun to let it go and see how it developed of its volition.
Linking up to Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina-Marie
Finished or not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
Free Motion Mavericks at Lizzy Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF at Celtic Thistle Stitches
Show Off Saturday at Sew Can She
You can read more about his journey here and here, I'll just tell about the quilting in this post. I usually prefer some sort of overall quilting pattern for the whole of the quilt or at least for the whole of the background. Here it was evident that each part needed its own quilting, that's why I kept putting it off and spent a long time considering the options.
The elephant was easy, I just echoed some of the shapes, trying to keep him not too flat, and created an arching pattern in his coat (blanket? rug? saddlecloth?) to rhyme with the border arches.
Finally, I decided to quilt the immediate background with paisley-feather-mussel-like something in golden-brown variegated thread.
Then quilted simple rosettes into the corner patches,
And mini-arches in the narrow borders.
Finally, the "temple arches" were quilted with stylised architectural details, and the space between them - with echoing curves.
Despite the small surface area, it was a lot of fiddling, but that was not all, the handwork still remained, and the quilt sat waiting till I was in the mood to do that.
I went to three shops to look for suitable trimmings, and there was not a lot of choice in something Indian looking, but small-scale and not too colourful, so I just bought this gold lace, blingy red trim and some plastic "gems" that rhymed with the trim. Some hand stitching - and the elephant is ready for any ceremony he wants to attend.
On the whole, it's very unusual quilt for me in an uncharacteristic colour way, but it was fun to let it go and see how it developed of its volition.
Linking up to Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina-Marie
Finished or not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
Free Motion Mavericks at Lizzy Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF at Celtic Thistle Stitches
Show Off Saturday at Sew Can She
Great little quilt. Thanks for sharing your work up close and your process.
ReplyDeleteOlena, I love your elephant so much- this is very successful! Every single quilting choice you made enhances the whole and his bling turned out perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI love elephants and yours is beautiful. Love the bling trim.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt. The details are simply amazing!
ReplyDeleteFabulous finish, great quilting and the perfect amount of bling! Thanks for linking up to TGIFF too :)
ReplyDeleteA shop that carries Indian saris might have bling as well.
ReplyDeleteHello Olena,
ReplyDeleteYour elephant is gorgeous! I absolutely love these colours, they are ideal for the subject. And as for the gold trim and beads, they are the perfect finishing touch.
Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks. Your quilt is this week's featured project!
Love, Muv