Two Ravens - Final

 Even though I liked the burst of colour from the yellow leaves they were drawing the eye away from the Ravens. Using a very thin blade I cut away all the 2 mm satin stitch and replaced them with a duller version.

Now the eye can see the Ravens.

 

Two Ravens - assembled

There are a number of things to be considered before I pronounce this finished. The birds need eyes. I'm considering beads? or sequins+.

I really didn't address the unquilted sky........Hmmmmmmmm

and maybe the yellow leaves are wrong. (That's an easy fix with paint and for another day.) I do think it's a definite improvement. 

BTW I had been having trouble placing these guys because of the feet of the lower one. I usually advise the feet be added during assembly. Fortunately I accidently? cut off one of his feet so I was able to reposition it when I stitched them to the background. 😊

I have to dis-assemble my studio tomorrow as there are a two customer quilts arriving.....

That will give me time to plan the next video.

Putting the Two Birds Together.

 Over the last few days I think I tried at least 5 different ways to balance these two on the background. 

In the end simply giving them a final trim went a long way to making them look natural.

I played with two different colourways of poly yarn for the branches. In the end I went with the grey tones with a bit of brown thrown in. So most of the day was spent attaching the yarn

I've found the easiest way to handle this 3d addition of 6 to 10 strands of yarn was to twist it tight and then capture it under netting. Sewn down one side and then the other using the zipper foot allows you to control the bulk of the yarn. It can be further 'tamed' by stitching over it after it's attached to the landscape.

Lots of pins and careful sewing lets you put on a realistic branch that gradually tapers to the twigs.

All the excess netting is trimmed away at the end.

The boys are starting to look at home.

Raven # 2

Either this bird wasn't large enough or something. It really didn't feel right.

I played with alternate branch material. While this was okay it represents bulk which can't all be stitched away. As the raven was flat, I needed to rethink it.

And it was the wrong colour.

So maybe he needs a buddy!

I had to piece the material to get enough but that was easy enough. I fused it to the interfacing.

I couldn't get it in the hoop completely. I'll need to shift it [probably twice.

Here they are. Hmmmmm not convinced yet. Maybe this is the wrong background for them?

Tomorrow. 

Finishing the Raven

 This stitched up very quickly.

The reason is the choice of material for the base. There is no need to completely fill the features and the analogous colours add the highlight. It also makes stitching the feathers very easy.  All the final work can be done on the background.

And after cutting him out roughly, I used the remainder of the material as a branch.

I need to look at this for a while before I commit to using this material and this position.

It's not Finished Until It Is - Finishing the Reflection

Early January as an exercise, I made a small landscape, a reflection using some newly dyed material.

I bound it and put it aside, but in the back of my head I knew it wasn't finished.  

While I stitched the water. the upper half................I was uncertain.

I found the creature I wanted to add. It seemed to fit the mood.

I had added a crow before and the intensity of the black really finished the piece. So this guy was my next 'focal point'.

This is thread painting again but a slightly different approach. That much black needed a little help so instead of transferring the image to interfacing, I traced it onto a piece of batik. Easier said than done. I needed my light box to see.

Traced onto 'Golden Paper'

Onto the fabric using the light box

Hooped with netting behind

Outlined with stitch

And the initial feather stitching laid down.

This guy is going to have some purple highlights and probably some embroidery thread to help it shine.

Tutorial - Thread Painting the Chickadee

 Filming and editing is progressing.

https://youtu.be/aeTtE0QtN-A

All comments are welcome.

The Mask - Take 41

 I feel a bit like Jim Carey in the movie 'The Mask' with all the steps and missteps along the way.

Are there 41 versions of the video? No but there were at least 41 scenes and redo's and start overs. (And editing....I don't want to talk about that bottomless pit.)

Lots to learn yet. Lots more nerves to fray. But Hubby and I are still speaking....he's actually proud of me!

I'm still playing with the lights and camera views. There is another camera in the mail somewhere that should improve some of the views and give more focused detail.

So feel free to comment. (Though I've probably got it all on the todo list already.)

Masks for All my friends ( and friends of friends...)

 This is the pattern I really like; made from a simple circle, no cutting.

I'll try to get a video up this week.😀

Where did January Go?

I was barely aware I hadn't posted in almost 3 weeks. Though it feels like I've been totally nonproductive....I also feel like I haven't stopped the whole time.

The biggest change is the Christmas present my husband assembled thanks to 300 parcels from AMAZON. (I swear all the drivers know my first name.!)

I am now the proud owner of a video studio.

And now I'm struggling to come up to speed with it. 

The self-consciousness of talking to the ether, fine tuning the camera positions and using the full field of vision..........

Hubby and I are still talking to one another.... and I am learning.

Editing was the second big hurdle, and while I appreciate the gesture when my sons tell me that "it's so simple even kids do it...."....it doesn't really salve the frustration levels.

After planning scenes and retakes, editing and slicing sections, labeling and sound over work as well as speed manipulation.........There were days I would walk away with very little to show. And days I would just walk away.

Our, MY last hurdle here is getting it out to you. A lot of instructions are not intuitive and for someone who only works with very basic programs. I have to be able to articulate my problem before I ask for assistance.

Easier said than done.

One of the upshots of all this was I ended up making over 3 doz masks of this different pattern.

I donated the first batch, (made during the step by step recordings). Even that was a bit of an issue. I found a lot of 'organized and recognized' groups are under advisement not to accept any more handmade masks for redistribution to clients. 

Then my son's girlfriend put in a request for another doz for her work mates. (Funny how much faster those went together when I didn't have to stop and set up a scene to be filmed.)

And one of the last and so far easiest recording session came when I made a hat. Another sewer from Eastern Europe had posted this process on line. So I used it as my latest effort.

As there was an editing disaster with it......I'll have to redo that (have to source some more polar fleece)

So I hope to start publishing links here in this blog sometime........ this month. 

In the meantime.....back to the studio. 😊

(Did I also mention my step daughter is working on a web page for me?.......)