I thought of all the numerous meanings of the word, "element" and decided right away that I wanted to do something different and quirky. Turtles live in their "elements", so I decided on a design that featured a female turtle in her elements - her shell and the water. My inspiration came from Philadelphia artist, Lynnette Shelley, who creates mosaics of her Hawaiian memories.
I drew a female face on the turtle with lipstick, rouge and long eyelashes, and then topped her head with a flowery hat. I added sea plants and grasses that are also in their "element" at the bottom of the sea.
Machine piecing, raw edge fusing, machine quilting and hand embroidery highlight my fun design.
Very cute!!!! Interesting to see this take on the theme. Are those french knots or some kind of edging?
ReplyDeleteThey are french knots - my very first attempt since I've never done hand embroidery!
DeleteJust adorable & so whimsical...makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteOh Carolyn. This is so perfect, so much fun. I gotta get back to quilting that is so fine in your background. Forgot about that!! Loved the repetition of the turtle in the setting.Very whimsical...
ReplyDeleteI love the vibrancy of color, imagination and texture on this unexpected interpretation of the element theme. How fun.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, this is such a charming and beautiful quilt. Your take on the theme is creative and playful. AND the execution--just gorgeous. That machine quilting, the hand embroidery, everything so lovely. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful surprise. Thank you for this smile inducing quilt
ReplyDeleteLoved the whimsy and imaginative take on "Element!" Can you just imagine being a turtle, floating around in clear, warm, beautiful waters (perhaps in Hawaii !), and wearing a red hat ! Great job :-)
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, beautifully done! She looks very happy swimming in her element!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteThis is so cute! I just want to reach out and touch her. Your color choices are so sweet and ohhhh the french knots add just the right touch to your little turtle girl and her flower garden. Love the quilting you did on her shell and to make the water movement.
Is that hand painted rick-rack that edges her shell? It is perfect for that.
Did you couch great yarn for the seaweed?
Just so cute!
Thanks Judy! The shell edging is not rick-rack, it's a decorative trim that I had in my stash. The yarn is silk yarn that I bought years ago at the Houston Quilt Show. I pulled it apart to make it free-flow like seaweed, glued it down and then zig-zagged it in place. The compliments on my quilting are so nice coming from you! As you know, I'm a beginner trying to learn how to machine quilt!
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