Tag: embroidered quilts

Keeping Things Straight, Sort Of

Dear Liza,

I am finally getting to the middle part of my French map quilt, and it is a challenge.

First, the iron-on adhesive that I used to stick the purple Massif Central to the green plains makes embroidering a real chore. Instead of sewing easily along, I am having to stab each stitch through, and it is tiring!

Also, I have realized that the “rows” in the west don’t line up with those in the east. They are a bit wonky, which is fine, but how could I make them look good together? I don’t want to see it out of whack every time I look at it.

So I decided to baste some swoopy lines from east to west, to help me join the two sides in a cohesive manner. These took a few days to do, because of the thick fabric, but I think they will be worth the effort.

I’ve got a chunk of it done, and I like it so far.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Are We There Yet?

Dear Liza,

I’ve been working on the French Map Quilt for a couple of months now, and I think I’m almost done with the top.

My problem is, I can’t look at the WHOLE thing at once, except when I take a picture of it. At about a meter across, it’s a lot to focus on. Below, I have broken it up into four photos.



Looking here, I can see that I need more ‘grazing’ icons on the Massif Central and heading up into the Alps.

Here, the Pyrenees Mountains look a bit bare. And should there be something at the shore? Wavy lines to show the foam and dunes, maybe?

It’s hard for me to be objective… what do you think?

For now, I’m going to fold it up and let it sit. I’ll get back to it when I can see it fresh.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Adding More …. And More

Dear Liza,

Once I realized what was wrong with my French map quilt, I got busy putting it right. Every inch on the embroidery is getting re-worked with more color, contrast, and texture.

For example, here is a section of Provence, in what I am now calling the Rough Draft stage. At the time, I thought it was done. But the olive trees are flat, and the lavender is almost invisible.

A few days later, I had added enough contrast that the area was what I wanted it to be… bright, vibrant, and inviting.

Looking further north, I realized that the glorious Loire Valley, the “Garden of France”, was looking very sparse. Too much flat fabric, not enough cultivation going on.

So I drew more lines of crops, and then more between those. Straight rows became waving hills and I got braver with colors. NOW the Loire seems like it’s living up to its potential!

I guess I’ll just keep adding stitches until it seems like I should stop!

Love,

Grandma Judy