Water Goddess Wall Hanging

I wanted to share my lasted, finished project with you. Did you notice that I actually used the word FINISHED? I know, I can hardly believe it myself. Beginning to end I stuck it out and WOW it was so worth it!

I began working on this project a couple of weeks ago. It was just something that I felt compelled to do after I got home from Phoenix. I chose blue for a number of reasons. Primarily because blue it is my mother's favorite color. But also because blue is totally out of my comfort zone. And I wasn't even sure that I would be able to stick with it long enough to see the end results. Sadly, now that it's finished and it is so beautiful, I don't even have anywhere in my house to hang it. Not even in my studio. I just can't bring myself to go to the blue side. Oh well!

Additionally, blue symbolizes the element of water, its direction is West, and the moon phase is waning. Its angel is Gabriel, the season is Autumn, and the zodiac sign is Scorpio, which oddly enough is also a water sign.

Blue also represents peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, cold, technology, and depression. It is also said that blues can slow the pulse rate, lower body temperature, and reduce appetite. And is considered a good business color because it reflects reliability. The various shades of blue have their own unique representations and psychology.

All of that being said, here SHE is in all of her 20" by 20" glory.



She started out as an art doll based on the Butterfly Goddess Pattern by Kivett Studio. This pattern is just one of three that are offered for free. The studio blog showcases her projects and designs.



She has been assembled using multiple layers of silk and cotton fabric, batting, muslin and cotton backings, hand embroidery, and hand quilting/hand finishing (using transparent thread). She is embellished with layers of lace, beads, trims, and buttons.



Her face is baked clay, painted with acrylics. Her body is hand embroidered using both cotton threads and silk ribbons.



Each of the four corners are embroidered in a Celtic design representing all four of the elements, their directions, and their seasons:

Green - Earth, North, Winter
Red - Fire, South, Summer
Blue - Water, West, Autumn
Yellow - Air, East, Spring

These were sewn using cotton threads and Press 'n' Seal for tracing and placement. I found this free design on the Internet and simply printed it out. No need to purchase a stencil.

This photo will give you a better idea of the layering process involved.



Lastly, I added the three silk loops for hanging. Just look at the wonderful dimension that comes the quilting. I did this piece by hand because it was such a relatively small piece but a sewing machine would have saved my hours upon hours. LOL.



I'm not sure if I will list her for sale or offer her as part of a give-a-way. But when I decide what will become of her, I'll let you know!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Gerry

Monday Mutterings

Good morning! Once again, I find myself wondering where the time has gone. I can hardly believe it's been so long since I posted here.

There hasn't been too much going on around here. At least nothing out of the norm. DH and I went to see Alice in Wonderland yesterday and I loved it! Very cool graphics but a little darker (theme) than I had expected. I'm pretty sure we'll have to see it again. There were so many things going on in the background that it was difficult to take it all in.

As for what's going on in the studio....the horse quilt has sort of found its way to the back burner for now but has not been forgotten. I've been spending a lot of time working on a Goddess quilt/wall hanging. I've been hand quilting it, which is fairly time consuming. Not a bad thing keeping mind and hands busy.

The weather has been just perfect lately. It's so nice to see everything beginning to bloom. I even planted several pots of herbs, which are sprouting up nicely in my kitchen window.

On a more serious note, there have been a number of family/home related things going on around here.

Happily, DH is down to only 3 radiation treatments after today. I hate to see the way it wears on him. Fingers crossed that the remaining prostate cancer will be gone after his treatments.

I made a trip to Phoenix mid April to visit my mother. After months and months of hearing I DON'T KNOW from doctors, she has finally been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She is scheduled to begin her chemo tomorrow. I know she's not looking forward to it. Hell, who would? Depending on how it effects her will determine which of the two evils she will choose: to chemo or not! I wish there was something I could do. Feeling utterly helpless is a terrible feeling!

My dad has had yet another surgery on his back in hopes that the pain will be reduced, and that he will regain full feeling in his legs. I swear, I don't know how he has managed to live with that kind of pain for so long. I have to believe that his back pain/issues have been a contributing factor with his heart and other health issues.

Well, that's it for now because it's time to start laundry, straighten up the house, and play with Fritz. Thanks for stopping by.

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Gerry