Spring Calling

I have created an artwork make over. The new piece is Spring Calling. In last month's blog I shared an image of an applique picture that I created in 1988. I am showing you that image again. Girl on the Slide is 24 X 40 inches. At that time I used trapunto in a few spots. What that means is that in places that I wanted puffy, I slit the back layer and stuffed it with poly fill (like you would use to stuff a doll) and then stitched it back up by hand. This was done on many of the clouds. Using trapunto was the precursor to my deciding to make quilts.  The fabrics are of the 80's -  The pale sky is left over curtain, the dark green in double knit, and the slide is satin. The water and grass are polyester blends that have faded a lot over time. A zig zag stitch was used to applique the fabrics down. (I did not know about fusible web yet). Small children were outlined and leaves of trees added using embroidery floss.

Here is the make over version. Spring Calling is 17 X 30 inches.

All the fabrics used for the make over piece are from my 2021 stash except for the slide. I cannibalized the 1988 slide and used it again. I made changes to the clouds, the gradation of blues in the sky, the placement of trees, and took out the small children running. The fabrics have pattern and texture, unlike the 1988 version. I used no embroidery floss, but did use markers to add a few dots. I used fusible web and a raw edge straight stitch applique. The quilting is minimal - around the slide and a few wavy horizontal lines on the rest. I spent a fraction of the time that I spent for Girl on the Slide in creating Spring Calling. Some things get easier over time.

And now my end-of-blog recipe for April. If you are avoiding sugar altogether, you will want to stop reading. I assume that this quick goo is a little healthier than a candy bar and you don't have to run to the corner store to get your cacao fix. Chocolate Treat: Melt 1 T. of butter in the microwave (I have tried using coconut oil and it isn't as good) Add 1 T. Cacao powder (I use Navitas Organics), 1 t. sugar, 1 T. toasted shredded unsweetened coconut, and 1 T. toasted seeds or nuts. (Raisins or other dried fruit are optional additions) Mix and eat.