Although the image below…
…was my main inspiration for some new work, clearly my creative brain had other ideas. Getting some fabrics out to play around with lead me along another, considerably more muted path with two of the pieces, and the poor old bird I’d added to one of the pieces, shown in my last post, was banished altogether.
Not that it matters of course, it just takes time to realise you are not going to make what you thought you were going to, and to stop wasting time trying to make what you obviously don’t feel at ease with. There will perhaps be another time and place for those colours and images to make an appearance.
So, this is what I have so far, starting with the colourful piece. The single block of appliquéd fabrics has been cut into three, and laid down as a triptych, a favourite arrangement of mine.
Here is the finished piece below, Forest Flowers. It’s hand stitched, and is around 50 x 35 cm/21 x 16 inches, but will be trimmed a little more to be framed, and ironed, as it’s on linen which as we know loves nothing more than to crease alarmingly.
All three have become landscape pieces, which is interesting, I had no plans for that. The piece below once included the jolly bird but I wanted it to be more contemplative and serious than he was allowing. It’s not stitched yet.
The third piece, below, is awaiting a good iron, and stitch.
So there we are. Those vivid greens and pinks are still haunting me though. The theme for the Art Textiles: Made in Britain group’s exhibitions next year is Wild, so I hope those colours will make an appearance in some new work then. Failing that I may just buy a pink jumper.
Stephanie Redfern 
Your pieces really do have a will of their own, don’t they! Good to see your adventures as you follow where they lead!
Thanks Rachel, I can’t deny it, they certainly do. I don’t stand a chance, I sometimes wonder why I even put up any sort of resistance.
I like Your pieces, they are beautiful. I too like wild bright, colours but sometimes I find myself working with a mute colourscheme so I can relate to Your post and I agree that resistance is fruitless but it is exiting to see where one ends up in the end.
Many thanks Ingrid, it’s good to meet someone who shares this predicament! You just have to go with the work though don’t you, until you are happy with it. Certainly it’s never a compromise situation, just realising you have to edit out all the wrong stuff.