Distill

'Distill' 19"x12" (approx.)

In response to this challenge, I chose to work with the piece of rust-and-onion-dyed raw silk I had left bundled on my front porch half the summer.  Neutrals are definitely outside my usual color realm! 

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I selected a dark navy blue-gray from my stash of hand-dyed cottons and held my breath as I cut into the stacked silk and cotton with my rotary blade with no preconception of what I was going to end up with.  The shapes formed by the resulting curved piecing blocks suggested trees with bare branches, a familiar subject in my drawings.  

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I cut a couple of leaf skeleton rubber stamps which seemed to harmonize with the organic, forest floor feeling of the emerging piece.  

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I used my little bowl stamp as well, symbolizing the alchemy of the changing seasons with beads bubbling up from these.  

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It was hard to stay away from using any bright color!  I did add a tiny accent of red along the edge of one of the leaf skeletons.  The piece is adhered with Mistyfuse to two layers of felt and clean cut around the edges.  I am looking forward to the next challenge!  Stop by and visit me at my blog anytime!