February 9, 2024
A Tell-Tale Heart
My heart rate was definitely elevated yesterday when I took work-in-progress to the basement in my home where my bare-bones Singer sewing machine gathers dust between infrequent opportunities to be of service.
The early stages of creating this new CutUp had moved along with playfulness, purpose, and delight. I had harvested several especially pleasing scraps from a gelli print, had found a volunteer torn-paper purple-red heart in a collage painting I’d generated years ago, had been able to cut satisfyingly wonky freehand hearts as background layers, had tested various arrangements of my bits and bobs, and soon had the elements adhered to card stock and looking grand.
Still, I knew the piece needed one more something.
And I knew the risks would be not inconsiderable if I elected to machine-stitch borders into the composition at the insistence of my intuition.
I hemmed (pun acknowledged). I hawed. I chopped vegetables. I answered several email messages.
Eventually, though, there was nothing for it but to forge ahead despite feeling nerve-wrackingly fearful. My thumping heart and I plugged in the sewing machine and set the CutUp under the presser foot.
I knew MaryAnn Shupe was cheering me on (especially when my sewing machine jammed midstream), even though she didn’t know she was. MaryAnn, thank you for your encouragement! So grateful!
3.5 x 4.5″; watercolor pencil, acrylic, collage, and stitching on card stock
CutUp
2024
=====
8 responses to “A Tell-Tale Heart”
Sylvia! Thanks for feedback on texture and asymmetry—precisely what I was playing with in this piece! That collage piece in the center got me going; it was a random and not particularly remarkable torn piece incorporated into a larger piece of color exploration from years ago. It presented itself to me as a heart yesterday, and one thing led to another.
Ahh, Dotty. That came out beautifully. I really like the flow of the watercolor and the pieced together heart. And the whole project is pieced together with your mighty Singer. (They are workhorses.) And what’s the worst that can happen? Even if it jams, or a needle breaks, there’s usually someone around who can help with that (YouTube video, local sewing machine store). I try to take my machine in for a tuneup every couple of years. Makes me feel good. Maybe if you brought Ms. Singer up from the basement, you might be inclined to use it more often. (Just saying….)
Roseann, thanks for your enthusiasm and counsel! The particular ‘worst’ that had me hesitating was the possibility that this CutUp might not survive a sewing machine mishap since paper isn’t as forgiving as fabric. But I knew I had to take the risk and, as you said, “ahh.” So happy I took the risk.
Yeah, my Singer might just come upstairs although, in truth, she lives on a terrific tabletop where I’m able to leave her in place and ready to hum, and is right at the bottom of the stairs.
I’m inspired by your joyful puttering over and over again, MaryAnn, and I truly knew you were with me in spirit as I took my nearly completed piece to the unpredictability of machine stitching at such a late stage in my process. That one more something made a satisfying difference in elevating the overall gestalt of this piece. Thank you!
I am also!!! Thanks for joining me, Sheila!
No comments:
Post a Comment