Art Quilt Stitching Practice

As I was stitching yesterday, I noticed that my machine did not mess up once ... no dragging, no tension issues.   Perhaps it knows I've been talking bad about it.  

I decided to continue right where I left off and pulled out the same brown patterned fabric used in the first practice session.   I cut two smaller pieces; added bits of watered down acrylic paints and let them dry.    

 

Here I have two appliqued flowers and 10 leaves with batting only on the back.  As I was laying them out the name of Standing Guard kept jumping out at me, but I'm certainly far from having anything worth naming quality.     I added stitching to, of course, the leaves and the flowers, as well as freeform stitching here and there to compliment a few of the paint strokes.  

 The stitching is not prominent enough to much tell at a distance.     So, I layed it on the scanner bed (what would fit anyway) and it picks up a bit better.

I'm stopping at this point.   (I'll set it aside for practice when I start on finishing techniques).  What did I learn

• My focal applique pieces are not enough contrast to the background paint.  
• My stitching does not even begin to draw out the features.   

Practice will continue; I have the second piece of semi-painted fabric, which I'll start practice tomorrow.

Lorrie