Fast Friday Fabric Challenge

The first Friday of every month a challenge is issued to the members of FFFC. I haven't been able to do the last two or three. There are some members who are able to meet each challenge, however, you aren't required to do so. I've been working on finishing up a couple of large pieces the last few months so I have chosen not to participate.

When I saw the challenge for this month, I really liked the topic and so decided to get at least the top done for this one.

The challenge is explained below:

Challenge 59 - Solitude
July 2011 Challenge 59 – Solitude Host: Ann Turley Due: July 30th noon ET

What comes to mind when you hear the word “solitude”? Do you think of the state of being alone, yet not really lonely? Solitude and loneliness are often thought of as being similar, yet there is a definite difference. Loneliness is accompanied by a sense of isolation and separation, and a feeling that something is missing. Solitude is a state of being alone without being lonely. It is a desirable state, one that can be used as a time of reflection and personal growth or enjoyment. A great example is reading, a very solitary activity. And for our own purposes here at Fast Friday, when we engage in the creative process of developing an idea, we work in happy solitude. I’ve included a link to an article from “Psychology Today” that I found to be useful in writing this month’s challenge: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/what-is-solitude


Your challenge is to create a piece of fiber art that demonstrates solitude in a representational abstract manner.

"Lost in the Music" size 22" x 27"

I used a photograph of my granddaughter as inspiration for this piece. The lighting was low on the stage making it hard to get a photograph that wasn't somewhat blurred.
When I worked on the photo in Photo Shop Elements I got what looked like two or three images around her body. I thought this was quite cool and fit the abstract requirements for this challenge.

I had an incredibly beautiful piece of Sky Dye fabric that I've been hanging onto for years that was the perfect fabric for this piece. The dress is cut from the same piece of fabric in different areas to get the movement I was looking for. I used turquoise tulle fused with Misty Fuse to make the pleats on the skirt. Misty Fuse adds a little texture but doesn't interfere with the open look of tulle.

I made use of scrap fabric left over from "Connor" to make the face and body. The background curtain is a black on black cotton.

As I said earlier I've been doing a lot of machine quilting and while I find quilting creative it doesn't really satisfy my need to create. This project was small enough for me to at least get the top finished within the time frame and meet that need to create as well.

A fun project.