One of the wonderful things about textile art is that fabric itself can be a jumping off point for inspiration and creativity. This Slow Stitched Landscape Scene is a great example. It's inspired by my Grandma and the colours that remind me of her.
It started with a snippet of my Grandma's recipe fabric that reads "4 loaves" (this is the inky blue version - it's also available in a sepia colorway). The recipe is in her handwriting and I love including bits of her hand in my artwork.
The green tones in the background of the handwritten recipe led me to a piece of greenish sari silk that I used for the meadow.
Then I found a batik fabric with purples, greens and blues - the shifts of purple to blue-green reminds me of both hydrangeas and my bread-baking Grandma (I always associate hydrangeas in bloom with her). The colours were a great match so this fabric became the mountains and hills.
Finally I added pieces of solid fabric in light and medium turquoise and I was ready to create a landscape. I had all the components for a fabric collage:
Sky - solid turquoise
Clouds - medium turquoise and the snippet "4 loaves"
Mountains & Hills - Purple, green, blue batik
Meadow - green sari silk
Flowers - light turquoise
I selected coordinating embroidery floss colours and got down to slow stitching. In some places I stitched in contrasting colours and in other places (like the sky) I stitched in a more tone on tone way. It's nice to add a bit of both for visual interest.
For a final touch, I added some beads - just a few in metallic green and purple to add a little extra blossomy something. And then it was done - a simple landscape with texture and colour galore.
The purples and blues of the mountains combined with the handwriting make for a serene and happy remembrance.
How to make your own Slow Stitched Landscape:
Try starting with a fabric that you love and pair it with one coordinating fabric - for me it was the recipe fabric paired with the purple/green/blue batik.
Next, cut out some land, meadow or mountain shapes or just start layering pieces up to see what looks good as land and sky. After that, it's just embellishing with stitch and if you choose, beads too!
Also feel free to check out this extended version video where I create a landscape with a big moon and a tiny loon. It's full of details about fabric, creating the mountains and water landscape and adding stitching details.
Remember, It's just a bit of fabric and thread so feel free to give it a go. There are no rules, just play and experimentation.
xo ~Jo
While I've seen almost all of your videos it's good to take a second look. I am inspired to try a landscape.