Progress on Second in “Waiting…” Series

After weeks of piecing, I have finally finished the piece of traditional storm-at-sea blocks from which I will cut the large wave that will merge into the stormy ocean.  This proves to me that piecing is not the direction I would like to move for future quilts.  Oh, I might add a piece or two here and there for other quilts that are basically pictorial, and I do make very simple utility quilts, but as for complex pieced whole quilts, it isn’t going to happen.

I have also been working on the redesign of the wind-blown woman that waits by the edge of the stormy sea for her love to return.  I have spent many hours on this and drew a whole lot of women in historic costumes, and finally decided to come back to the original one I used for Waiting… and mainly redraw her clothes and hair.  This is because I think she has more of an emotional pull and fit into this setting than any of the others.  I will probably use the others in different quilts.  I’m still not quite finished with her, the clothes are just a pattern and the colors will probably be entirely different, but I think I’m on the right path.

This is mostly a pattern.  I will make a face and hand fabric print for an applique, and I am planning on using some kind of furry yarn to edge the cloak as if it were fur.  The cloak fabric will either be wool or look like wool, and the lining will be radiance.  The hair will be thread painting like on “Waiting…”, but I will add a little hair on the right side of her face.  The dress will be some kind of small print, and I may even add some embroidered flowers or some such on her clothes. And then I will high and low light the clothes to show depth and shape.  I may add a child at her side if I can draw him or her well enough.  What do you think?  Should I scrap it and start all over?

Then there is the sky.  I tried twice to get the sky painted right.  I don’t like either one exactly, but I have a great idea that I think will work.  I just ordered some gradation blue fabric for the basic sky and plan on cutting approaching clouds from the fabric I painted for appliqueing onto the sky to get the look I want.  I want the clouds to be heavy, but breaking into a blue sky as the clipper ship approaches.

The shoreline will be all rocky and somewhere in the distance behind the woman there might be a lighthouse in a foggy setting.  We’ll see.

Sew as you see, there is a long long ways to go before I get the top made for this quilt, and then I have to figure out how to quilt it.  I need to get this done, because I have a bunch of new quilt designs rumbling around in my head.

And for a little news…my brother is coming from California for a brief visit on Friday.  I will be spending much of the week preparing for that.

Sew happy everyone.  Have a wonderful week and God’s blessings.