Sycamore update

We've had lots of lovely rain for the past few days. As a gardener, I never complain about the rain. Even when there's an excess, it is still far preferable to drought conditions. And the timing is good, with all the trees coming into leaf. My world is astonishingly green right now.

But it is too wet to work outdoors, so I'm taking a break from the gardening and working in the studio on my Sycamore piece. I'm at the point were I am planning out what I want to do with the quilting. I'm using the fabulous textures and patterns of sycamore bark as my inspiration. I don't want to replicate it exactly, even if that were possible, but to interpret and reference it with the lines of stitching. It's fun to look closely at the bark patterns and get a feel for their shapes, spacing, and repetition.

I'm starting by defining the larger shapes with perle cotton thread. I lay it on the piece, manipulate it, pin it in place, and then couch it down. It's a bit picky, but very satisfying as the shapes begin to take form.