In Dreams I Found Utopia, WIP part 2

This work includes a river component and I began that part, as I often do, with a needlefelted base. What you see here is the first step, a piece of wool/rayon felt with strands of wool roving beginning to be incorporated into it.

I got really immersed in the process and forgot to take pictures, so next up is the panel when it's almost completed. I've added lots more roving, some bits of silk and wool fabric, and done some felting from the reverse.
Sometimes my rivers are very abstract, but this panel represent a very specific portion of the Susquehanna, in Lancaster County, PA. I was spending a lot of time biking on the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail, and there's a portion just west of the Decatur St. access where the trail is a bit higher than the land on both sides. So when the river rises up over its banks, or there's a lot of snow melt and/or rain, there are pockets on the side opposite the river where the water accumulates around the bases of the trees. That's what's represented on the bottom of this panel. On the top is the view of the York County side, with rolling hills and woodlands.

I enjoy hand beadwork, it's a very meditative process, and I wanted to spend some more time with this piece. So I picked an assortment of glass seed and bugle beads and dove in.

I'd like to think my cat was being extra affectionate here, but in reality it was too cold to be outside and he was bored, so he amused himself by being in the way.

The beads add definition to the banks of the river, and sparkle to the sunlit ripples on the water.

Up next, working through the design and layout of the quilt.

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