13th Steet Studio

Take it Further Challenge: Admiration

I am taking part in a "Take it Further" challenge hosted by Sharon B. where each month she gives out a concept for everyone to "take further". If the concept is not something we want to work with, she also give a color scheme to use as an option. January's challenge theme was Who do you Admire? and the color scheme was muted purples, greens and a taupe beige....if I remember right. So, I decided that I admire dependable people and people who have good people skills. As always, I looked for a way to work in birds. Parrots don't migrate, they just have good memories for where this week's food is ripening, and they often live in big noisy flocks. I layered a picture of my big parrot with part of a poem by Rob Ryan, and then printed it out on fabric. Using big running stitches, I tried to quilt lines around the picture that depict circling and  turning inward. The thread I used is a variegated Valdani thread called Violet Meadows. It varies from green to purple...in shades that are close to the optional color scheme. Here is the result:
Just in case you can't read the poem, it says:

I don't fly north.
I don't fly south.
I stay put.

Right here.

365 days a year.
Year in.
Year out.

I never traveled very far.

But I went the distance.

Take it Further Challenge

One of the things I have signed up for is a Take It Further Challenge run by Sharon B. at In a Minute Ago. Last year I enjoyed following her Take a Stitch Tuesdays, where she posted a different embroidery stitch each Tuesday and showed how to use it. I never did any of these stitches myself, mind you, but I enjoyed seeing her do it. This year I thought I'd get more involved. Her challenge this year is to take a concept each month and Take It Further.  There is a second option each month of a color scheme that can be Taken Further. The concept for January is Admiration, and the color scheme is what I would call muted greens and purples...that lean towards mauve and avocado. I have been really struggling with this! The people I admire are the ones who can easily and effectively deal with other people. I admire teachers. I admire people you can depend on. I admire the artists that have given me their time and knowledge so I can become more skilled. I admire my husband, who is college professor and director of a high tech research lab. How the heck can I put this feeling into my art? Here is what I have come up with so far. Maybe I will print it out onto fabric and stitch highlights in the challenge color scheme. And just in case you are wondering about why a parrot is  involved in this concept... parrots don't migrate. They usually live in areas that have food available year round. So, instead of remembering how to fly long routes, they remember where the currently ripening food is. And they tend to live in big noisy social groups. Well, remember I am nuts about birds, so this makes sense to me.