Monday, January 4, 2016

Öland, Sweden, & Collaging Bits



Sedum Saxifraga

Massed in concrete pots before the Borgholm Castle on Öland, Sweden, these spring alpines radiated with color. 



Two daughters and I travelled to Sweden almost 3 years ago, and we took a day trip to the small island off Sweden's southeastern coast with my former host parents, Lasse and Hagar.





The clouds settled on the island that day, May winds blew cold, and the sky was grey with rain. It was miserable weather, but the company was superb. We made the best of it in our Swedish-English mix, and stopped frequently to 'fika'--a quick snack and cup of coffee.


Wooden windmills remain like aged sentries protecting the island. Nearly 400 still stand. Most are built to pivot on a central structure, giving them the ability to turn to access the wind. Extensive pictures can be found on Lennart Waara's site


Pasque flowers bloomed unnoticed in the grass at our feet.




A reprieve from the weather was granted, and we lunched here at Ottenby Bird Observatory while watching the birds return for summer. 



Photographers hurried past Lange Jan with their equipment to document the migration in process.



Late afternoon brought a little sun, and the weather cleared. The canola fields shone chartreuse.  


That one day has stuck with me as stellar. Despite the dreary weather, both the people and colors left a deep impact. I want to remember that feeling. 

Method to the Madness: Collaging Bits

Kim Lapacek blogs at Persimmon Dreams, and hosts an annual challenge called Project Quilting now in Season 7. It's a weekly challenge where the project is started and finished within the week! Link up by the end of the week, and you're in the running for some great prizes. Plus, it's a way to push yourself out of your comfort zone. That's a serious push for most of us, and I didn't even have it on my radar until I read the first challenge posted yesterday. It was...


Confetti

Seriously, for someone who loves color, it's like waving a red flag. I dropped my brushes, and started digging through scraps. I knew right away what I would do since the challenge is only loosely defined. Check her blog for all the details, and the link up.



You probably know how many books I've been through these past weeks, but one I didn't show was Serendipity Quilts: Cutting Loose Fabric Collage by Susan Carlson. I read through it, and filed it away thinking it wasn't what I needed at the moment. It goes to show that adding tools to your box of techniques is always good. 

The book teaches collage with fabric scraps and bits, and I had an idea how to incorporate 'confetti' into a collage project. 


I took one of the many pictures I had of the saxifraga, and cropped it to a usable size. 


Using a homemade lightbox, I vaguely traced a paper copy of the outline.



I used the paper copy to create a fabric copy with a Sharpie fine point permanent marker. 


From this point, I dug through my bitty scraps looking for anything in the color range of the original picture. I cut it roughly to size, and used a paper/fabric glue to tack it down. I'm hoping the project will keep me awake thorough the evenings this week, and that I'll have time to get it all done by next weekend. Even if I don't, I will have a lovely reminder of that one idyllic day, right?


I hope you're find something that inspires you here, and gets your creative juices flowing. 

If you want to be sure not to miss a post here at Pink Doxies, you can follow the blog many ways. All the buttons at the end of the post will take you to places to follow, and Instagram is in the right sidebar. I admit I'm most active there. I've met the most incredible people through Blogland, and this gives me a chance to find you in your part of the world, too! Until we meet again...

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.




Linking up with~
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilt Story
Freemotion By the River
Sew Cute Tuesday
Fiber Tuesday
Stitch All Things
Bits n Bobs
Patchwork Times
Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts
Show & Tell with Bambi


14 comments:

Kaja said...

A project in a week would be a push for me! This is a cool idea and I love that you are working from something that has meaning for you.

Bonnie said...

Nice to see your process. Hope you can get it done. It'll be beautiful.

Debra said...

I love Sue Carlson's quilts. Your start looks fabulous!!!!

Catarina C said...

Underbara bilder från Öland! Så många olika projekt du håller på med, roligt att följa dina olika!

Önskar dig god fortsättning på det nya året! Kram Catarina

Lisa J. said...

I'd have a hard time with a project in a week as well. I love your start. It looks like it will be a great finish.

Angie in SoCal said...

What a great post and project! Wish I had the time for that project in a week. I look forward to seeing yours. Thanks for sharing, Julie.

Cath said...

what a fabulous way to keep a memory! and I really love seeing how a project comes together so thank you for the photo's of this one....looking forward to seeing how it turns out because I am loving it already! Thanks for linking up with Design Board Monday at Bits 'n Bobs

Kate said...

What a great set of memories and a wonderful way to showcase one of them. Good luck with the challenge.

andrea @ tideline quilts said...

The collaging bits looks like a great technique - and is now on my "must try" list - thanks to your wonderful post!

Birthe Marie said...

Beautiful photos from sweden. Nice to see your project! It looks exciting and great. Good luck with the challenge! :-)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love your collage. I've been wanting to get into this. Thankyou for the inspiration! Hannah

Christine Slaughter said...

That is an ambitious challenge, for sure! I love what you've started here, and the story behind the inspiration. Good luck with the challenge; I am looking forward to seeing your completed submission!!

Elaine said...

Beautiful, thank you for sharing how you made your saxifrage collage

Maryse said...

I LOVE this very much; I have a similar project in mind that I have been dreaming of making. I have been looking at Gail Hunt and Noriko Endo's confetti technique books, but this book might be a better choice for what I want to achieve. Thanks for sharing!
(BTW your link for the book appear to be broken)