Friday, June 7, 2013

Se?alvage Update: SAQA Auction Piece

In my last post, I asked for advice on a quilt that I was making for the 2013 SAQA Auction.

If you read the post you may recall that I showed two images of the unfinished piece:

One with no added elements...

unfinished piece with no added elements



















and a second, with two strips of red fabric.

unfinished piece with added elements

At the time, I was trying to figure out whether the piece needed additional fabric to balance out the dark areas surrounding the "selvage fabric."  And I was also thinking about names for the quilt.

So first, a big thank you to all who responded (on or off the blog).

As far as your comments...here's the scoop:
  • Almost everyone encouraged me to add something to the piece. 
  • Many liked the idea of the red in some form or another;  although some thought the red, as pictured above, was too heavy (I'd call it "clunky"). 
  • A couple of folks suggested using black strips either on the sides or at the edge of the selvage "fabric;"  a very interesting idea --- and one I'm likely to try if I do another version.
  • The majority of folks liked the 3rd name choice:  Se?alvaged.  
          One comment that particularly struck me came from Susan Lenz who made an extremely helpful observation about naming quilts that provides some very interesting food for thought.  Here's a   portion of her comment:
  • "...I have no real opinion on how to best finish the piece but I do have an opinion on the title. I'd recommend NONE of them. Why? Because you will not be able to save a digital file with any of these titles. Most photo programs cannot accommodate the slashes or the question mark. I know. I titled an installation "I Do / I Don't" and had to use a different title "I Do and I Don't" for the images. Although this might not sound like a "big deal", for those who spend time on selecting a perfect title and are really into words/text and the relationship between title and artwork, it is an unfortunate problem that the images cannot be saved by the selected name...." 
          The potential difficulties of adding special characters (slashes, question marks, etc.) had never occurred to me.  Definitely something to keep in mind.  (A sidenote:  I probably would have heeded Susan's advice had out-of-town travel and a tight schedule not forced me to send off the piece pronto). 

I finally did decide to add some elements to the quilt --- in the form of several strips of red fabric - a bit more delicate, I hope, than the two clunkier ones that were originally pictured.  Here's the finished piece (sent just in time to meet the SAQA deadline and with hopes that someone will enjoy it enough to give it a good home):   

Se?alvaged


 Thanks for your input!


Cheers,

Debbie

15 comments:

  1. Debbie;
    I really like the final composition. It was worth the effort to continue at it, gathering the input and working it through. I also put something in the auction, and I hope we all find welcoming new homes for our creative efforts!

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    1. Thanks daniela for the kind remarks...I felt as though I was traveling up a bunch of blind alleys until things came together --- but I guess it's all part of the creative process!

      I'll look forward to seeing your auction piece. Can you tell me the title?

      D.

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    2. My piece is called:

      "Where are you? Come out and Play?"

      I think it is at the end of the list. Its hard to see all the layers in the photo, but hopefully someone will like it!
      daniela

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    3. Great title! And I love the colors and the quilting pattern.

      I'm sure it will find a good home....

      D.

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  2. Debbie, I love your finished project! The delicate red strips are perfect, and don't outweigh the center! They add to the 'floaty' feeling of the piece. And thanks for sharing Susan's insights about naming quilts. That is an excellent point!

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    1. Hi Kathy --- thanks for your comments on the finished piece. I'm so pleased that you feel the red strips work with those central elements.

      Glad you enjoyed what Susan had to say! Very valuable insights.

      D.

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  3. Thanks for including me with this finished work ... which looks terrific, by the way!
    Susan

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    1. I think a lot of folks are going to be interested in your comment -- it's going to be in the back of my mind from now on.

      Glad you like the piece.

      D.

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  4. I love the finished product. The new more delicate red strips are just the right touch. I didn't see it up on the SAQA page yet, but I'll check again.

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    1. Hi Norma...

      Thanks for the nice words Norma...it took a while for me to figure this one out (it seems like these things should be effortless...ha!).

      I haven't seen it posted yet either. I suspect it may take a while for the just-barely-made-the-deadline pieces to make it to the website.

      D.

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  5. Debbie, love the final version. I find the balance of elements is lively. Interesting information from Susan on the title. Point well taken.

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  6. I really love the way this piece evolved and finally rested with the various slender pieces of red. I think by scattering the red pieces around it carries the eye around the piece and then gives it a place to rest in the center. Thanks for sharing your process and considerations as you worked.

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    1. Thanks so much Deb. I really appreciate the kind words and am glad that you feel the final result "works."

      Best to you...
      D.

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