Floral "A" Block Continued.....

I did a bit more embroidery on this block yesterday and added some more beads:



As you know, I have a bit of dilemma as to what to do with that hard corner at the bottom left of the "A". Allie suggested that I embroider a fan there but that just doesn't call to me.

Crazy quilting is of course an "abstract" artform. I've always thought of abstract art as something that exists in another dimension. A dimension which our physical eyes cannot see. It's the type of art where both the creator and the observer must use an intuitive sense to comprehend the piece.

For me, it's not just a matter of technique, color and composition. Yes, those are indeed necessary components but they are only tools so to speak.

What I'm really doing in my crazy quilting, is conveying a thought or a memory. Thoughts & memories are absolutely real but they exist in a realm outside of the material world. Our general term for that is "abstract". Again, in order to interpret the abstract world, one has to rely on their "feelings" in order to express their thoughts and memories.

You've probably noticed that in most cases, I start with a touch of realism and expand on it in a non-realistic way.

In this case, working off of that gorgeous floral "A" from Allie, my thought is that of Summer and it's vast array of bright colors found in a garden. That is certainly a cheery thought for me considering it's only 2 degrees outside right now!

In attempting to deal with that hard corner in the conventional way, trying different lace appliques and a few other little do-dad's that I have here, and finding that none of them visually suited my purpose, I reached deeper into my thoughts and feelings and memories of Summer. I remembered that not only do bright, cheerful flowers dominate the Summer landscape, but so do a variety of beautiful busy bugs!

When I start on a block, I'm not usually aware of the final result. I've always considered work on a crazy quilt to be a journey rather than a destination. Certainly, it's fun to arrive at the final work but the joy is in the creation for me, feeling my way through and around a block as it develops.

So, to get on with how I will soften that hard corner, I have decided to allow the perfect imperfections of nature take care of itself. Not all gardens are perfect (esp. mine) yet they are all beautiful and filled with living things, both seen and unseen. I have a nice collection of little bug pins that I can use to soften any area that isn't quite what I'd like it to be. I have a beautiful bee pin, a dragonfly and a butterfly. I'm sure one of them will work on that corner and I'm sure I'll be adding some other bugs here and there throughout the block. Of course, being a garden theme piece, this block must have a spider and web on it. Does anyone want to guess where I will put it?