Tree of Life - 1

Today was the Offcuts sewing group meeting for April. Being a bear of very little brain today, I thought it would be easier to work on a tree. (for my journal quilt tree series. The fact that I need to have 4 posted by the end of April if I am to 'officially' continue, may or may not have had something to do with it!) But so I didn't stress about making a tree to look like a tree and so on, I decided to do a stylised one.

Inspired by various Tree of Life depictions over the centuries...millenniums even... Actually, I think these depictions are stylised depictions of something like an Espaliered tree. A wood craft where trees are trained against garden walls.

So, I sketched a simple one. Straight up with cross pieces and then a bit sticking up at the end of each cross piece. But then I wasn't sure about how to do the top, and looked in my book which I have mentioned before. (written by a forester about trees mentioned in the Bible, ancient historical lands and/or which grow in the Middle East now.)

A tree in the palace of King Ashernasirpal

Ah, a bit more style needed. So, simple became more complex. But still it was a break for my brain from pattern drafting, which I find I am unable to do when I am chatting to friends about sewing!

And with a few stops and starts about things, this is how far I have got.

As you can see, I abandoned the overly complicated bit at the top!

I chose a variegated thread someone recently was getting rid of. I figured if I am going stylised, I may as well play with colour, too. At first I was worried the thread was too strange...it has pinks and blues in it. But when you look from a distance it works. I also have a green thread in the bobbin, so when I wash out the water soluble, that will add to the colour.