Completed January TIF

I've finally finished my January TIF. As I was making the green fabric base, I kept thinking it looked like a forest clearing.

After the fabric I did some free motion embroidery over the entire piece, I used a variegated yellow, green, blue and red to add some color and movement to the piece.

Thing I added was the skeletonized leaves, I remembered the rule of odds and layed down 3 of them.


I took some odd and ends of things in my stash, different flowers, beads, fabrics, Angelina, ribbons, etc. and started playing. I had some of the thick Ricky Tim's Razzle Dazzle thread and did some bobbin work, in purple. I think I need more practice on the bobbin work and not use fabric that is quite so thick in spots.

I got tired of the bobbin work and took some of the copper Razzle Dazzle and laid it out on the top in a meandering pattern and then couched it with regular sized copper thread. Found some brown and pink velvet and metallic decorative ribbon and meandered a piece along the top left corner and the bottom right corner.


I had a leftover spiral of Angelina that I put in the bottom left corner, but it seemed to need something else, so I put some small fluffy red feathers on it to give it a vague appearance of a bird.

Still looked a little drab, so I found some stray silk flowers, took off all the plastic and filled the centers with glue and mini beads.

Straight borders didn't seem like they would fit an forest clearing so I randomly curved the sides to give the piece a more organic shape. I then took some fringe yard I had, lightly twisted 4 lengths together and couched it along the sides. I use a medium loft poly batting and a cotton backing. I whip stitched a small thin dowel across the back and used the leftover yarn to hand the piece up.

I had a great time doing this piece, I found that I would work for a while, and then have to stop and do something else, and let the piece sit on the design board. I'd stop and look and think and decide what to do, work on more of the piece and start the process all over again. This is just the process I wanted to start working on, all original. I had some mistakes along the way, but I was able to let them sit for a while and then change or delete them. Once I was sure that I had totally ruined the piece, but after a week, I found something else to do, and I think it all worked out well.

Thank you everyone that commented during the process. I would love to hear both positive and negatives and some suggestions, if you wish. I can't believe what wonderful work everyone has done this month. Now I'm going to make some postcards to exchange, I'm getting brave now!