Quilter in Distress: Alicia Sterna
Rescuer: Patricia Belyea
"Ever Green" 17" x 17"
Alicia: "My UFO is a landscape piece, inspired by a
photo of a waterfall in Alberta. I turned a photo of the scene upside down in
my quilt and like it that way. I am quite pleased with the rock outcroppings
and like the quilting that mimics stacked rocks. I considered shading under
some rocks with paint pens, but did not yet attempt to do that. I also like the
water itself. The trees, however, need some work and I am stuck. I used wool,
felted fibers on it, and then added some branches. The greenery on the left is
just basted on as I was not sure what to do next. I also have been unable to
decide what to do to finish the edges of the piece, and whether a border would
enhance it. I intended to add a clean backing to the quilt when it was
finished, as I do not like the stitching and felting that shows on the back."
Patricia: "I decided I would transform the stitched piece
into a graphic and modern mini-quilt. To freshen the overall composition, I
turned over the mid-tan fabric and found a lighter wheat color. I cut the big
evergreen branches in half to create a tree shape for the quilt's focal point.
For the main background, I chose a green cotton with an irregular pattern of
white dots that I had clamp dyed. Wanting some graphic punch and a cooler hint
of color, I added a piece of hand-dyed turquoise fabric to the central area. A
striped, hand-dyed fabric from my mentor Maurine Noble's stash, was perfect for
the binding. For the back, an unexpected square of low-immersion dyed orange
cotton worked well. I decided on five thread colors--four to match and one to
contrast the fabrics. I used the original fabric pieces, which I had
disassembled, in various ways: The small pieces of dark brown fabric were
stitched together to make the 1/4-inch insets that radiate out. The white
fabric in the waterfall was used to back the wheat-colored appliqué square, and
one of the small felt trees was used on the back."