Stretch denim - Let's Get Comfortable

Theme Prompt

It's my turn to be Queen again for BeeSewcial

February Theme: “Stretch (Denim)   

For me, BeeSewcial is all about stretching my creative, structural and social limits, opening up and reaching out.  

Challenge: Create blocks with a comfortable feel and movement primarily flowing from top to bottom, and out the sides of the block(s).  

Prompt: Think flexible, pliable, organic, in motion, layered, intertwined and even group hug. I will post a few inspiration photos but really enjoy seeing how members interpret the theme. 

Construction: Pieced gentle curves, straight lines, holes and partial holes (as a design element, not actual holes in the fabric) are welcome.  Ruler-free and ruler/template friendly but no raw edge applique please.

One Size Fits All: Whatever your composition needs. Just send equivalent to the usual amount and any left over bits if you’d like. 

Palette: I don’t have a Kona color card (gasp) and trust your judgment.  
Blues: Indigo in all shades, new jeans, stonewashed, faded, and threadbare. 
Neutrals: Grays, Off-Whites
Optional Pop: You can throw in a bit that reminds you of dull metal rivets and zippers - (not bright or shiny)

Not actual denim fabric either- Just the color as a palette. All brands of solid quilt cotton are fine.     

An Old Sketch

Apparently the stretch theme has percolated for years.  I stumbled across this pencil sketch from my teens, possibly early twenties.  The paper is discolored in the photo but I'm still glad to have it and remember drawing it.

I had in my head that I'd go to the mall and take a picture of the wall of jeans on display - but life has been busy and rather than delay my overdue blog post, I pulled a dozen from my drawer and plopped them on the bed.  Better done than perfect applies here too. 

Here's the non-cropped version of the trees. Makes me miss Kauai.  Photo credit of the mural goes to my son, taken on a study abroad in Argentina. 

More Prompt Images

Browsing through my picture folder I came up with these:

Composition Example

The various shades of pink could be translated into blues.  It's funny how looking at some of the photos that I have taken and are my favorite have an abstract improv vibe to them.

Subject Example

Jelly Fish:  Circle shapes combined with long flowing shapes - and the idea of how relaxing and mesmerizing watching them can be. Silly putty and pulled taffy were also brought up as inspiration.

Vertical Emphasis  

I chose this as an example of a primarily vertical composition with gentle curves.

Stretched organic shapes 

Naturally intertwined shapes that are thin to thick, stretching up to the sun.  To me, this has an easy relaxing feel to me.  I once took a water color class and only got as far as this before abandoning it: 

Watercolor Wanna Be

Be sure to share on IG #beesewcial if you are a bee mate and #inspiredbybeesewcial hashtags if you are sewing along with the monthly challenge.   Here's a post about the group  although for 2016 we have welcomed two new members Anne and M-R.