Missed deadline - '6 x 4 lives'...

'6X4 lives' I have missed the Jan. deadline - but I have persevered nevertheless.. The gum leaves got the flick - I decided that I was trying to be too perfect... They just 'didn't happen'fast enough for me. Perhaps they will feature in future '6x4' month... But what I did accomplish something. I rummaged around and picked some things at random and made a start. I used some pink through to deep red variegated DMC thread and some pink beads I found in my bits and pieces..

I also had bought this book from the op-shop as it had coloured illustrations of some stitches and while it didn't offer actual projects it did offer lots of ideas. At $3.00 I thought buying it was worth the risk - joking here!!!!

It had chain stitch constructed into a circle so I decide on a whim to do that too... The circle idea probably comes from my doodling - I tend to doodle circles, swans, and heart chains while I talk on the phone. Sometimes these circles 'grow' into other things - snails, shells etc. This circle takes in some elements of my dooling - obviously the circle and the straight lines nearly always feature in my doodles.

That led me to thinking about the beads and how they reminded me of bubbles... What is the connection between the three? LOL - I don't know - perhaps just shows the working of my mind. Don't answer that!!!!

Have you ever noticed how bubbles cling? They free float but also clump together on the edge of things... Now what you are about to see is not finished and you have to use ALL of your imagination...

As I got going it started to 'grow' in front of me... Now while the variegated thread doesn't really thrill me - the beading does... The photo doesn't show it - but I 'stacked' the beads so they would become 3D... I wanted to give the impression of how bubbles sit on top of each other... I wanted some of the beads to 'float' on their own and some to clump together... I wanted to suggest the idea of the bubbles coming up from within something...

The straight stitches from the middle of the circle I created for two reasons (i) to give perspective (ii) to give depth... I don't know if I am talking about the same thing here - but I know what I mean... You probably can't see the few gold beads or the metallic thread - I wanted the eye to 'travel' around the piece and with the pink metallic thread I wanted to give the impression of light touching something that was slippery... The metallic thread is wound lightly around the straight stitches helped me achieve that.

The bits that don't work for me are the deeper coloured 'circles' near the upper edges - they destroy the depth factor...

But - let me get a grip here - I decided to do participate in '6x4' to explore, push and extend my boundaries and that is what I doing - so I guess in a way the piece did work for me as I did all those things in 'little step' ways... But most of all - I really enjoyed 'the doing'!!!!

When I finish it I will 'torment' you with another photo. I have set myself a deadline - otherwise it will join the long line of unfinished.. Besides I want to start Feb's contribution. I seem to have gleaned an idea for that as well by looking at a container of potpourri which is made up of australian seed pots - all wonderful shapes - enough said.

M's block is also coming together in my mind. G from Patra's Place kindly donated some lace from her stash for my project - and a piece of that 'spoke' to me. This has taken me a little away from my original idea but still is in keeping with M's favourite things. I am itching to get started and once I have cut the final thread on the above project M's block is next in line. Busy, busy, busy... :-)}