I've been looking forward to this theme coming in and it hasn't disappointed! As always there are cards that are quite similar in their interpretation - several bridges with willow trees in this swap - but also the ones that leap out at you for being slightly different. The work here is so varied and this has also been a great opportunity for the right fabrics to shine. A couple of them have been specifically chosen for their watery appearance and it's interesting to see that the overall colour theme that I notice here is a blend of blue, pink and green. Lots of pink waterlilies, with a couple of white and yellow ones thrown in for good measure.
The mix of styles here is lovely, some are realistic representations, almost drawings of a landscape scene, others more abstract and expressionist, some quite minimalist and the fab little frog almost cartoon-like. It's wonderful to see the difference.
This piece has got wonderful texture in it too. There's a sparkly thread stitched through the fabric backing, felt lily pads with a fine blanket stitch for the veins, and I believe the lilies themselves are a flat woven wheel stitch? Or some kind of variation of. I like how the willow branches are quite similar to the ones that I made. Great minds!
This ATC really stands out on it's own I think. I love how the watery depths have been created by layering up the dark green material for underwater pads, then a sheer fabric and then another disc of green lily pad on the top. It is a great trick to use to make it look like there is something floating under the surface of the water, or even shadows on the surface. The lily petals themselves are amazingly 3D and create their own shadows, and then those bright yellow knots in the centre - it's so lifelike!
Backgrounds have been really gorgeous in many of these cards - water can often be tricky to represent but everyone has done an amazing job, and also done it in their own style! Whether it was an experiment or a technique they'd used before, it's wonderful to see the variety here.
I have been looking at the themes for 2024 and I really hope that some of these ladies will continue on the Stitchscape ATC journey, taking inspiration from the new theme ideas (more on that later), and also from each other in the cards that they receive. Each card is thought provoking and inspirational in it's own way. Like the card below with its textured paper lily flower and little painted dragonfly - similar to others but utterly unique.
As always, the photos of each card are on the dedicated ATC page on my website - the albums are filling up now!!
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