June Waterlily Pond ATC Swap

 

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 one (above) is the one that's most expressionist for me, there's a lot of movement and texture, the colours slightly dark and moody with just a hint of that pink for the flowers. There is sparkle in the background which catches the light beautifully. According to the back of the card it has been made with ink and watercolours on the fabric, and mono printed leaves. 

And I love the simple style of this card - it could almost be made into a fabric print with those bold colours. Couldn't you just see these motifs repeated and put into a summery dress?

These stitches were so small!! I wasn't sure at first if it had even been stitched the thread hugs the fabric so closely. But it's been stitched with petit point which is almost like cross stitch except, as I understand it, it's stitched with a half stitch so rather than make a cross it is done completely with just one diagonal direction. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Usually it's also done on higher count fabrics so the holes are closer together and the motifs will usually be much smaller than a cross stitch version. This is just so prettily done, it's absolutely lovely! (And sometimes I get accused of making small stitches!)

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!

I think my favourite part about this card are the Bullrushes (tall long stems with the brown heads on). They look fantastic along the bank edge and just the number of green threads used is really evocative of the plant-life you get along the edge of water sources. It's a really beautifully composed card. 

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!

Batik or painted fabrics have been used to great effect in these two cards. I know that the one above is a batik that was specifically chosen for it's watery appearance but the bottom one looks like it might have been painted onto a silk fabric? The colours are so much fun - as is Mr Frog.

 

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!!