If you have taken a glance at my twitter or facebook pages in the past few months, chances are that you've seen one of the many photos I've taken of this piece. I couldn't help myself - this painting won me over even as I spend finger-numbing hours sewing each star by hand. There's something about the simplicity of the image vs. the tediousness of the technique that is striking - and difficult to capture in photos! So forgive my "photo overload"...
It began with this piece of fabric:
After dyeing it light blue, I mixed up a batch of navy RIT dye and slowly dipped the fabric to create an ombre effect. I have very little fabric dyeing experience so at this point I was basically figuring it out as I went along.
Thankfully, it turned out exactly as I'd hoped:
After stretching the fabric onto canvas stretchers, I started painting in the skyline and added some brushstrokes in to deepen the faded look. And I couldn't resist sprinkling some pastel-colored stars in the sky:
One of my secret wishes for this project was to finally master french knots, the one basic embroidery stitch that has always given me trouble. There are a few wonky ones in there, but I must say that I'm feeling a bit more confident in my french knots these days.
If you want a piece of the night sky for yourself, you can buy the 8x10 "Sky Jewelry" print at my etsy shop. Hope you like how it came out!
