I'm Done

"Imagine Monet" is finished ... I think.

Imagine Monet - 30" x32"

The binding and hanging sleeve are sewn in place. A bit of work with oil stick pastels has been added. There is definitely a tree standing on the right side. The trunk at the bottom was filled in by shading with black and gray pastels.

The pink and orange to the right of the couched yarn is added pastel work as well. I also strengthened and lengthened branches at the top. You can also see the added blue and violet pastels along with a bit of branch drawn in the top corner of that right border where it had been just background. To strengthen the illusion of a tree, I lightly drew dark broken lines in the center panel.
I thought I'd share the sample used for trying out ideas and different quilting threads and pattern as well as for getting the tensions adjusted on my machine for the stitching. It's a sandwich made with the same materials. You can see that at one point I considered coloring some of the leaves in my quilt pattern. They looked good, but I opted to keep the spaces open.
I use oil stick pastels to accent and shade many art quilts. They are heat set which also melts them into the fibers. But to have a heavier coverage of pigment requires more of the pastel on the surface. It concerned me that the colors may rub off onto other surfaces ... specifically hands and other quilts.

I did a research online for information of how artists set them on the even less porous surface of paper. The brand of fixative that tested as the best to "fix" pastels to paper was Krylon. Other brands of spray fixatives didn't set the pastels as well ... they more easily flaked off the surface. A number of fiber artists use Workable Krylon. I've discovered a Krylon spray that is UV-Resistant and is non-yellowing. To quote the product information:
It is a clear acrylic coating that provides a permanent, protective coating which protects art, crafts, and valuables against harmful UV light rays. Use to protect photography, watercolor, fabric, display materials, pencil, charcoal, florals, and more. Moisture-resistant and smudge proof.

There are strong cautions about spraying this product without using a face mask. One of those layered paper ones works well. It's also a good idea to spray outdoors.