This blog should be called "The Adventures of a Fabric Junkie!". I am passionate about fabric, threads, colours and textures. I can record my crazy quilting, sane quilting, embroidery and everything else that I consider important in my life.

Photo shows my block for the Hurricane Katrina fund-raising quilt "All That Jazz".

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Message in a Bottle crazy quilting challenge 2013

At last I have finished my entry for the Message in a Bottle Challenge organised by Thearica Burrows from Crazy Quilting Supplies. I wanted to make something that would appeal to adults as well as to children and consulted my seven year old grandson Jesse who is learning about ecology in school for advice. The end result is a concertina style book which slides into a presentation box for safe keeping.



Here is the story in Pages.....there is a thin gold dotted line sewn across all the pages that tracks the journey that the bottle undertakes from being thrown into the sea to when it is washed up on the beach.

Page One
The bottle was thrown from a sailing ship by a sailor who was afraid of the approaching storm and the rocks below the sea. I stitched the sailing ship masts and hull first before attaching each white felt sail with tiny blanket stitches and finished off with the rigging. I thought that the two birds were not "flying" birds because they had no wings, so they are seagulls floating on the waves.


Page Two
Before it reaches the surface, the bottle is taken over the top of a brightly coloured coral reef.


Page Three
As it travels the world for one hundred years, the bottle is caught up in swirling currents. I found this block challenging because part of the kit was a piece of turquoise net on which was stitched these three ribbon roundels. I unpicked the roundels from the netting and re-stitched them back again onto the circular swirling current. The kit also included a ball of beige coloured Perle cotton which I used to make the length of tatting on the sandy sea-bed.


Page Four
The bottle is eventually picked up by the waves and carried by a huge surf towards the shore. In the block, I included the netting that was the background of the roundels and also included some of the sequins which were also attached to the netting. I enjoyed creating the waves out of lots of pieces of white lace, some of which were included in the kit and hopefully I have captured the movement of the surf.


Page Five
At last the bottle is thrown up onto a beach.........a beach polluted with dead sea creatures such as the turtle trapped in rope, the duck with a rubber band around its neck, dead fish caught in a piece of wayward net, more bottles, a rubber sandal, a tin can, beaded oil slick, plastic and now, our bottle.  The message spills out, a simple S.O.S., no longer for the sailor whom we assume sailed home safely but for our own Planet Earth. 
Eventually, people arrived who understood the problems facing our environment. They cleaned up the ocean and the beaches and educated  the general public to respect our world - the water as well as the land.

Page Six
The last picture shows the results of this campaign to clean up our environment. There is a pristine clean beach with butterflies fluttering over fresh sea grasses, there are dolphins playing in the sea and clean water lapping on the shoreline, all under a bright, warm sun. Two surfers have propped their surfboards in the sand while they take a break and their boards reflect the message. The most time consuming part of this block was the surfboards as both are cross-stitched onto 27 threads-per-inch canvas. 

I can only hope that I have helped to spread the message.......let's keep our world clean from pollution!!




29 comments:

Bear said...

Beautiful, just fabulous. I am totally amazed Viv amazing,just so love your story panel.love n hugs belinda xxoo

Arlene White said...

Brilliant work, just love it. Great job. Arlene

gocrazywithme said...

That is the coolest book ever! It should be printed onto paper and actually made into a book. Love the message, but the stitching and the creativity is just incredible!

Gerry Krueger said...

This is a treasure and so well thought out. I have a children's book that has a red thread thru the story and want to adapt it to CQ with birds... Yours is a powerful message. I am totally hooked on CQ books as people take time to look at the work closely as opposed to when something is composite and hanging... Great Job...

Faye said...

Great work Viv, love the way you have finished it off with the box... Fabulous story to go with it...

Quayceetatter said...

Nice work and love the way you have presented a "Message in a Bottle"!

Cathy said...

OMG. You have created a masterpiece that is both timely in its message (you go, girl!) and most incredibly stitched. It is absolutely one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen. If ever a piece needed to be shared with the world, this is it. Please talk to Pat Winter about having this featured in her magazine! hugs, Cathy K

piney cq said...

Absolutely amazing!! It is FABULOUS!! Well done!!! I love it!!

Debbie S. said...

What a treasure you have created, with a well needed message. Thanks for sharing it. I hope you enter it into a show where it can get plenty of press, both for your beautiful stitching and the great message.

Wilma said...

What a wonderful fabric journal!

FredaB said...

This is just beautiful. I love the way you made it so that you can just slide it into the box.

Great ideas plus great stitching and hopefully with our younger generation so aware of the pollution maybe our world will be a better place someday.

Hugs

FredaB

Sharon said...

That is so clever... I could see your designs translated into a kid's/adult picture story book with little or no text - along the lines of Jeannie Baker - http://www.jeanniebaker.com/technique_index.htm

I wish I was so inventive... Congratulations!!!!!

Melody said...

I am impressed with all the work you have invested into this project, and the wisdom of your grandson! Beautiful, well done, and timely message!

Noel said...

As the grandmother of a nine-year-old boy (today is his birthday), I loved the fact that you turned to your grandson for assistance and advice. What a sensitive thing to do! As a result, your wonderful designs and masterful stitchery send an important message. Kudos to you!

Noel said...
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Noel said...
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Rose Anne B said...

OH WOW that is just lovely and I especially love the storage box for the book! Just beautiful!!!

This could be an awesome display for Earth Day or whatever is your equivalent in Australia.

Heide said...

I'm in awe! Absolutely beautiful work!

Suztats said...

This is fabulous-from the initial concept to the stitching and creating. Not only a challenge you faced, but a challenge sent out to the rest of the world. Wonderfully executed. Excellent!

Mandy Take 3 said...

What amazing work! Incredible, intricate and the message powerful.
Amanda www.take3.org.au

Connie said...

Lovely story very well communmicated by your wonderful stitching. I enjoyed it immensely. I also like the idea for the protective box cover. Well done! Connie

Marjolein said...
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Marjolein said...

Congratulations with your prize.
I just read your book and you have shared a real message.
I fully enjoyed all the pages.

Createology said...

I have been following Marjolein and her CQ so that is how I saw your winning entry. Congratulations! Your storybook along with your amazing "Message in a Bottle" CQ is beyond creative and beautiful. I shall be following your blog now. Creative Hearts are Happy Hearts...

Stitching Lady said...

Wonderful - what you made. Beautiful! I came through Marjolein - thanks to her link to your site. What you made is so artful and nice to read. I will joink your site.

NickiLee said...

Congratulations on your 1st prize win - well deserved as your book is fabulous! I love the details, stitching, texture and story line and mostly, the powerful message it sends out.

I agree with Cathy - you need to contact Pat Winter so she can feature you in her CQ magazine.

Unknown said...

Wonderful, wish I could draw :(
New follower here, hoping you'll stop by my blog and say hello and follow back :)
http://thecraftiestallie.blogspot.com/

Carol in Clermont said...

Everyone else has said it so beautifully that I'm at a loss for new words! It's one of the nicest projects I've seen in every way. Carol in Clermont, FL

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