Corn Fields and Such

After separately creating the two men for my “brothers quilt,” it was time to work on the background.

I finished up the rough draft of the sky and added the far tree line, (with a piece of blue fabric marking a future silo.).

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Next it was on to the corn field in the foreground. Since the reference photo was taken in November, the corn had already been harvested and the short golden stalks were all that was left.

My Brothers - making faces. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I wanted to create the texture of the messy corn stalks, but not too exactly.  So, I used lots of print fabrics to convey the vegetation.  My plan was to use large scale prints in the foreground, like those shown below, and smaller scaled ones in the background.  I hoped this would add a sense of depth.

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

It worked, but required a good bit of tweaking. (And a lot of pins!) Here is what I think will be the final corn field, below.

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Distant fields had much more subtle texture, so I auditioned near-solid fabrics for them.

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Here they are, complete.  I’m happy with the sense of depth.  That will be enhanced when I add the small buildings in the distance.

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Next it was time to start adding the green fields and grasses. Here it is, in-progress.

Corn Fields and Such. Ellen Lindner, AdventureQuilter.com/blog

I’m getting close to completing the design of this background.  I still need to add the foreground grass and the buildings.  Then, I’ll have to glue it all in place.

FYI, here’s another quilt where I used the scale of fabrics to add to the sense of depth.

Ellen Lindner

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6 Responses to Corn Fields and Such

  1. Catherine Parker October 12, 2017 at 7:44 am #

    Ellen,
    What is the red item in the middle of your piece?

    • Ellen Lindner October 13, 2017 at 8:16 pm #

      Good question, Catherine! It’s my wrist pin cushion. I pin it to my design wall to keep pins handy. (Yes, it shows up in a lot of photos!)

  2. Kristin F October 12, 2017 at 10:05 am #

    This looks great, Ellen. Thanks for showing how you used the fabrics to achieve the sense of depth.

  3. Ellen Lindner October 12, 2017 at 11:35 am #

    Thanks, Kristin. Mixing the scales of fabrics works well (when I’m patient enough to do it.)

  4. Michele K October 14, 2017 at 11:45 am #

    I can hardly wait to see this quilt when it is finished!

    • Ellen Lindner October 14, 2017 at 4:54 pm #

      Thanks, Michele!

      (Me, too, because I’m ready to shift gears.)

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