Twisty Tomato Leaves

What is it about little twisty leaves that add so much character to a simple tomato?  I’m not sure, but it’s clear that they’re a wonderful addition. Per Susan Carlson’s instructions, I had left the edges of the red pieces unglued so the green leaf fabrics could slip right under.  At least I THOUGHT I had left them unglued.  Apparently I got a little carried away with the gluing, making it difficult to add the green. I’ll need to tweak my technique for sure.

Ellen Lindner's tomato quilt in-progress. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

See the blue circled area above?  Those are little individual leaf motifs which I’ll use to merge the fabrics. Perhaps you can find a few of them in the next picture.

Here’s what it looked like when I finished the leaves.  I’m very pleased with them!  They don’t have quite the definition I’d like, but I’ll remedy that with some black outline stitching. (Oops, ignore that out of place red piece on the left.)

Ellen Lindner's tomato quilt in-progress. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Even though I declared this “finished” in the above picture, I did find something that bugged me:  the highlight on the right side.  I decided it was just too light – causing a very strong contrast in that area.  I switched out the dark outer fabric and started fiddling to soften the light center.

Ellen Lindner's tomato quilt in-progress. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

And ended up with this.

Ellen Lindner's tomato quilt in-progress. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Eventually the pink patch below the highlight also bothered me and I changed it as you can see below.

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You can really adjust something like this forever!  But, I had my fill after a while.

As you might imagine, all those little snippets go everywhere, making for a messy work station.  (Not that mine is ever that neat.)

Ellen Lindner's tomato quilt in-progress. AdventureQuilter.com/blog

Having completed this first tomato, I’m assessing the technique.
I like: softening the edges with little overlapping bits of fabric, and working sitting down.
I don’t like:  the difficulty tucking tiny green leaf fabrics under the red ones.  For the next tomato, I think I’ll apply the leaves on top.

I’m happy with this tomato and fully intend to integrate it into a full composition. But first, I need to get back to my leaf quilts!

Ellen Lindner

 

9 Responses to Twisty Tomato Leaves

  1. Degen Sayer March 24, 2016 at 9:45 am #

    It’s fabulous! You never cease to amaze me. Thanks much for sharing so generously with your fans.

    • Ellen Lindner May 1, 2016 at 7:08 pm #

      Thanks, Degen! I have a lot of fun with it all!

  2. Maeve March 24, 2016 at 1:56 pm #

    A simple (delicious) tomato made gloriously beautiful in fabric. So beautiful! Love the way you make highlights and shadows with your choice of fabrics.

    • Ellen Lindner March 24, 2016 at 2:50 pm #

      Thanks, Maeve! I think the highlights and shadows are important. Thanks for noticing them.

  3. Christine March 25, 2016 at 7:39 am #

    I love the way the leaves really seem to be twisting up from the surface. Great work! You sure are patient. If I hung that in my kitchen, maybe I’d make more salad.

    • Ellen Lindner May 1, 2016 at 7:07 pm #

      Hi Christine,

      Sorry that I’m just now seeing your comment. The leaves did take a little fiddling, but I think they were worth it. I’ve just completed the third tomato and am beginning to think about composition. My favorite part!

  4. Pat March 28, 2016 at 4:56 pm #

    This is a gorgeous piece. Reminds me of Elizabeth St. Hillaire’s work. And I am pleased to note that you do have appropriate priorities…the TV remote is right handy!

    • Ellen Lindner April 19, 2016 at 2:04 pm #

      Thanks, Pat! I love Elizabeth’s work. She and I have swapped pieces, so I have one of her wonderful cupcakes in my kitchen.

      Sorry for the slow response. I didn’t get a notification about your comment. So now, I’m working on tomato #3!

    • Ellen Lindner April 19, 2016 at 2:05 pm #

      Pat, it’s a constant struggle to keep the remote on TOP of the pile of fabric!

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