Tuesday 27 April 2010

Swan Lake

This month’s theme at The Monthly Design Challenge over at Finki’s is "music and dance". Music and dance – how could I not make a little Swan Lake quilt?
I have used a crisp white damask fabric for the background and the swan is free motion stitched by machine.
Swan Lake is so exquisite; perfect music combined with perfect dance. I love everything about it including the white tutus, and the Pas de Quatre gives me goose bumps every time. Growing up watching ballet on TV, I was very surprised by all the noise the first time I watched one in real life. On TV you never hear all the sounds, only the music. Of course it’s noisy; people are running and jumping and doing amazing moves, and yet they are so incredible graceful and have such an amazing control. I’m in awe!

Being a cranky old woman, I now prefer enjoying ballet by myself. It might have something to do with a couple of experiences – my brother in law slept through big parts of the Swan Lake, and husband still tell tales of the one time he accompanied me to Giselle. We had just met and he was still in a wooing mode. How was I to know it was a one time only deal…

15 comments:

  1. Amazing! Had to laugh at your story about your husband and brother-in-law. I can't imagine anything about you as "cranky".

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  2. It is beautiful and peaceful looking.

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  3. Nina, this is wonderful and striking!

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  4. Beautiful free motion stitching, how you do it don't know!

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  5. wow, i went to see it performed last week by the cuban national ballet, it was amazing.

    the sound when all of them were dancing was like raindrops.

    this really captures the spirit of the swan.

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  6. Absolutely beautiful! Love it! And love the story of ballet! I've always loved ballet and I think I was a ballerina when I was very young! (I'm a cranky old woman sometimes too!)

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  7. Beautiful. The dancing swan is exquisite. Can't believe it is free motion. Absolutely perfect. Love this project!

    SewCalGal
    www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

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  8. this is very swan lake and so beautiful!

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  9. I can't believe she is FMQ'd!!! Your line are so wonderfully straight. Beautiful! And I don't believe you are a cranky old woman.

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  10. This hermoso! No Puedo Escuchar Los Sonidos Pero si ver El Movimiento, esta bien Muy logrado. Un abrazo

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  11. That is an amazing design! Beautiful and elegant like real swans and traditional ballet. Love your funny story too.

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  12. That is beautiful. You say you did the dancer with the machine?
    What type of thread and stitch did you use? I have been doing stitcheries by hand and would like to try some with free motion.

    Debbie

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