Thinking about assembly for “Dreams of Amarna”
It is all very well having a whole host of little embroideries and a general intention to use them to embellish a larger piece, but that begs a whole series of questions about assembling those larger pieces. I’ve left the embroideries untrimmed and unfinished, which will make them hard to manage while I experiment, so the first thing to do was to photocopy the “spot” embroideries and cut them out.
I’ve got mount card in the sizes of the blocks covered with the linen I intend to use, which made it possible to lay out the panels on the floor, stand back, and stare.
One decision I’ve made is that I don’t want the cartouche and the hippo (on the same fabric) either on the same panel or on the level as they are in this second example. I’m trying to put elements related to Mary’s first experiences around the map, and other elements around the dig scene – not quite achieved yet, I think.
My main take-away from this first exploration, however, is that I’ve made the pieces too wide. Since the two Crests are somewhat inflexible, I may find myself having to do them again, or think of something else.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, is it!
I hope you can figure out the layout for the panels without having to do too much rework, or compromise too much.
It is really starting to look like an exhibition piece now, isn’t it? That must be very encouraging.
I seem to remember that the crests are that size because you originally intended your turquoise panels to match those proportions.
Layout of this kind is always full of possibilities (problems). Sometimes I find photographing the elements and then moving them around on a screen can lead to some solutions. It kind of puts the work in another context and you look at it differently.
If it were easy it would be no fun, and the challenge is always part of said fun I think
It’s a bit like furnishing a house you are about to move into with a floor plan and drawings of the furniture. You can move everything around until you have a nice layout and don’t need to struggle with the heavy bulky real furniture. In this case, it means no unseeing or ripping.
Have fun and find your solutions.
It will be worth while though! Good plan with the photocopies.