International Freeform Fiberarts Guild Annual Challenge


Each year an international group of fiber artists choose a theme for their challenge. This year's theme is "Pattern in Nature."  They then work secretly on their submissions without any contact with each other.  The resulting entries are then presented in an online gallery:

  2017 Challenge
 

 This one is mine:

As the seasons change so do the leaves as they go from the lightly coloured green of new leaves to the brilliant colours of autumn which gradually disintegrate into leaf skeletons.

I am somewhat obsessed with the gradual decline that nature brings. Abandoned buildings, fallen trees, objects lost or discarded, and leaf skeletons all provide captivating opportunities for inspiration.

The influence of nature is undeniable and one of its most compelling patterns is the ever repeating cycle of the seasons.

For this piece, each leaf is a separate little scrumble and no two are alike. Since leaves change and slowly disintegrate over time, I had to consider how best to achieve this. After a little experimentation I developed a technique that I call 'deconstructed crochet'. The techniques I used in this challenge are crochet, Irish crochet, deconstructed crochet, deconstructed Irish crochet, and deconstructed Tunisian crochet.



THE BYRDS LYRICS

"Turn! Turn! Turn!"

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

My new adventure