Timing is everything when visiting such a popular & impressive site as The Alhambra, and for visits to the Nasrid Palace (my favourite place in the whole site) tickets are for strictly specific times. We had planned our visit so that we could visit Yannat Al Arif (also known as the Generalife gardens) first.
Established in the 13th century as a kind of retreat for the
Nasrid royalty, who lived in the Alhambra Palaces at the time, these beautiful gardens exemplify the concept of outdoor rooms. The pavilions, flower beds and water features all had one thing in common...they were accessible via pebbled pathways, each patterned by the clever placement of black & white coloured flat & stacked stones.
Being in Granada it was not surprising to come across the occasional pomegranate design under foot. Pomegranates being the beloved symbol of the city.
Therefore, before I even think of creating art in response to the flower beds we walked amongst, it is only fitting that I pay homage to these beautiful pathways which have taken the weight of so many feet over the years!
I started by printing my own pebbley background fabric. Using a foam sheet I cut out pebble shapes, stuck them to a piece of wood & got the printing ink out! I'm very happy with the results, although it probably would've been wise to rule a straight guideline to line the block up with....it wasn't exactly straight at the end there!
Having decided I'd resort to what I'm familiar with & use the reverse applique technique, I gathered a few fabrics that could potentially look good together & sat down to draw & then create a design!
It is always a satisfying moment to finally be ready to bring an idea to life by stitching along those lines!
It's been a while since the scissors had had a workout, but they did a good job today cutting away the layers. Just as well this was a fairly simple design with only 4 layers of fabric.
Slowly it was coming together.
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