Monday 29 February 2016

Samples 2016: Week 8, Filigree/Rainbow

I just had to get rid of the background fabric for this theme! (any excuse?) And I fancied criss-crossing spirally curlicues.

So my first thought, as usual, was free machine embroidery on dissolvable fabric. But I soon realised that was going to take far too much stitching to make it stay together. So I settled on Lutradur, a heat sensitive synthetic fabric.

It might've helped to draw out a design first, but I just improvised with each colour in turn - fun bright rainbow colours rather than subtle realistic ones. For speed it's just straight stitch, four times over each line. 

Finally I melted out the design using a fine-tipped heat tool (like a soldering iron).

Monday 22 February 2016

Samples 2016: Week 7, Growth/Bronze


This didn't start well - no "bronze" fabric or thread. But I did have transfer foil...

I free machine stitched the little shoots on calico, using heat bonding thread on the bobbin. This thread is thick and poorly twisted so I couldn't use it through the needle and had to work from the back.

Then I ironed bronze transfer foil over the stitching, and it stuck nicely to the bonding thread - magic!  
 

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Samples 2016: Week 6, Ripple/Fireworks

The pattern is "ripple", and the colour scheme "fireworks" - but my ripples look like firework patterns anyway! It started out as the concentric rings you get from dropping something in a still pool.

I used a flower stitcher attachment on my Bernina to make little circles of zigzag (straight stitch didn't show up enough). On black cotton backed with craft Vilene.

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Samples 2016: Week 5, Tiles/Sunshine


A bit labour-intensive, this week - but that was just what I wanted for the long dark winter evenings.

The tiles are 2cm squares of yellow felt, attached to a (sunny sky) blue loose-weave fabric using the embellisher.

Then, without any planning (gasp) I doodled with hand embroidery in sunshiny shades of pearl cotton and stranded cotton.

It has turned out very sunny and bright, I'm sorry if the photo doesn't show that - it's another grey wet day here and I can't wait any longer for the actual sun! 

Monday 1 February 2016

Samples 2016: Week 4, Ribbed/Copper

Had a bit of fun with this one. Ribbed pattern, copper colour scheme - so I decided to start with a knitted K1, P1 rib in a verdigris-ish colour.

To emphasise the ribs, I stretched the knitting out a bit and ran the embellisher machine along the grooves to felt and flatten them. If you follow me on Facebook (link on the right) you may have seen how I suffered for my art doing this!
  
Then I ironed on a scrap of Bondaweb, painted long ago with blue and purple silk paints. Scruffy copper transfer foil was patchily applied to this - I didn't want a solid metallic sheet.

Finally I machine stitched along each groove, and added a little hand embroidery with coppery flower thread and space dyed fine cotton.