what if

what if # 170: blurry dot with reverse applique

i have asked myself before (1) what if (?) i cut windows in a fabric to expose a print below and  what if the repeat of that print is large so only part show here and there. and that gives a random appearance. and i have asked myself (2) what if (?) i paint dots on wet fabric and that gives a nice soft stained effect. and so i decided to ask myself what if (?) i combine those two question. a nice hard edge of turned reverse applique filled with random hard edged motif against a blurry soft halo like ground. and a nice 3D effect.

i have shown the print from the back here.

and a detail that shows the stitches which were not match on purpose (3) . it is nice to layer thoughts one on top of another.

related what ifs:  1 , 2, 3.

what if #169: recolored patchwork

...so continuing from my last post where i covered up a section of patchwork that was not fitting properly... i thought what if i use a sheer fabric just to tweek the color a bit instead. kind of how you work a painting. recently gifted silk chiffon does the trick. coloring over and existing patchwork could be quite interesting. you can even see the seams or old stitching beneath. again i am trying it ragged style because what is underneath shows a bit like a frame or a shadow, adding dimension. i'll call it watercolor applique. ragged style.

i have noticed that chiffon works well for a ragged edge because of the nature if the crimp, it keeps its threads in place.

what if #168: patched patchwork

so what if you don't like it. or at least part of it?  what if you cover it, or at least part of it?  and then it seems ok. and has quite a charm about it i think. i think so. and i feel this may come in handy. a lot. i will call it cover up applique. ragged style.

what if #167 cont'd: applique outline

so eva, said, concerning my last post.. it looks beaded, and i thought what if i work with that?  what if i clump the stitched together in one spot and make them more prominent? 

slubby cotton heart on cotton linen ground, two shades of white. draw it, cut it out, baste it, turn it, take 3 stitches in place for each stitch with 2 strands of red dmc embroidery floss.

nice. i like when i can combine 2 thinks together, like attaching something and decorating it all in one step.

what if # 167: an applique outline

so what if the thread used to sew down the applique doesn't match? what if only the outline of the heart is red. less stress and nice too.  white linen heart, relaxed needle turn applique on pink linen. might be nice white on white too. with red stitching of course.

what if #166: discharge on indigo gauze

...i was really asking myself what if dots could be square?  and what if windows are dots, holes to see through?  and that was working and led to the question what if i make windows by bleaching indigo... i cut a stencil from freezer paper and ironed it to a piece of very loosely woven indigo, because it had holes in it and i was still thinking "see through". the discharge paste was soft scrub because i had some here. and the punch line is... the back!  windows but softer. i like the back where the bleach worked its way though, but not all the way. a cloudy day.

what if # 165: designing directly on fabric

...i needed some special dot fabric for a project. i was searching when i thought what if i make my own? polka dots drawn directly over a sheer print. pitt artist pen and watered down acrylic paint on cotton/linen.  this sample after one quick pass with a hot iron and a machine wash. you know i will do more of this.

what if #164: blurry dot sampler

i have decided to revisit a concept i call library quilts, something conceived to display collections of fabrics .  this time small quilts documenting specific experiments.  this one has evolved from the question... what if i paint dots ....mostly on wet fabric.  a blurry dot sampler.
related post

what if # 163: thread patchwork

as i continued from  here and started to quilt the background... i wondered what if (?)  i use stitches to give the impression of a patchwork background... i marked a fine grid using a pen and tiny dots to set up a  framework and stitched every other square in contrasting thread to color in the checkerboard. i think it forms a nice order and surface interest. and brings it into patchwork mode.

what if # 162: empty dot mask

i suppose i was continuing with this idea...when i asked myself ...and what if the cutout was a dot and what if the collage was just a machine free pieced striped base?   i sewed the stripes crazy style, every which way, and prepared the dot mask by tracing the bottom of a glass on a cotton linen solid and shading with a crayon for the shading.  i cut out the centers ( which i saved of course) and  ironed the crayon in and washed and ironed again.  now what if i stitch the layers together?