what if

what if #42: the nature of dots

i have always been obsessed with dots, and spots, and the tiniest motifs floating on an open ground. at the same time, i am  learning to piece by machine which is new for me. this what if, is a series. i accepted Robin Ferrier's invitation to post on side by side and i will use the opportunity to continue to explore variations on this theme. it will be about small spot motifs, and also about inspiration from nature. and  i will be working in linen mostly...the project will also be a lot about the fabric, its texture, its structure , its history, its beauty. off i go...what if i explore the nature of dots? that small pieced patch is 3/10ths of an inch!!! the black dots are painted.

hey! and you can catch the queen of the series Lee over at side by side too! oh what fun...

i will make a category for this series... to connect the dots.

what if #41: wonky in transit

...i am having trouble finding time to practice on my sewing machine, what if i try that new wonky piecing from Tonya, but this time...unplugged?
commuter  version
unicorn
6" x 6"
linen, cotton, cotton pinwale corduroy
hand stitched
materials:
pencil and paper for doodling
precut scrap (strips)
very small rotary cutter, very small cutting mat, very small ruler
needle, thread, a few pins, tiny scissors and nimble fingers

this was quite entertaining for me and the onlookers.

note: no iron, press seams flat between thumb and fingers

continued here....

what if#40: huge applique trial

based on this drawing, i will be adding a large 18" applique to the reverse side of ''listen to the river". what if i do some smaller trials first? i am not sure how to approach this one.

ok, so what if i try 3 methods?

#1-i printed the image on fabric as a guide, no fixing. fading the image in photoshop gave a nice guide without wasting too much ink. ironing the image in, fixws it enough to last while working, ink will wash out later. i will work over this with fabric collage and embroidery.

#2- i'll try one free hand, just cutting fabric and collaging.

#3-, i'll trace and make a regular pieced applique.

what if #39: variation on a dash

what if you forget your needle on the commuter train? panic? always carry fabric and a permanent marker or 2. 
cotton canvas plus a dash of magic marker was the recipe for relief.  i made this an edge treatment and i am thinking now, what if i experiment with borders a bit?
( the person sitting next to me was awakened by the smell of the marker )

to be continued....

what if #38: not all about embroidery

probably no one remembers this one, which was about a silk sandwich and then all about embroidery. well now it isn't. it's about plugged and unplugged. fast and slow. together. the center panel is what if #22 and the rest is electric jude. special gifted scraps have been pieced in. i guess this is a prelude to the what if quilt in which i will utilize all my little what-ifs that have no home. i changed my mind 1000 times here. changing your mind. it's ok.

14"x 13"
mostly linen with silk, velvet and cotton scrap inserts, gifts from others( can you spot yours?)
center panel hand stitched
patchwork borders machine pieced.
unfinished (so far)

what if #37: how things seam

..all those what ifs to do with seams have now been combined with my skitched story trial and we have the beginning of a new piece " how things seam seem". to me any way. i think i will go pillow on this one.

when there are random pieces laying around i always think, what if i stitch those together? which was actually leading me to what if i make a what if quilt? i haven't gone there yet. but i will maybe i will make that a 2008 project.

to be continued....

what if #36:fake patchwork

what if #31 and #35, where i was playing with seams led me to my final what if about "how things seam". and this one is about the look of seams and how to imitate that. no point. just curious. 3 versions left to right.
...1. fake nine patch, cotton, 3x3", tiny backstitches forming grid, various shades of white and grey to give the illusion of seam and shadow.
...2. fake nine patch, linen, couched marker lines to give the illusion of coarse stitches. center X done the same way with finer line.
...3. fake nine patch, horizontal piecing with contrast stitching. vertical stitching to simulate seam. can you tell?