reviving some old doodles (even though it is not wednesday) and wondering what if you make your own prints? diluted textile paint and micron pen over an existing dot print. cotton twill. i don't know too much about tossing repeats or motifs, but who cares?
there is nothing quite like stitching to transform a pieced textile into a unified tapestry. i stuck with ' what if i just do a straight kantha style stitch? ' no fancy stuff. just varying the thickness, 2, 3 or 4 strands of floss, random neutrals. each piece treated separately. i also quilted in between the embroidered dots (tiny invisible stitches) to give the whole piece an equal tension and prevent bubbling. if i had embroidered the dots after adding the muslin back i probably would have prevented the tension difference but sometimes when you are what-iffing, instead of planning, you have to take the thoughts as they come and deal with each step as a new challenge. the floral pinwale corduroy on the right remains un-quilted because it has something special that i have not yet identified .
the piece now has a life and i am thinking what if i name it "the longest night" and add some story elements against that thought?
the sunlight has inspired the feeling of ghosts and i am wondering if i can use this wonderful sheer i received as a gift from mary....maybe sun ghosts from solstices past. transparent appilques? what if i cut them out and try that?
of course then there is the question of where to put them. i like the right side of the window ...there is that lovely strip of raw silk from stephanie, the rough texture seems a perfect contrast to the fine sheer so i thought what if i just pin them there and see?
i like them there and the printed corduroy is organic and sprouting somehow. this can work. what if i just work those ghostly suns into the surface with more stitches? lots of them.
if you missed part 2
what if a patchwork block is pieced using both the back and front of the fabric to create the motif. 
that could work.
one fabric nine patch
english paper piecing method
front and back of printed dot on cotton
3" x 3"
a good approach for a limited stash.
back of fabric has a nice worn or antiqued look to it.
many more possibilities here, a series.....
and i have included the back of this block, because it inspires me...
experiments in contrast and stitching are random, trials in technique and motif.
i am particularly liking this effect using embroidery in combination with other texture levels.
the printed dot is a nice clear contrast against the drawn black.
the raised split stitch is nice against the kantha stitch on the dark lines and also gives a sense of dimension to the whole motif. cont'd from
...all
three original layers are showing now. work is slow on this one, stitching and snipping, little by little. another layer has been added to the back and the outline stitching color has also started to become a design element.now there are questions like like what if some small cuts with inserts for accents are added and what if some turned reverse applique is combined with the ragged edge?.....
molas have always intrigued me. so i was daydreaming and wondering what if i try a ragged edge mola using patterned fabrics. and maybe let the patterns guide the cutting. so i layered a floral over a floral over a yarn dyed check. 
and i am thinking of cutting the background from the first floral away and letting the second floral show through for starters....
tiny back stitches outline the shapes first, then cutting and clipping. of course a machine stitch will also work fine. but this is an unplugged blog.
i suppose you could use a light box, or a window (staying unplugged) to position the 2 florals strategically, but i like surprises. especially on a commuter train.
after i finish the top layer i will cut to reveal the check here and there and then , no doubt, i will be wondering....what if i add more layers....because i like the way it is working. continued
so it came to be that i asked myself ...what if i just forget this one? ( continued from... ) i mean i wasn't liking it a lot. so it went into my what if it just isn't working basket for a while. sometimes it is just a good idea to step away . before i "junked" it i cut holes in it and cursed and started to tear some of the stitching out and well it was really irritating. this morning it caught my eye as i left (in a hurry) to catch a train and i wondered what if i just sew again for no reason, just to sew.
there was the smallest scrap of silk shibori on the floor leftover from something else. i was thinking what if i just patch up those holes?...with silk again and ....
so here it goes again. still liking the feel of the silk inside and now liking the depth of the ragged silk cut-outs. what if i just keep sewing and see what happens? this is starting to be more about embroidery.
integrated applique is meant to describe a process of applying one fabric to another, and making them one by defining some sort of relationship between the two elements. 
i have picked the meeting point. a color and motif element that seems common to both. i will start here and try to work out the rest of the edges with some sort of sympathy to the observed harmony that seem to exist here. at least to me.
there are many ways to "weave" things together
this project has been completed in terms of its goal, although it has now become part of # 25. the heavy stitching over the print and the silk sandwich is satisfactory. 
i have exposed the silk in the middle in a few spots to validate the sandwich and the original reverse appliqué premise.
quite a while ago i attempted to weave an appliqué into the ground fabric and was happy with the results.
i am inspired by this little scrap of silk that came out of an old swatch book. slightly glue stained. it is calling to me in some way to be integrated into #24. the colors are similar and i am wondering IF i can work this in some how using that weaving process. i am treading on thin ice here i think.
as an extra what-if to this adventure, i would like to note to myself that it might be interesting IF i start a digital archive of all antique and interesting fabrics in my collection. an inspiration depot.
to be continued....
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