what if

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 #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 # 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?

what if # 160: reverse collage applique

i have been thinking a lot about positive negative lately and building an image in reverse and so today after playing with the idea of a reverse applique star i thought what if the reverse applique was placed over some crazy collage to give the image more interest. random scraps and fussy cuts arranged on a backing and then covered with a star cut out. and what if i add some dimension to the mask with crayon. regular crayon, scribble on and ironed into the fabric, between the pieces of brown paper to absorb the wax. i have done that before. it fades slightly with washing but work fine for shadowing.
crazy reverse quilting? maybe this falls into cqr? shall i try this with dots? i think so.

what if # 152: ragged edge extension

hi!  i have been a way for a while but now i am back. feels good.

i have been doing a lot if experiments with binding lately which i plan to document here.  this time i asked myself if (?) i could make the quilt bigger, square up  the edges and bind  it at the same time?  and what if (?) i keep the edges ragged because i love fringe on a piece.  and a torn edge makes a nice fringe. 

the border is made from two layers of fabric torn at about 2.5" wide.  i used a beautiful hand dyed dot from deb (check out her random acts of dyeness link) for the front and a solid green chambray for the back.   the center panel of the quilt (which is already backed and quilted) is caught between the two layers and carefully hand stitched.   the original edges were uneven so adjusted the catch points to square it up.  i suppose i could have put another layer of batting or fabric in between to beef it up but the center is only 2 layers so it was not needed. 

the cloth is now larger and even and there is fringe on the inside and outside edges. i believe this edge would work in any width and what if (?) you just kept adding them? that way you could always be working on the edge of the piece. easier to get at.

what if #134: weaving a ninepatch

.....i have chosen the nine patch as a focus for a new project so i am experimenting with the idea a bit. first i asked what if i weave the nine patch?  while i was asking myself what if i start a different way so there is more indigo i realized that if you flip it over, the color arrangement is the opposite.
then..... since i am also focusing on dots i asked why not just tack it with thread beads for now to hold it to the foundation...
1.5" strips, white linen and cotton indigo
woven and tacked to a striped cotton indigo base.
i need to adjust the width of the outer strips  so i have the proper seam allowance... more on this. lots more.

what if#122: reversible skitching

....i am always investigating edges and the nature of edges is that they can be seen from both sides. i was wondering IF(?)  i fold the ragged edge over, could i sketch a stitching design and then using the pocket created by the fold, hide the unwanted parts of the stitch inside so i could get a reversible stitched border. it is working fine and i have some other questions. what if i add a third filler fabric strip or batting to add bulk? what if i skatch as well on the top surface only?

and the big question of the day....what if i gather all these crazy terms together as some sort of glossary?

continued here

what if #111: crazy meeting places

somehow when i was looking at my sketch, i thought if i crop it it sort of reminds me of crazy patchwork.
.....i thought, ok, what if (?) i use bleach to discharge the tree branch lines, cropping the design so it is abstract and crazy. like a mosaic. it looked good and i wanted to keep it simple, so i said what if i just use that simple kantha stitch?
then it seemed appropriate to decorate the intersections somehow. simple cross stitch. X marks the spot. what if i couch those  Xs to keep those crossroads secure? what if the kantha stitches changed direction in the blocks of blue?
......i like this one for its simplicity, the ragged patterned discharge(torn paper stencils) and the wild texture. and of course the functionality of the structure.
but most of all i like it because it symbolizes the different paths that have crossed in the process of this shared "what if" environment. thank you all for being here.

center discharged 5" square quilted to 7" chambray square. cotton. indigo thread used to stitch dark indigo sections.

what if#104: symmetrical crazy

....so usually crazy quilting is defined as patchwork with no particular pattern and i thought well, what if it is done with a regular pattern...free pieced nine patch. and what if i embellish the seems by using a flat rag strip and embroider over it to hold it in place.
and i am still focusing on intersections. i like this a lot because it is easy, quick and very functional. i feel a quilt coming on.
in process. indigo. about 7" square.

what if#102: crazy indigo continued

....so as i recall, i was asking myself, what if the crazy block could have a single color as a theme?
what if it was indigo? what if the indigo scraps were gifted? making it a sort of memory or thank you block?
and then i asked what if i just cut holes, windows to represent the crazy shapes? and put another fabric behind the mask? and what if i focus in the intersections of the shapes.
and then what if i use kantha stitching and thread beads to hold it together? ...the feather fell from the sky.
i am so pleasantly surprised to see what everyone is doing. i am collecting all the what if questions that have been asked so i can make a list we can all work from. (part of the cqr collaborative)