what if ?

#11 indigo thing (continued)

8x10"
all hand stitched ,cotton linen. no batting.
FRONT:
BACK:

#12: perforated indigo test

i've always wondered what would happen if i punched holes in indigo fabric and then machine washed it. could those raggedy frayed holes be used as a design element? indigo dyed fabric has the advantage of a real color fade in the frayed edge so even a small hole should yield a visible wound.

5x8" , cotton plain weave hand woven from yarn dyed indigo (15/1), punctured with a tiny scissor blade to break threads in a varied grid of dots,machine washed, hot dryer with softener sheet.

-punctures fray with nice color change, patterning visible.

-tiny holes close up with fray.

-further potential for decorative effect without weakening fabric.

-nice subtle texture

#13: perforated indigo applied

once a technique is established there is always a what if i apply it to something else, so here it was what if i use the punctured surface texture as a stippling technique? and the indigo rag weaving as a design element?
51/2" x 71/2" cotton yarn dyed indigo ground, punched with a scissor blade as in #12

applique beast cut from a balinese batik

birds in the moon applique with quilted spiral, from an old sun faded shirt

woven strip across bottom as in #11, stitched to spread flat.

machine washed and dried with towel to rough up ragged edges.

what-iffing

i would like to make a note that this process of what-iffing, thought catching, one thing leading to another, is a marvelous way to produce variations on a theme, a method of expanding a process for as long as it can stretch your imagination. this is also happening big time over on this working  blog.
 

i am now preparing to answer a new question....what if i fold back the flaps of a cut . tack them ragged style. i think i can create motifs with holes in the middle. with shaped halos.

#14: ragged flap study in indigo

and so it hit me, what if i leave the flaps of the cuts for holes and fold them back, and tack them so they become a frame for the hole. halos.

before wash, just for reference. in case it disappears.

wash results show stability and a nice fray.

ragged star

#15: pink silk shibori mini

glennis over at shibori girl sent these to me a while ago. (check to see how they were made!) i want to do a patchwork piece with them. but they are so sheer and fragile. 

now i am looking at them and wondering what if i stabilze them first by  sewing them to a lofty foundation. this may also give them a pillow effect for textured quilting as well.

some contrast to the other fabric they are pieced with... to enhance their  lightness. let them float up off the surface.

i will mount them on some pale pink cotton velvet. i don't have any white anyway and the worst that could happen is that the white will warm up the white areas a bit.

update 1: ...i had a bit of a problem with the method i chose and instead i wnt to a paper piecing method, ironing the silk squares to freezer paper and leaving the paper in as i sewed the pieces together english paper piecing style. i will insert the loft behind the silk squares only, to prepare for some trapunto quilting.(continued ...)

#15: pink silk shibori mini-part 2

sewing with silk is very different from sewing with cotton or linen or anything else for that matter. it's a bitch actually. i decided to place these little silk shibori squares in linen fabric frames, to stabilize them and create surface contrast... and i am padding them to see if i can make them seem light and float them above the surface. the surrounding areas are quilted heavily to enhance the effect and the trapunto style pillows are forming nicely. i am wonderig if i can make the frames even flatter by quilting with a single thread in between the existing double thread sashiko style stitches. to tie the fabric down further and create a variation in the quilted surface.

the small white squares are a heavier silk, handwoven from thailand. a more irregular and unruly fabric. but shiny.

to be continued...

#16: ragged indigo fake ikat

what if i cut the cross section from one plaid and ehance the section of another to get an ikat effect. (or something)...this example, haphazardly appliquéd (from my bird robe) has inspired further study. the idea is to find similar colorations where one fabric has a lighter or different color thread in the pattern so you can patch in a sort of discontinuous motif.  or to place one yarn dyed pattern over another to create another pattern, to fool the eye, to confuse the issue of technique.

to be continued....

what if #17: magic marker ikat

magic marker on rag strips
woven and tacked to white poplin
6"x6"
cotton