what if ?

#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

what if #27: painted applique

...the band of lions applique planned a while back has turned into an experiment because i was wondering what if i create them as a cluster, one applique, and make them out of an ikat fabric that will fade in and out , ghost-like.... i painted over the fabric so that the ikat would show through. they are ready for stitching.

3 figure cluster appliqué on 6" quilt block

drawn freehand with black micron pen

Deco Art SoSoft fabric paint, thinned with water

Kaffe Fasset yarn dyed cotton ikat base used for applique.

what if#78: marker ikat

....how it used to upset me when i drew on fabric and the ink ran. i searched high and low for a better marker. i was thinking if (?) the ink runs along the threads it could look a bit like ikat. it does. oh, it does!

permanent laundry marker on old stained linen. bottom piece has been machine washed and ironed.

the longer you hold the marker to the fabric, the more it runs. i am sure it will vary from fabric to fabric.

what if #123: quilt weaving and shape reconstruction

what if i discharge a shape on two separte pieces and then tear them up and weave them back together?
the concept here is something ( but simplified) like double ikat. one piece is the warp, torn into verticle strips. the other is the weft, torn into horizontal strips.
indigo linen discharged with bleach
10" x 8"
pieced without stitching

what if # 145: double kantha dot

....as a continuation of the one color nine patch, all indigo in different weights and textures after asking what if its all the same color in concept but using different fabrics. and then what if i quilt the dot only. a freezer paper stencil was used as a guide to trace the circle shape border.. kantha style running stitch in both directions filled the circle. border removed for a softer edge, yes what if there was no hard edge? .
.... i like how the 2 directional stitching looks like ikat after the border was removed, how it has a woven feel. and the texture is more than marvelous. and the stitching is a reversible technique (looks the same on the back)
cotton and linen 1 1/34" indigo squares- hand pieced
2 strands dmc floss for stitching.
linen twill base

what if #147: ikat quilting

somewhere along the line after feeling a relationship between the visual effect of the double kantha and ikat , i thought what if ? i expand on that idea and mimic ikat patterns with that stitch.  by extending outside the shape. and then i did the same by combining it with patchwork. so the feathered stitch has more of a solid center. the patchwork here has been skatched, that it patched (applique) over a free hand sketch. linen and cotton patching over indigo dyed linen base. dmc floss for quilting.