what if ?

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what if #59: the longest night

Dsc06271 Dsc06277 Dsc06280 after deciding on pillow as a finished form, i asked myself....what if i  just sew it to an existing pillow cover to speed things up? i am done with this one and its dedication will be over at spirit cloth. i would like to embellish the floral corduroy on the right side but i am thinking what if i do it next year?  cont'd fromDsc06303

Posted in Refashion | Permalink | Comments (7)

what if #60: small dot study

60 dots formed with thread, ombre pattern to soften a woven stripe. 2" x 5". cotton on cotton. small stitched study for FEVER quilt.

Posted in Dots, Edge treatments, Refashion, Stippling, Stitch | Permalink | Comments (2)

what if #63: free mending

i have a lot of old pieced scraps, worn pieces and leftovers from quilts. etc. i used my new found machine free  piecing knowledge and patched some worn scraps back together, doing the best i could to retain the look of the original pattern. some odd little patches resulted, but it added character to the piecing. terrible photo but you get the idea. mended and refashioned patchwork. F3

Posted in Mending, Patchwork, Refashion | Permalink | Comments (4)

what if #64: seam wrapping

Seam_wrapping_2Seam_wrapping_detail mending methods have my interest at the moment. i am still working with the vintage piece i started in the previous post. i should mention i quickly dipped it in in brown dye to disguise some staining. some of  hand stitch seams have pulled apart so i thought what if (?) i wrap the seam in a bar of satin stitch. in this case i am going all the way through and catching the backing fabric. i used one layer of thin cotton batting and gauze so i could really get a feel for the tension created. the stitch forms a gully type line on the back and fits in with regular quilting. the method is decorative and very reinforcing. not to mention the texture. and again, quilting and embroidery become one step.Seam_wrapping_back_3    Seam_wrapping_in_progress

Posted in Backs of things, Edge treatments, Mending, Patchwork, Refashion, Seams, Stitch | Permalink | Comments (7)

what if #65: whipping a machine stitch

254326699_e8baad2d7d_o 254330980_b7c7e1a53b_o 244510936_919104dca8_o.....i created this quilt woven piece a while ago. and i quilted it on the machine. and that was a question that went something like what if i quilt this by machine? will i like it? and i still don't like machine quilting even if it is faster. but then  i asked  myself  (as i recall) ...what if i was to whip that stitch with a contrasting color, to make it look twisted, would it help? and it certainly did. i almost forgot this one...it changes the look and texture, and by golly, maybe i can do some machine quilting after all.... here and there....maybe.

cotton woven strips cut with curves
woven together
machine quilted to poplin
embroidered dots.
clipped and machine washed.
machine stitch whipped with 2 strands black floss.

Posted in Quilt weaving, Quilting, Refashion, Seams, Stitch | Permalink | Comments (5)

what if #66: reshaping a pillow

Reshape_1 Reshape_2 Reshape_3 Reshape_4......i need a heart shape, what if i cut an old pillow? mark, cut, remove excess stuffing, resew. ready to cover. and what if i cover it by wrapping? just a thought...Wrapping_a_shape

Posted in 3D, Mending, Refashion | Permalink | Comments (6)

what if #67: working over an existing pattern

Animal_fairies 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?

Posted in Crossover technique, Dots, Fabric makeover, Painting on fabric, Print inspiration, Refashion | Permalink | Comments (8)

what if #92: wool on wool

Needle_felting_on_an_old_scarf ....i used to be a weaver and every weaver knows, you can only use so many scarves. anyway, i have a stack of those that didn't excite me much, and i had a  people powered felting needle laying around but not much used. and some old hand dyes roving not much used. i tried applying some designs to the old scarf that was not much used. this will be a makeover to be used. my inspiration came from here.

Needle_felted_shapes

Posted in Felting, Refashion, Wool | Permalink | Comments (6)

#169: Recolored patchwork

Color wash with sheers

...so continuing from my here 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.

Silk chiffon color wash

Posted in Applique, Color, Patchwork, Ragged edge, Refashion, Seeing through things, Silk | Permalink | Comments (2)

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