what if ?

#2: Stippled Floral Inspiration

 

What if   an edge could be defined by just stippling as well as hard edge  ?  An example  in a vintage print. 

#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 if #23: starlight revisited

finishing things sometimes invokes what-iffing, especially if time has passed and you find yourself thinking new thoughts. or even forgetting the original if. 

just packing up a gift and  i came across this old project, unfinished, and i thought  why those look like wishing stars, and they should have faces.

and as a quick side trip i decided to make it into a little doll house size quilt.  the train was too crowded for a big project today.
needs more work on the stippling and the story.

painted stars on patchwork. painted stars and embroidered embellishment on floral print. scanned, photo later.

 

what if #29: faces in the fabric-part 2

single strand embroidery .

just a quick test this morning on the train.

although reversible is an option here i think i will stick to one side because of the tiny stitches and detail required. not worrying about the back frees up my style a bit.  i may back and quilt this little piece of fabric to hide the mess i anticipate.

each face is less than 1/4" across

i love the built in stippling created in the weave.

to be continued...

what if #59: stitching snow

an old drawing inspired a patchwork window. i used the free piecing machine method i just learned to block it out quickly. the sky is indigo, the snow drifts are white linen. i thought first about painting the snow but then i wondered what if i use thread beads for snowflakes on both the sky and snow areas. the raised white especially on the white is a nice effect. it works for snow and also fits into my nature of dots studies. the window with just the dimensional snow is so interesting i am thinking what if i leave the other details out. to be continued...

what if #60: small dot study

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

what if #61: quilting with dots- evaluation

the question: what if quilting is done with dots?
the reasoning: like tying without the tails. points of color. tacking the layers without lines of stitching. a new kind of texture. a short cut to combine embellishment with quilting.

the texture is very fun.

the process is very simple.
the back is clean and acceptable.(picture 2)

designs and shading can be accomplished with different color dots or combining different strands of color.

4 strands give a nice bulk .

i learned that threading the needle with 2 strands and using them double gives less bulk at the needle eye and it is easier to get through the fabric. threading the needle with 4 strands is difficult and  is like 8 strands at the needle eye when sewing.

freehand dot placement and varying the stitch repeat gives nice variation.

the drape of the final product depends on how close the dots are.

it is easier to stitch the dots farther apart and then go back and fill in if you want them closer.

after catching both layers several times, the thread from each complete dot is carried in between the layers to the next dot so the stitch is a dot on both sides.

this post is continued from here

#158: Print enhancement

I guess it started here with this fussy cut.  And it seemed a bit boring so I asked myself what if   I just shade the petals of the flower a bit,  just to kick it up a notch... why not ?  Many prints these days are not as detailed as the old ones.  It's a shame....because of the speed of the machines and the cost of screens.  Maybe i can fix that.... slowly.

 

I used the ochre colored Pitt Pen to add some dimension.

...then  I took a look at the fabric that I cut the fabric from.  And I asked once again, what if I add some definition?   I actually got carried away.  Oh!   The possibilities with this one... especially if you can draw.

Positive negative stippling

Stippling, the use of little dots for shading and design, has been in my head  for a while.  The term has been used for other stitching techniques, but to me it goes back to my love of dots.  My reference to stipple goes back to the origin of this blog,   like what if #2... and I have a library filled with reference.  I even have a category for it.  I love the little dots that appear in antique prints. many of my drawing use these little dots, like maybe this one.  So recently,  I asked myself, what if)  I do stippling with holes ?....  and maybe combine it with my more common form of stitch dots, the thread bead.  Positive Negative dots. 

Random cut holes in silk velvet with an over cast edge.  And thread bead, 2 strands floss, 3 stitches in place. A nice range of 3D texture. And still dots to define an edge.