what if ?

#9: applique with heavy fabrics

Like everyone else, I have many unfinished projects.  So I was thinking what if  I use them for what-ifs.  This was part of another adventure.  I cut out the center panel but then there was this nice piece of corduroy hidden under the velvet, so I  thought what if  I cut through, will reverse applique work with such fuzzy heavy  fabrics?

7"x7"
Cotton linen jacquard on cotton velvet over cotton corduroy

Ragged edge applique center squares outlined in wrap stitch, random color banding

Quilted with DMC 3 and 2 strands.

Cutouts edged and plain, both work fine.

Very uneven edging , very badly mitered corners.

Working with pile fabrics is not difficult except for fraying,  stitches hide in the fuzz and cover up mistakes. Surprisingly easy to work with, producing dramatic textural effects.

Regular quilting, the pattern is hard to see on velvet in such a small piece. varying thread weight and stitch length may help

I like the way the bar edging mirrors the corduroy texture.

what if #33: blacks and whites-cont'd

experiments in contrast and stitching are random, trials in technique and motif.

i am particularly liking this effect using embroidery in combination with other texture levels.
the printed dot is a nice clear contrast against the drawn black.
the raised split stitch is nice against the kantha stitch on the dark lines and also gives a sense of dimension to the whole motif. cont'd from

continued here....

what if #33: blacks and whites detail

this bar stitching around the marker drawing has caught my interest and i am wondering what if i use this as the entire background? i will try and see. nice texture reminiscent of a woven surface.

continued from

what if#34: random framing

what if i expand on the idea from here...and just cut windows in on fabric and overlay it on an already stitched piece?
linen with window cutout over what if #33.
6x6"

frame quilted

unplugged.

the cropping helps isolate the focus on details and the flat overlay enhances the texture.

and there is also a concept of reverse patchwork forming here.

and something related to mending.

finished / unfinished over here

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 #59: part 2-log cabin with a view

the snowy window needed to be framed/edged and since log cabin style piecing is easy and fun, i asked myself what if i use strips of neutrals reminiscent of  plaster and wallpaper to expand this block, a log cabin with a window in the center?

i seem to have unexpected time to sit and stitch so what if i quilt this all over and see how it looks before considering any further decoration? i will need to add a backing fabric for stability, muslin i guess, and no batting. i have a nest of neutral thread scraps. i will use those. and what if i vary the amount of strands for the quilting? more texture.
18" x18" so far. in the back of my mind i am asking myself what if i try this log cabin with a view as a quilt, smaller blocks, many little windows? maybe these blocks could be a nice border with regular log cabin blocks in the center. maybe maybe maybe.

part 1

what if #59: part 3-quilting up a storm

there is nothing quite like stitching to transform a pieced textile into a unified  tapestry. i stuck with ' what if i just do a straight kantha style stitch? ' no fancy stuff. just varying the thickness, 2, 3 or 4 strands of floss, random neutrals. each piece treated separately. i also quilted in between the embroidered dots (tiny invisible stitches) to give the whole piece an equal tension and prevent bubbling.  if i had embroidered the dots after adding the muslin back i probably would have prevented the tension difference but sometimes when you are what-iffing, instead of planning, you have to take the thoughts as they come and deal with each step as a new challenge. the floral pinwale corduroy on the right remains un-quilted because it has something special that i have not yet identified . 
the piece now has a life and i am thinking what if i name it "the longest night" and add some story elements against that thought?
the sunlight has inspired the feeling of ghosts and i am wondering if i can use this wonderful sheer i received as a gift from mary....maybe sun  ghosts from solstices past.  transparent appilques?  what if i cut them out and try that?

of course then there is the question of where to put them. i like the right side of the window ...there is that lovely strip of raw silk from stephanie, the rough texture seems a perfect contrast to the fine sheer so i thought what if i just pin them there and see?

i like them there and the printed corduroy is organic and sprouting somehow. this can work. what if i just work those ghostly suns into the surface with more stitches? lots of them. if you missed part 2

what if# 80: sheer overlay

sheers can be used for see-through panels in fabric pieces but i was thinking also what if (?) they could just be used to change the tone and texture of a background. used here as  a softener and base for embroidered  motif. used here   

margaret ramsay has also done some interesting posts on sheers. here and 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.

#179: A more interesting 9 patch

So what if (? ) you are following a pattern and the pattern has 2 colors.  what if (? ) you create variation within each color to make it more interesting?  I have used this method before but  I thought I would detail its reasoning.

I picked a nine patch. because of its simplicity. And black and white for the same reason.
 5 black squares and 4 white squares. But all the blacks are different.  And so are the whites.  Still reads as a nine patch but more interesting, don't you think?  I think so.  Plus, a great way to use up small scraps and not buy more matching fabric. 

Tip...I also varied the types of fabrics in each color category.   This makes the color and the texture variation add to the visual depth.

When substituting colors you can break the rules, a pale color can also be used as "white" against black.   Likewise a very deep shade of another color can be used as a "black" against white.   It's like magic.

I have applied this idea here, as I begin a new cloth.

I use this method to hand piece most of the time:

 

alternative video link

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