Sunday 22 May 2011

Satisfying Sunday

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday if a little windy today. Spending most of the time in my studio I had one of those lovely days when lots of projects got finished at last. Very satisfying! Little quilts got their bindings and were mounted onto box canvases, embroidered panels had final detail added with fabric paint and gorgeous shell buttons were sewn onto a patchwork jacket. While all this was happening I had the embroidery machine racing away in the background making more pieces with some of the rayon and metallic threads from our new Madeira collections. Here's a Husqvarna butterfly design worked onto another old quilt I sacrificed in the name of art!


I love the soft gleam of the metallic thread and the fat body that's created with several layers of stitch.


Yet another old quilt bit the dust today but will live again in this panel embroidered with swallows.


The original fabric had a monoprint of a Robinia leaf. I was going to paint the white shapes to make them less obvious but decided at the last minute to leave them as they were. I did however roll a fine veil of white fabric paint over the edges of the quilting once everything was complete.


Compared to Laura I am a novice with the embroidery software but I am learning! It's fun being able to play with the composition of the various elements - changing size, position and direction before stitching them out. I know a lot of people think this kind of embroidery is somehow cheating. I really do not agree! What makes it all so satisfying is the pleasing way the digital techniques combine so well with my favourite free motion quilting.

If every day was as productive as this I might even meet all my deadlines!

7 comments:

  1. I love what you've done using embroidery, just curious though, you embroider after you have quilted so on the backside of the embroidery do you use the same threads in the bobbin and adjust the tension so the back of the work is virtually the same as the front?

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  2. Lovely. I agree that the embroidery machine is not cheating, no different to using automatic patterns on a machine or even a machine itself. Quilting has always evolved and continues to do so with beautiful results.

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  3. The quilted fabrics I am embroidering at the moment are destined to become bags, garments and cuffs. I am using Madeira Bobbinfil in the bobbin and floating the quilt over tearaway stabiliser in the hoop. Once the items are constructed the back of the stitching won't be seen because everything will be lined but if the backs were to remain visible I'd try to match the bobbin thread with the colour of the backing fabric to be more discreet.

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  4. Don't you love it when the MOJO is working? Wonderful work.

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  5. Thank you for sharing and giving us ideas to use both old quilts dusting away, and the stand - still embrodery machine! Nice works! It will be exciting to see pictures from your finished products when you can show them.

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  6. Just lovely Linda. Three more weeks with my high school students and I'm free! Can't wait to make use of all the beautiful inspiration you have shared with us.

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