Rose of Sharon Quilt

Firstly I want to show you this picture of the Rose of Sharon quilt my sister Theresa and I worked on for her daughter Adele. It's a double bed size completed in 1994.

As I wrote previously, I'm now working on a black and white one, a smaller version, for my sofa, a square one with 4 blocks each side.

After I posted about the problems I was having with the grey fabric, I read Anne's post about using freezer paper for applique I thought that it looked like a much better way so I gave it go.

If your read her post the shape is first cut out of freezer paper this is then ironed onto the right side of the fabric, however....I didn't have any freezer paper but the outline of each shape was already drawn on the back of each of the cotton pieces so I thought I would give it a go with the glue

you can see the coloured glue along the snipped edge up to the line.

edge folded over with the use of a cocktail stick

the finished piece already to sew on.

This worked fine I thought but I decided to get the freezer paper to try it out on the bigger bits to see if it would give me a smother rounded edge and to try it on the grey fabric.

The freezer paper method worked great on the cotton fabric but not the grey, it wouldn't stick with the glue, the folded cut edges kept jumping back up and it also melts too easy with the iron....as I found out on my trial piece, so after about 30 mins trying to get the edges to stay stuck under, I melted the whole lot with the iron!!!! grrrr.....I didn't keep, I popped it in the bin, decided not to let it annoy..... it sorry no pic.

However I'm still delighted to use this new method for all the other pieces and have found the sewing machine method of backing the grey pieces and turning right sides out is the best way forward here.

I have now competed the first two blocks for the second side.
The glue method gives a much neater finish and I find the pieces a lot easier and quicker to stitch on.

Not the best picture I have to say but I took it this evening in artificial light.

I'll get a better picture tomorrow of these and all the other 4 completed for the other side of the quilt.

Custom Converse

Arnt these cute! first size pink Converse in little size 4

Little C has had these a few weeks now and they kept calling me to pretty them up.

So on Saturday I spent a lovely sunny afternoon in my little studio watching C and her daddy tend all the new life in the garden that is suddenly sprouting up.........and I set to work.

I still have some little snips of that pretty rose fabric left over from her douvet cover re-make which I also used in the tea party and dolls pram projects

So I started with that for inspiration

and chose some beautiful co-ordinating pale blue variegated DMC cotton Perle and stitched around the edge.

then some bullion knot roses, with a touch of crimson in the middle.

(can you see my rose theme is getting everywhere)

 I found the last of some beautiful hand dyed Oliver Twist stranded cotton in shades of blue and green....perfect.... and I had just enough left for this little project.

Replace the laces with beautiful pale green satin ribbon

 each side is unique

and now they are very pretty & girly

I had so many ideas of different way to customise these little cuties but it took my rose theme to get me inspired to do it!

These are my son Harry's

he hasn't worn them very much and now sadly he has outgrown them :(

shame :(

Not to worry, ..........they fit me! :)

Watch this space!

Foliage to Fabric

Fabric Leaf embellishments

From foliage to fabric

I love using transfer mediums especially

fabric crayons and paints

The simple leaves from my yellow rose were perfect for taking rubbings from with the crayons

I painted over these with the transfer paints

and cut them out

I laid these out face down onto white cotton fabric, covered with more fabric to hold the paper cut outs in place then pressed them with a hot iron.

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I didn't get a good picture of the transferred images before the next stage but have since did some more of these and decided to iron the image onto pale green cotton shirt fabric to good effect.

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Transferred images covered with little pieces of chiffon and organza fabrics

 free machine stitched around the outlines

You can still see the leaf crayon imprints through the organza

Then I went a bit mad and had some fun with some more free machine embroidery

 trimmed to the stitched edge

Fabric Leaf embellishments

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial

Transfer paints by Decca

Fabric transfer crayons by Crayola

Experimental stitching

A little experimental rose piece I worked on over a couple of days.

Not very good I might just add, the blanket stitch around the openwork leaves a lot to be desired but its just a fun piece, I didn't have a plan, just used the outline of one of my stitched paper roses. divided it into sections with a running stitch.

I just wanted to have fun with some fabric scraps and threads and a sudden urge to hand embroider.

 

I learned some from this exercise too, the fabric I chose was not really suitable for openwork, the weave was to open and it frayed at the edges, was quite difficult to keep it in shape, it had a bit of stretch to it too which didn't help, my own fault for not consulting one of my many needlework books which might have advised on a suitable cloth!
Talking of cloth I was quite annoyed with the amount of dirt that built up on the cloth over such a short space of time and I did wash it when it came out of the hoop yesterday but there is still a visible grime circle line where the hoop had been.

Later on last night I was reading about Catherine's dress, so beautiful with all that hand embroidered lace, totally exquisit! and she carried it so well....every step, so elegent and graceful and swishy!.......  ...anyway ........yes I was reading about the ladies who worked on the lace from the Royal school of needlework and how they were kept in the dark over what the lace was for or which designer they were working for....what a wonderful job to be able to sit and embroider knowing its going to go into one beautiful creation after another......anyway ! .......these ladies who worked by hand on the lace for the dress had to wash their hands every 30 minuets! ......so I was thinking its no wonder the dirt that collected over my little rose sample after sitting on the arm of the sofa in between being picked up worked on and set down every couple of hours or so over the space of 3 days!

anyway!.......what I was thinking after I read about the embroiderers and the hand washing was, surely they must have ended up with very dry hands and if not what were they using in between washes to keep their hands and fingers soft and able to work?
Perhaps I should be asking the Royal School of needlework that question.....hmmm

While studying City & Guilds Embroidery a few years ago one of the ladies in the class introduced us to that wonderful stuff called Udder cream, yes for udders! ..... I'm sure many of you have heard of it and use it. Available at the vets Im told.
The beauty of this stuff was that it could be used as hand cream but would leave no greasy residue so ideal if your working with fabrics and threads or beads.
I asked her to get me some the next time she went to the vets, I don't have any animals so was not a frequenter of the vets.
Needless to say the large tub kept me going for some time but it didn't last for ever.
About a year ago now I purchased some online, but when it arrived it was the most, disgusting pink runny gooey mess and useless. So I was put off buying any more.
So what to do ?......what do you use?(do let me know)......what do they use? (RSN).......what vet can I get that good udder cream from? (note to self: try and remember who got it for the ladies in the CG class).......all things I have to find out for next time........

Watercolour dying and painted quilts

Some hand dyed pieces of trim in rosy colours

I've had a little box of Pentel watercolour fabric dyes for a few years now, I think they are great for dying small quantities of fabric, lace, trims, and threads. If you are like me and dont do a lot of dying but like to dabble now and then, these are ideal. I like them because there is no mixing up or measuring out or that feeling that you have to grab every bit of fabric around to justify a bucket load of dye. They are fixed with a hot iron and washable after fixing. The cost wont break the bank either and great for workshops etc.

Thinking in the theme of roses .............

Pretty pink daisies, cotton lace trim, and some silky leaf lace edging

The quilted pieces are samples I've been working on.

The top right sample with the quilted leaf design was brushed with the watercolour soloution letting it soak in, this was after I had painted it with a coat of green fabric paint and a roller. Its not very noticable in the picture but I added irridescant watercolour medium to the solution which adds a little sparkle to it.

 Inspired by a tutorial in the Quilting Arts magazine 10th Anniverary issue by Ana Buzzalino who was inspired by a painted quilt technique used by Laura Kemshall, on further investigating I found Laura has co written a book on the subject. The painted quilt.

I have borrowed the book from the library for now but I have added it to my 'worth buying' list.
Also while going through some back issues of Workbox I found a picture of one of Laura's beautiful art quilts,  which was displayed in her first solo show at the festival of quilts 2004 at the NEC Birmingham

Beautiful isnt it!

 

I want to do some more reading on the subject before doing anymore to the other two samples.

My dyes as you can see are running out I will have to get some more, I bought this little box of 12 from Millers art shop a few years ago. I couldnt find them in their online shop, so after varoius searches online, it took me a while, I tracked down a supplier of these little tubes of paint in the UK you can get them here

Prisma Petals

Prisma Petals

I have been playing around so much with my 'Rose' theme and have so many things to share it's difficult to know where to begin ... It started with the simple petal.

From a beautiful bunch of flowers I was given at Easter time I took a single yellow rose that was starting to wilt. I wanted petals in shades of pink and had an idea.

 I removed the petals and laid them out on a sheet of white paper.

and took a picture

Then I changed it to black and white and lightened it up

I popped a couple of printed copies of this into my sketchbook  before we set off for a weekend break away.

I also took my Prismacolour Pencils.

See what happened

The dark areas add depth to the hand coloured image

Pink Petals!

When cut out they look quite good !

A page in my book.......

Other possibilities that came to mind....... colour in paint shop pro (or similar editing software)

 save image and print on to image transfere sheet then transfere to fabric.

or just photograph your handcoloured petals and print onto transfere sheets.

Playing around with image size could be interesting too.......

I will add this at the side of my blog as a tutorial link for easy reference.

The Soul of the Rose

A beautiful title for this lovely painting by John William Waterhouse and one of my favourites by the artist. It perfectly describes the feelings it evokes when I admire it.

I have decided to work within the theme of roses on my experimental journey .....

I've been making lots of mess in my little studio......I'll show you a little bit of what I've been up too

 I wanted to spend more time exploring thread sketching. Some of you may have read my post here about my little play around after seeing it in issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.

So with my theme of roses in mind I had another little play around,

first some sketching.......

I used cartridge paper from a sketchbook

then I added some printed text paper to highlight

I then painted these with artist watercolours and free machine stitched, highlighting the shapes and lines.

 I used an embroidery foot, regular black sewing thread and dropped the feed dogs on my machine.

I forgot to photograph the roses before I stitched nor the stitching process, when I get excited about going on to the next stage I sometimes forget opps

 I also added some gold foil and coloured cellophane from Cadbury's roses chocolates

here are some close ups

textured paper

a leaf skeleton

embossed paper....

pink textured foil

purple cellophane sweet wrapper

I'm pleased with the results..............

here's a better view of the ochre one, I think the paint is a little thick on this, I might wet it and remove some..... see what emerges

 I like the shape and flow of this one....

picture is a bit blurry,

a closer view.

Its great fun to thread sketch .....have a go if you do I would love to see