BLOG 483

BLOG 483

 My main focus this week was on playing freely with my fused fabric, to see what I could come up with. I have accumulated masses of left overs over the years I have worked in this style and this was going to be a way of getting rid of some of the boxes of bits!!

Firstly I sketched a bear shape onto release paper and started to fill it in with fabric shapes, being aware of the shading from light to dark. Lightness and darkness can be any colour and so this was an exercise in being loose with colour and unrestricted by the traditional ways of portraying and colouring a bear. Armed with my fabric bits and travel iron, I just went for it! I have to say that I enjoyed the freedom of it all and I didn’t stop until it was complete. Progress was quick and spontaneous and it became easier as I became immersed in the project. There was/is no end in mind for the resulting picture; this was just playing with fabric without any preconceived ideas or restrictions, rather like a child would. Here is the working sequence.

 

            Bear 1

 

            Bear 2

 

            Bear 3 Stitched

 

 

               Bear 4 Trimmed

 

Being reasonably happy with the bear, I decided to continue playing this way using a cat shape. My fabrics are always cut with a pinked blade because it allows the jagged edges (and therefore the colours) to merge. This also helped to give a shaggy appearance round the edges of the bear. So my main disappointment with this cat was that I trimmed the shape round the edge with normal scissors. But this is what playing is all about; you learn from your mistakes and you make decisions for pieces of work that follow. I think the black stitching brings the animal to life.

 

               Cat 1

 

             Cat 2

 

              Cat 3 detail

 

              Cat 4 stitched

 

 

A while ago, I made a background cushion square using the same fused scraps. It was a little on the dark side so I made a cluster of bright nasturtiums to go on the corner. This provided interest and a focal point. It was admired by a friend who now has it and is making it into a cushion for herself.

              Nasturtium flowers

 

            Nasturtium leaves

 

 

Here are some pictures of work from the last time I was with my embroidery chums. Peggy was using variegated thread to make fantasy butterflies and Pat was using sheers to build up colour on a stencilled Robin.

 

                                                                                                                                                       

               Peggy’s butterflies

 

             Pat’s robin

 

             Pat’s palette