Playing with Piecing

I had this idea that I would create something that starts with a traditional quilt block and then goes off in a different direction. It makes sense for quilt art to start out with a quilt, right? I deliberately didn't choose a final outcome, I still don't know if I'm making a contemporary functional quilt or a hanging piece or both even. I also decided not to do any drawing to start with. I love drawing and get totally lost in it. I need to get some drawing projects going that are just drawings for the sake of drawing, then learn how to not over work every sketch, as it slows me down enormously at the moment.

So first I chose a quilt block. This free class from Craftsy has some good blocks. I chose June: Y-seam construction, Lemoyne star. It has lots of interesting angles that I hope will make interesting shapes.  I made the first units, I sewed 2.5" strips together then cut on 45% angle to make the parallelograms that will be sewn into diamonds. I then played with a few combinations:
     

 Here is the original block on my design wall in a couple of colour ways. Beautiful as this is I want to see what I can create by messing around with it.







I quickly brainstormed a list, I called it 'abstraction of a quilt block' quite a grand title, whatever, it will do. I came up with:

Alterations- rearrange existing elements, alterations, gradually make more altered blocks, blocks in blocks, inversions. These two blocks I've just rearranged the existing elements.

 Colour changes can change the pattern, I like this one on the left where the red diamonds float in a circle and the star disappears in the background.

Next I slashed the whole block









No block format - exploded elements

Block partially obscured

Repetition of elements, new elements made

This last picture is a bit mad, I will definitely not be making something this busy, but it is useful to look at a whole new combination of elements like this. I kept the star and accidentally made some tumbling blocks on the left.

I have a few other ideas:

Use of patterned fabric- big patterns like bold stripes can alter design, quilted designs
Change of scale
Wonky piecing
Negative space around block

Layering over block - stamp over block, thread embellishment, applique, tulle and other fabrics, feature quilting

I am not mad about the things I have tried so far. I need to alter it more radically, get further away from the block format and I think I need to introduce some different sized units as it is just too regular as it is. So next time, change of scale and negative space. Back to the design wall, not the drawing board.

Linking up with Nina Marie

My First Art Quilt!

Who knew it is so difficult to sew in a straight line!

For a long time I've wanted to take my sewing in a more creative direction. I've read a few books, come up with loads of ideas, but they always get way, way too complicated long before I get near the fabric. For this piece, I started with a photo that was way too complicated,

then I did some sketches that failed to simplify it in any way. I really enjoyed the drawing and got a bit absorbed in it, but no closer to a design.

I then went looking for inspiration and I got a nice book Contemporary Quilts Design, Surface and Stitch by Sandra Meech which is laid out in chapters, each featuring a design class. The second chapter gives lots of inspiration for starting a sketch book. One of the suggestions is to use collage papers to try out ideas. The beautiful examples are like works of art in themselves and my first response was this will be a distraction, just as I had been getting absorbed in drawing. It was not though. This primitive piece is not my finest work but was so useful, really made me think about what I wanted to express from the photo in my composition and how it was actually going to work.

For instance I decided from this that I had two layers, the background and foreground leaves. I wanted to make a pieced background with an applique foreground. I also wanted to keep the spiral composition and the distribution of light across the leaves. So I tried to do an improvisatory background quilt-as-you-go spiral for a background experiment

I'm not an experienced quilter and I thought quilt-as-you-go would be an easy technique but it was actually quite fiddly with so much pressing after each seam. This was a good experiment in fabric combinations. I decided to go for a simpler palette, using less fabrics and that applique over this would be too busy. So I came up with my final pieced design.

I paper pieced the corner sections, the rest is just triangle and rectangle combinations. I followed old Craftsy Block of the Month classes for piecing directions. I'm really pleased with it. I found it a challenge to make a non-functional object, had to keep resisting the temptation to make it bigger and make it functional. I love geometric designs but need to work on my piecing, it is hard to get it accurate. I quilted by stitching in the ditch, the design was too busy for much else and I used a dark thread for definition which I was really pleased with. A very long process for such a small item but a very enjoyable new challenge.

Textile Adventures in Jewellery

A few years ago I did some experimenting with textile jewellery.

I even thought about opening an Etsy shop but family life got in the way and next time I had some time for crafts I decided to turn my attention to garment sewing. I still have a lot of these pieces, most of them have been packed up in my mother-in-laws loft in Ireland, but one or two made it with us to sunny Saudi. Craftsy are running a competition for handmade accessories so I thought I would pull them out and photograph them. I love this necklace, textile necklaces can be quite stiff, this was an experiment in creating movement. I used groups of four felt balls, three orange one black sewn together, then threaded the cord through the middle. The balls can move around and the necklace has nice drape.

This second necklace I wore on my wedding day. I love that when working with felt you can match colours to any fabrics or texture.

My dress was a greeny silver chiffon and the silk in these beads reflected that texture and the colours complemented perfectly.

These beads were part of explorations of texture that included using silk to imitate pearls and fun ways of using them in designs. These are the more sensible designs I made which I would wear often. Next time I'm in Ireland I'll photograph the rest, some of them are quite experimental and I've more ideas that one day I'll get back to.