Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Ice Dyeing
Layered Marbling
Monoprinting &
Finger Painting
Stamping and Stenciling
with Unusual Objects
11 playful techniques
to try, including:
P. 44
P. 72
P. 38
P. 52
P. 48
Art quilts
transformed,
before & after
P. 26
create
fabrics
EXTREME
QUILT
MAKEOVER
EXTREME
QUILT
MAKEOVER
:
art
quilt
meets
.
Susie Williams is an award-winning
quilter from North Carolina.
Wood Whisper
20" 13" Synthetics,
wool, cotton, silk, upholstery
fabric, antique lace; wool,
variegated and single color foss, perle
cotton, Caron Wildfowers thread, silk
ribbon; glass and plastic beads, freshwater
pearls, crocheted fowers, resin buttons;
machine pieced, hand embroidered.
For the little fawn, I used my at
bristle brush to apply a small bead
of brown acrylic paint all around
the edges. This optional step
helps to outline the embroidery
and give it more denition. Take a
look at the fawn in this piece and
the chickens in Mrs. McConkeys
Garden, and you will notice that
they both are three-dimensional.
The fawn is attached with invisible
thread while the chicken and
rooster are attached with the same
color oss as I used in the off-site
embroidery.
ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES: EMBROIDERY DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES 15
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ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES
W
hile I was a City & Guilds
student I had the opportunity
to experiment with a variety of paper
surfaces for my embroidery work. I
found that I just loved the qualities of
tissue paper that had been adhered to a
fabric for support. This paper provides
an unusually textured and surprisingly
strong surface for hand or machine stitch.
It can be made with white tissue paper
and colored with dyes or paints or it can
be colored afterwards. Alternatively, it
can be made with colored tissue paper. I
have found lots of uses for my handmade
paper but one of my favorites is to use
it as the background for my cut-work
embroideries. I use a reverse appliqu
technique with layers of synthetic fabrics
and bobbin embroidery and then cut back
the design using a soldering iron.
REVERSE appliqu
& BOBBIN embroidery
WITH A TWIST
BY YVONNE BROWN
ADAPTED FROM
QUILTING ARTS MAGAZINE
WINTER 2005
A cut-work
embroidery
bobbin stitched on
handmade paper.
Embellished with
beads and French
knots.
ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES: EMBROIDERY DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES 16
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ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES
MAKING
THEPAPER
Work on a fat surface where the paper
can be left undisturbed for at least 24
hours to dry. Cover the surface with
plastic before you begin.
1. Water down PVA or white glue
with about 40 percent water
to produce a single creamy
consistency and paint the plastic
surface with this mixture.
Lay your fabric on top and apply
another coat of the glue mixture.
2. Scrunch up tissue paper and
carefully fatten it out again, then
lay it on top of the fabric, gently
pushing it down onto the fabric
surface.
3. Now, coat the tissue paper with
the glue mixture taking care not to
tear the paper. Dont worry if you
do tear it as it provides interesting
results where the fabric shows
through.
4. If coloring your paper, apply dyes
or paints now. Use a pipette or
syringe and apply 2 or 3 colors
remember your color mixing rules
or you will end up with something
resembling the color of mud. The
dyes will travel to a certain extent
on their own and begin merging
with each other, but you may
need to carefully manipulate them
with a small brush to achieve the
desired effect.
5. When you are happy with the
colors youve created, leave the
paper to dry. This will take around
24 hours.
6. Once its dry, peel the paper off the
plastic background and you are
ready for the next stage.
FINISHING
SUGGESTIONS
Use a small amount of metallic
acrylic paint or Treasure Gold and
rub it into the textured surface of
the paper with your fngertip to
gild the surface.
If the paper was left white, you can
color it with acrylic paints once it is
completely dry.
Samples of handmade papers in blue and brown.
M A T E R I A L S
for
M A K I N G
T H E P A P E R
Tissue paper
Muslin, scrim, or cheesecloth
(I prefer scrim.)
PVA glue, Elmers
glue, or other
white glue
Liquid dyes or paintse.g. Procion
dyes or any paint with a liquid
consistency
Metallic acrylic paint or Treasure
Gold (metallic wax)
A piece of plastic large enough to
cover your work surface
Foam applicator or large, soft paint
brush
Pipette or syringe for applying dyes
A small paint brush
bobbin
EMBROI DERY
Bobbin embroidery is great for
when you want to achieve simple,
owing designs and work with
specialty threads or ribbons too
heavy or big to t through your top
needle. Simply wind the specialty
thread or ribbon in your bobbin,
place your work face down on your
sewing machine, and stitch with
your fabric in this position.
ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES: EMBROIDERY DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES 17
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ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES
To achieve a pearlized fnish, mix a
very small amount of acrylic paint
with Liquitex Iridescent Tinting
Medium and paint this sparingly
onto the surface.
CREATING YOUR
EMBROIDERY
1. You will need a piece of your
handmade paper a little larger than
your design.
2. Trace your design onto the
stabilizer and center this on the
back of your paperremember
that the completed image will be
reversed on the front.
3. Cut your synthetic fabrics
a little bigger than your
design and layer them
on the front of the paper
starting with the Kunin
felt, next the iridescent
organza, and then 2 or
3 layers of the colored
organzas.
4. Audition these against
each other to fnd the most
pleasing combination and
pin through all layers at all
4 corners of the piece.
5. Set up your sewing
machine for free-motion
work. Put the feed-dogs
down and use a darning
foot.
6. Load the bobbin with
machine embroidery
thread as this will show
on the right side of your
work. I use Madeira
Metallic threads FS
2/2 and I use polyester
bobbinfl on the top of the
machine.
7. Stitch the design from the
back of the work going
over each line twice to
give a good clean edge.
8. Turn it over to see your
design sewn through to
the right side.
9. Carefully cut away
the fabric around the
design with a fne-tipped
soldering iron. The
soldering iron will only
melt away the synthetic
fabrics. It will not burn
the paper or damage the
M A T E R I A L S
for
T H E
E M B R O I D E R Y
Your design
A piece of lightweight sew-in
stabilizer the size of your design
Synthetic felt (I use Kunin felt.)
A selection of synthetic organzas or
voiles in colors that work together
(Do not use metallic organza as it
will not melt.)
A synthetic metallic fabric in your
color scheme
An iridescent organza in your color
scheme
Machine embroidery threads
(I use Madeira Metallic FS 20, also
known as black core.)
Your sewing machine, set up for
free-motion work
A ne-tipped soldering iron
Note: It is very important to check that
all the fabrics will melt before you start
the project.
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ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES
Above: Sequence of layers for the
embroidery, beginning with Kunin felt then
various sheers and organzas.
Right: A soldering iron has cut through the
bottom portion of the embroidery.
ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES: EMBROIDERY DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES 19
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ESSENTIAL EMBROIDERY STITCHES DESIGNS AND TECHNIQUES
sewing threads because they are
not synthetic.
10. After cutting out the design,
you can emphasize areas of
the embroidery and create an
interesting textured surface by very
carefully melting the surface of
the top layer of organza with the
side of the soldering iron tip. This
will reveal tiny areas of the colors
beneath the surface.
11. Finally, you can embellish the
surface of the design with hand
embroidery. Small clusters of
French knots and seed stitches in a
variegated thread always look good
with a scattering of seed beads in a
complementary color. (I like to use
Stef Francis silk threads for my
hand embroidery.)
Learn more about Yvonne and her art at
yvonnebrown.co.uk.
using a
SOLDERI NG I RON
Always wear a mask when
melting and burning synthetic
fabrics and work either outside
or in a well-ventilated area.
Choose a soldering iron with a
really ne tip.
Always work on a heatproof
surface. I use a piece of glass
with smooth bevelled edges.
Support the soldering iron in a
safe way when not in use. I use
an upturned terra cotta plant
potnot a plastic one!
Above: A fnished piece in autumnal tones.