The Design is in the Detail

notebook quilts No 4.

This is the format I'm going to use for the Notebook quilts.

It's not really a quilt, but a thread illustration but after working on 3 different samples... this is the way I want it to look.

It has to sit in small envelopes like this one...

The main quilt will share my travels in quilting and physically for a year.. the images are taken from my photos and illustrations.

I backed the white fabric with a Pellon product. I was given a sample to try by the company. I actually intend to use it to back silk... but it works great on this.

The cream fabric is Unbleached Bomull fabric from Ikea., price for 150 cm wide is  $3.95 and it has more body than calico or (muslin) as it's called in the USA

From Low German bomwulle, compound of bom, "tree", and ull, "wool", thus literally meaning "tree wool", due to the plan fibers' similarity to wool. Compare German Baumwolle.

I used a single stitch with a fine needle. 60/8 sharp and fine 50 weight thread. 

The picture is taken from this illustration.

 

Shoes, Stage 6.

I've finished the shoes... They took almost the entire day to create, in hours.... about 10.

Now to quilt the piece and I do have some challenges...

In fact. I only had a small piece of black fabric so I chose to add the newspaper border...

The entire quilt was assembled prior to doing the stitching.... but the stitching on the shoes actually slightly distort the edge of the black center.... it's not much and I could get away with it...BUY... I'm fussy and even a sixteenth of on inch annoys me...

So I have to come up with something interesting after I've quilted it...

 

Shoes, Stage 5.

I've finished one shoe.... so photos of the shoe and the back of the quilt.

Shoes. Stage 4.

I was up early this morning and I've already put in about 2 hours work on the quilt.

I change the thread regularly. The  thread in the bobbin  is the same as the thread  on the top of the quilt. It means a lot of changes... but it's the way I like to work.

I began with the inside of the shoe.

Now I'm doing the first part of the red.

 

Stage 3. the shoes quilt.

It's important to have a good print of the image to refer to as you quilt. You know in reality I will be drawing with the thread. The angles of the stitch lines are as important as a pencil line.

I use a high gloss photographic paper to get the best resolution on the photo.

I've just gone through my threads and chosen the colors which are as the  closest match to the photo.

Threads.....

I'm using a combination of Superior masterpiece 50 weight cotton and Superior trilobal polyester.

You may think it strange that I'm using two different genres threads... but I'm doing it for the textural and different visual effect.

Stage 2, Shoes quilt.

 

The quilt top is assembled.... I like the way the shoes appear dimensional. The stitching will enhance that.

How will it turn out.?

Having just returned from overseas I am on a time line to finish an Auction quilt for IQA.

I can't make quilts  as I travel but I can work on the design so today is the day to begin the challenge......!!!

It's day 2 home and the jet lag is diminishing so I'm going to take this step by step and you can join me in the creativity.

Where did the idea come from?

Well, this is a class I teach.  I had several students make quilts using shoes in Birmingham England recently and I really liked them.

I am a shoe collector and I think it fits into everyone's 'smile bag'.... so lets begin.