I've been quilting since 2013. This blog is my personal quilting diary, that charts my progress (and occasional regression) from the start. I use it so I can look back at my past projects...and hopefully see my skills improve!

Thursday 15 February 2018

Serendipity

Sometimes 'stuff' happens by accident.  I bought a Jacquard Dye-na-flow exciter pack at the Festival of Quilts last year.  It had sat on my shelf since then and I thought I'd see what the paints were like.  I cut  a 16 inch square of white cotton and squeezed the paint straight from the bottle diagonally in both directions.  Where the paint was still wet, it bled into paint on the crossover locations and gave an interesting effect.  It had been my intention to throw the test piece away, but I wondered if I could actually use it.  When the paint was dry, I heat set it with the iron and then appliqued on some circles.  I used ombre fabrics from my stash.  I free motion quilted in dark thread around the coloured areas but didn't worry about staying on the lines.  Lastly, I free motioned a stipple stitch using white thread on the white areas.  I cut my binding and splattered some paint onto it - again direct from the bottle.  The entire process probably took half a day.

I have several long term projects on the go that require precision and concentration.  This little project was pure joy - no quarter inches or straight lines to worry about.  It was completely free and easy.  It is so far removed from my usual 'plan every last detail' approach.

I hope I will make more abstract pieces in my future. Happy quilting!

6 comments:

  1. So so so glad you did not throw it away LOL I love it!!!! Next time I need some light relief from my applique quilt tops guess what I'll be doing LOL Its a real wee art treasure of a wall quilt. I'm a circle and leaf addict so this is defiantly for me!!!!! Thanks for sharing it step by step. Cheers Glenda

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    1. Hi Glenda! Thank you for your sweet comments!

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  2. I second Glenda. I like this! Play is healthy, and even if the piece itself isn't quite what we intended, we learn something. Or in this case, someone else does. I'm quite taken with the binding. I would not have thought to repeat the dye/paint splatters there, and it's excellent! I often struggle with bindings feeling like the afterthought, and this integrates it well. Thanks so much for the post.

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    1. Thank you Julie! I love it when I can do something with a binding to make it a little more interesting.

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