Auditions Today

I am auditioning quilt blocks, ribbons, scraps and pieces of brocade material for touch quilts today.

 

One of the late Rachel Johnson's hand appliqued butterflies.

 Earlier this morning it was shocking to read that Fidget Quilts should not be pretty --I'd noticed that they often are not-- because it makes them tempting to theft from facilities where they're donated.

To make my quilts less attractive for larceny, I started machine embroidering the initials of the facility in 2" letters along the front edge through all layers. One would have to be really adept with a seam ripper to take out 3 layers of close zigzag without destroying the quilt. So sad it's necessary.

 

I think of my Touch Quilts as art. Maybe it isn't fine art, but I want them to look pleasing to the eye, so I have try-outs for fabric combos, complimentary colors, and ribbon trims.

 

Cabbage roses from this strip of upholstery

fabric can be turned in trapunto-style roses

with great touchable texture.

 

The orange color in the upper wing of this 

butterfly compliments some other pieces I may use.

 

A closer look. Note the fine hand stitching.  

I may zigzag over the stitching with monofilament 

thread to insure the vintage stitches stay in place.

While I'm auditioning colors and textures, I am also reviewing which trinkets and trims were successful in previous quilts. From left: 1) couched heavy knitting yarn, 2) crochet thread wound on a bobbin and machine stitched using a fancy stitch from the reverse side, and 3)lighter weight yarn, couched.  At the top are reverse applique 'fish' in different textures with ribbon trims.

The machine bobbin work is pleasing to the eye, but the touch factor is not nearly as good as the softness of couched yarn. 

Farm Scene Fabric

I found an item at a thrift store that will yield 2 yards of 44" cotton material in this print plus some scraps and some green broadcloth scraps.

It worked out to $3.50 per yard. I am excited about using this fabric both for large farm scenes worked into landscape patchwork with green hills and blue sky, and fussy cut pieces to make a Velcro book with pages attached to a quilt. A little trapunto quilting, some couching and other additions will add texture.

Swatches will also work as center panels for a patch block with either rectangles or triangles.

The picture doesn't show the Sunflowers. Sunflower blocks are great, too, to add to some of this in a quilt. Note the hen and rooster, and the pig at left.

I'm glad to have pictorial fabric for the interest on different quilts. Fun.

Kind of a Cowboy

It seems as if a story should accompany Touch Quilts. If nothing else, something to spark a little conversation from visitors.

 

This block is an applique cut from a fabric with western designs. The lightest and darkest parts of the lasso are couched yarns. The little square at upper right has some waste threads underneath to give it a raised effect.  

 

Cowboy boot has some texture added underneath

and some couched thread.  

 

Rooster from a tea towel.

He has trapunto effect with poly fiber and stitching.

 Red fleece, faux leopard, and a square 

of blue silk, all for tactile effects.

 

A denim pocket. I try to add a pocket or two

to every quilt.

 

Here's the sun. Yellow ribbon loops. 

Random stitching in the 'sky.'

 

Blue silk channel quiltedd at top.

A cotton piece with a stitched down crochet

piece for texture.

At bottom, upholstery material.

 

 

The upholstery material is lined with blue striped

cotton. It forms an open 'muff' with fleece

on the bottom for a place to put cold hands.

 

A final crazy quilt square with some of the

fabrics in the quilt including red fleece.

My first effort, this quilt is large squares of whatever was at hand, like the never-used tea towel. I did buy the red fleece, a Santa hat that came with faux leopard trim. I'm still thinking how to use the leopard pompom from the hat in another quilt along with the rest of the fur.