Monday, August 15, 2005

Coral Rockpool


Detail coral rockpool

This is the piece of fabric which I painted on Saturday but now stitched and quilted. I thought the fabric was too bright and needed toning down, so I transfer dyed a piece of polyester transparent fleece in a royal blue and turquoise and laid that over the fabric and then cut away. I like the way the squiggle lines came out and will try some more of this- I have in mind doing a drawing and then cutting away and seeing what it looks like. I really need a heat press though as the iron is not the best way to transfer the dye onto the polyester fleece. I would also really like to get a hold of some 30 weight machine embroidery thread- the slightly thicker thread sits more on the surface where as the 40 weight seems to sink in more and disappear.Posted by Picasa

3 comments:

Alison Schwabe said...

Well, I don't know about the previous comment! but I have found that with longer stitch more of the thread stays up on the fabric and shows - this may not be quite the solution to thick v thin thread, Dijanne, but sure makes one heck of a difference wehever I use a glitter thread. If you are fortunate to have a machine like my much-missed bernina 1230 currently languishing in Aus, you can use the top stitch feature, ie it only catches the bobbin thread every second time, making a double length stitch without the gathering effet a long stitch often makes. More of the glitter showing, less of it diesappearing down the hole.

Lisa said...

I really, really love your work and would love to learn how to make that kind of fabric. Do you have a book or a video or something?

Pat Dolan said...

Re: "the fabric was too bright and needed toning down, so I transfer dyed a piece of polyester transparent fleece in a royal blue and turquoise and laid that over the fabric and then cut away."
OK. What is polyester transparent fleece? I love the effect of the over-lay although I also liked the piece prior to it... You chose to punch up the blue/turquoise but could have just as easily heightened the reds/oranges for a totally different effect. Not so much a coral reef, more of a hot desert that way!
Can you explain 'transfer dying?' I'm thinking it must be something like monoprinting?
Thanks for so many new ideas/techniques/inspiration!
Pat in NJ