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Category: free motion embroidery

Beneath the Surface Challenge

Beneath the Surface Challenge

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I posted about creating a sample for the 3rd Quarter Challenge in July. I decided to add some free motion machine stitching. Once I got into the studio, I found a piece that I thought would work well in combination with my sample.

This was a sample that I created for my free motion machine stitching on felt online class.

I found a thread that I thought would work with the gold colors above and stitched around the circles.

I then added more stitching to the background in a “quilting” pattern. This was the same kind of stitching I used on the gold piece and I thought it would help coordinate the two.

Then I took a deep breath and cut the two pieces up. This was the plan for arranging the pieces and then stitching together with a zig zag stitch.

As you can see, the stitching made the felt a bit wonky and I didn’t take the time to baste the pieces together or add a stabilizer to the back. So wonky it is!

Here’s the back and it could be reversible. Now what to do with it? I kind of like the shape but I guess I could cut it into a long rectangle. Or perhaps it could be a book wrap? I’ll have to think about what other 3D things I might could create with it.

Fireweed

Fireweed

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Here is the last of my nuno felted landscapes that I have been working on for an exhibition in September. This is the largest piece and measures 11″ x 30″. I thought I had taken more photos of the piece in process but I can’t find them. So I must have just dreamed that I took photos 🙂

The background is nuno felted and I did add a bit of hand stitch to a portion of the mountains as one section felt too yellow. I added grey seed stitch to make it match the rest of the mountains. Then I added the fireweed flower in the foreground with hand dyed cotton fabric that is fused down to the felt. If you haven’t seen a fireweed before, here is a bit more information.

Here’s the piece before I stitched the leaves. I added some stem stitch and straight stitch to the flowers to hold them in place and to add a bit of detail.

Here you can see the stitching a bit better. I used wool thread for the hand stitching.

And here is the finished piece. I added machine stitching to the cotton applique pieces as I felt that the fusible wouldn’t hold them completely in place and I didn’t want them to start peeling off. Plus it added more definition to the leaves to bring them forward from the background.

Now I am working on background fabrics for each piece and then framing. Once they are framed, I will post again to show you the finished pieces.

Learning and Experimentation with Online Classes

Learning and Experimentation with Online Classes

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Have you wanted to be a little more experimental in your fiber art practice? Do you want to learn new techniques and add embellishments to felt or other fabric? Why not try an online class all about embellishing felt? Anyone from anywhere in the world can take these courses, no need to show up at a certain time (you can even wear your pajamas) and the classes are 6 weeks long so you have plenty of time to learn a new technique and try out an experimental approach. My online courses are 4 stand alone classes under the title Embellishing Felt with Surface Design Techniques – A Mixed Media Approach.  You can take just one or work through all of them. The classes are only $45 US which is a tremendous deal for 4 weeks of video and written PDF’s plus 2 weeks extra time on the class website with full instructor support. Registration is now open and the class begins on July 6, 2018.

The first module is called Nuno Felting with Paper Fabric Lamination. The bark I created above used this technique.

You will learn the technique of Paper Fabric Lamination and then how to use these pieces in nuno felting. As you can see from the examples above, there are many possibilities with this technique. Click here for more information and to register for the class.

The second module is Experimental Screen Printing on Felt.

You will also be able to use these techniques to screen print fabric such as silk to use in nuno felting. These same techniques can also be used on cotton fabric to use in fabric collage or quilting.

You will learn how to create thickened dye, make your own screens and many ways to use these screens in an experimental approach. Click here for more information about Screen Printing and to register for this class. 

The third module in Embellishing Felt with Surface Design Techniques – A Mixed Media Approach is Printing, Stenciling, and Playing with Thickened Dye on Felt.

This one is really fun and experimental. Learn to make stamps, stencils and how to use a variety of objects from around the house to create your own unique surface design on felt. Develop your own style with designs you have created.

The techniques you learn in this class can be used for felt, other fabric types and even paper. The stamps and stencils can be re-used over and over and applied in different ways to create exciting patterns. Click here for more information about Print, Stencil, and Play with Thickened Dye on Felt and to register for the class.

The last module in the series is Free Motion Machine Stitching on Felt.

In this course, you will learn the basics of free motion machine stitching and how to use this specifically on felted projects. Does the thought of machine stitching seem a bit scary? If so, you should take this course to get a handle on how to use your sewing machine to create wonderful embellishments on felt paintings or other felted items.

We’ll start with how to set up the machine and some great practice techniques that will build your skill level until you feel comfortable with your machine. Then you’ll learn about machine lace, thread sketching and how to incorporate machine stitching into felt paintings. Click here for more about Free Motion Machine Stitching on Felt and to register for the class.

I hope you want to expand your fiber art skills. If so, click on any of the links above to read more about the classes, see the supply lists and to register. I look forward to “seeing” you in class!

And don’t forget, if you are a beginner, our online class Wet Felting for Beginners is always available.

This class teaches you all about wet felting. You’ll learn how to make a piece of felt, how shrinkage works and how to calculate it and the basics of felting, fulling and creating felt from wool fiber. Click here for more information and to sign up. 

 

 

 

Sunset at the Lake

Sunset at the Lake

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Here’s another one of the nuno felt pieces I made in April.

This one was originally supposed to go this way with the silk at the top being the sky.

But then I decided to turn it into a sunset and this orientation worked better for that. So the silk became the lake.

I added some tree shapes in hand dyed cheese cloth.

Then ironed those down with fusible. The fusible keeps them in place when free motion machine stitching and prevents the foot from catching on the loose pieces and moving them around.

I then added machine stitching to the trees, made shadows on to the lake and created the sunset. I also added a few lines to the water to make it look a bit more lake like. I used a variety of thread colors especially in the sunset.

Here is the result and better than I expected. About halfway through the sunset, I thought it was going to look terrible but I pushed on through and it worked. I wish the sun wasn’t so near the center of the piece but I do think it looks better when it is cropped and I can change the cropping if I really want to cut a little bit more off the right edge. I have two more of these to go and then I need to get them all framed. The set of 6 will be shown in an exhibition in September.

 

 

Felt and Textured Paper Collages

Felt and Textured Paper Collages

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I usually don’t show a lot of my class homework here for my Level 3 Art and Design class that I am taking. But we did some really interesting textural collages in our last class that I thought might be appreciated.

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I am still in the process of completing a bunch more collages but these are the ones I am satisfied with at the moment. I have also started a series of collages made from scraps of leftover printed felt. For my online classes (you can still sign up for those for the second quarter, click on online classes in the menu, then embellishing felt…), I have loads of scraps of felt that has been screen printed, stamped, stenciled etc. I wanted to put those to good use and also to practice my composition skills with collage. I also like to keep my free motion machine stitching skills in use so each collage will include some machine stitching and possibly hand stitching as well.

Here’s the first one. The background piece is one my friend Paula made with an old wool blanket and eco printing. I then added the two printed pieces. The one in the center is actually the back of the printing process. I liked it better than the front. I haven’t decided how I am going to use these yet. So of course it is an odd size and I’m not sure how I will frame or display them yet. Just decided to make them and then see.

Here’s one in the planning stage. I plan on stitching the piece of silk with an aspen leaf pattern as in my sketch on the left. Now that I am looking at the photo, I might change out the background piece of fabric as it needs a bit more contrast from the silk piece on the left. I will have to look to see what else I have, perhaps a mix of green and orange? I have loads of printed and dyed fabric and felt so I could keep these up for a while. You can take that as a warning or a threat 🙂

Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends

Comments 15 comments

This past weekend, my husband and I drove up to Wisconsin for a weekend away.  I had hoped we’d see plenty of fabulous fall colors I could share.  Unfortunately, Wisconsin is suffering from the same drought we have here in Illinois and we arrived a week earlier than the peak.  Many of their trees have lost their leaves already, like ours here. But here is one fallish pic entering Wisconsin.

I haven’t been too productive this week.  But I do have a few projects I have put finishing touches on and haven’t shared.

I signed up for Ruth’s Printing and Stenciling on Felt class, so I managed to make a couple of handmade prefelts to play with.  I have plenty of commercial.  The purple was some unknown fiber batt. I decided to use a silk hankie to give it a little sparkle, but it didn’t.

The turquoise is commercial prefelt with some throwsters waste which isn’t very evident.

I think I will be able to use both sides just to experiment. I like the sides without the silk better.

I also made a thicker light blue batt with some mulberry silk.

I have no idea what I’ll be printing on any of these and have gathered a bunch of samples and other UFOs to experiment on.

Here is a failed coaster that had gold fabric felted in that I did a little free motion practice on.

A while back I had felted a bunch of samples from scarves.  I couldn’t find the post with the original scarves. One of them had dots which I wasn’t crazy about. I had done both sides and didn’t care for the inside either.  However, after felting the dots weren’t obvious, they looked more like flowers.  I made it into a little case and did a little embroidery on with with some silver floss for a little bling.

  The back:

The front has a little bit of black organic edging.

Nothing exciting this week, but I got to re-purpose a few things.

 

A Glimpse of Free Motion Class Projects

A Glimpse of Free Motion Class Projects

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I took Ruth’s Free Motion Stitching on Felt class in March. While I have done some free motion before,  it was good for me to stay on task to practice and learn some more about it.  We covered the basics of the machine, moving the fabric, supplies and set up.

At first we practiced a lot of lines, loops and circles to get used to moving the fabric and felt around under the needle.  I definitely needed a lot of practice.

The first piece of felt I practiced on to create dimension was a sample I had done a while back using some scraps of silk paper. If you look closely you can see circles.  However, the felt was just a bit too thick to create too much dimension.

Here is the sample of machine lace I did.  I used a flower pattern which turned out to be too open.   It looked better before I felted it. It’s laying on a piece of paper, but if I were to hold it up to the light it would look like a window.

I did more of the thread sketching and started to feel more comfortable and confident.

Here is  some coral in the water.

My Bird of Paradise.  Here I filled in the back of the leaf where it turned over, but I didn’t like it so I tore out the filling which isn’t fun in felt.

I probably should have just made the leaf whole.

Cathy (Luvswool) had given me some of her felt scraps and I really liked this red piece. (Thanks!) I debated what I could put on it to make use of the red.  Then I decided on a bare tree and some  stones and birds.  I call it Red Dawn.

I used metallic thread on the stones because I felt if they were dewy they would probably reflect differently in the red dawn.

I haven’t finished my final project, but will share that when I do.  It was a great class and it helped me gain confidence and skill.  I still need more practice but feel I made progress.