Monday, October 28, 2013

Another top, another idea

    I was able to finish sewing Emma's Star for a comfort quilt top this weekend. I also have done a sketch for another denim quilt like Denim Lily. It is 18 x 36. I have to mark the values in, draw this on clear plastic, trace it on freezer paper yet. I am going to put Hollis' denim idea with Grace Errea's method of using Liquid Thread, which I ordered last week. I just can't do the zig zag denim pieces method and then cut out the seams. I will show my progress, complete with errors as it goes.
Ready for backing and then quilting, 48 x 60

Sketch for new denim quilt, 18 x 36

6 comments:

Peg said...

Are you going to use only bluish denims on the quilt? The sketch is beautiful - I found myself imagining filling in the colors in forest greens and browns.

Linda Swanekamp said...

I will use every color denim I can find. The coloration happens with the Isacord thread, see the Denim Lily photo back in August. I will probably make another wall hanging in batiks from tiny scraps with this sketch.

Peg said...

Instead of using freezer paper to draw the individual components of a "picture art" quilt, I've started using a garden product called "remay" which is a sheer, extremely light weight fabric used to protect plants from insects and frost. Rolls of it are VERY cheap at garden centers and web sites.

You draw the designs of each color value on the remay in reverse, do not cut the remay but sew the whole remay color piece sheet onto the back of the fabric and cut the individual fabric pieces with the remay attached. Then start on the next color. You do not have to remove the remay - just lay out the individual pieces and sew! Hope this is understandable - it's super easy

Linda Swanekamp said...

Wow, got to find some of that remay. I don't know if we have it in Buffalo. I am not sure I get exactly what you mean. Would I trace the whole sketch backwards in one piece of the remay, sew each piece on one at a time, cut out the one at a time, and then reassemble on the hand dye background? I just hate freezer paper, it is so stiff. I would love to know more. Thank you!

Peg said...

You can order it here - the product name is Agribon, but it's the same as remay, which are spunbound polypropylene: Johnny's selected seed company http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=9065&IsUserSearch=1

There are many ways to approach each project, but for yours, here's what I'd do:
From the sketch (which you can also do on the remay/agribon), take a large enough piece of the spun polypropylene to trace all the same color value sections. Then trace all of them as close as you guess you need between them on the 'SP' (will use this abbreviation from now on for spunbound polypropylene) using a fine tipped marker (the traced lines will be on both sides of the SP because it's so thin). Turn the SP upside down on the particular color value fabric (maybe you will want to use the quilt attaching spray here to hold all firmly in place, but usually I don't) and sew them (straight stitch) to the fabric on the traced lines. Now they are all attached together and you can sew using zigzag to finish off the edges now because everything will stay still. Then cut each out for final placement and move on to another SP sheet for the next group of color values and on and on. You might be able to zig zag right away w/o the straight stitches if you use the attaching spray - I haven't tried that yet. Once again hope this helps - wish I could show you in person - it's easy peasy.

Peg said...

Forgot to mention - always place the traced design SP fabric on the back side of the denim (or whatever you use). Otherwise you will be meticulously snipping it off the front - which one can do - but it's not fun.