Lacey Arches

I'm having fun playing with different materials and techniques just to see what happens.

I free machine stitched onto transparent soluble stabiliser, trapping some bits of old silk scarf.

After dissolving the backing I sandwiched the 'lace' between two layers of sheer polyester and machine stitched the flower design over that.

 A seam ripper was a great tool for cutting through the polyester layer and tearing the lace apart, as scissors created too neat an edge.

The result was a bit flat and insipid, so the next stage was to add some hand stitching to all three layers:

Mmmm... More needed...a splash of colour, maybe some burning...

Indigo Dyeing

A group of us spent a lovely day yesterday stitching, dyeing and chatting.

Stitching on sheer white linen 

Pole wrapping and stitching on an old indian cotton pink sarong 

Transfer Dying, Ripping and Stitching

Experimenting with transfer paints, dyes and crayons.

The colours come out very bright on poly-cotton and more muted on a net-curtain-like sheer, so I put four layers together with the poly cotton as the base, stitched freehand over the top and cut through to expose the colour beneath.

Allowing for the colour mismatch and wonkiness of my hasty design and execution, I like the bursting flower effect of this piece with the glimpse through to another world. Something to develop...