Applique with Janet

In yesterday's workshop Janet suggested needle turning onto a stabiliser backing. This way I can make several items and decide on placing later on, which is a good way of working for me.

It's also the first time I've experimented with needle writing, which I found very difficult but rewarding. Earlier this year I saw Rosalind Wyatt demonstrating at Art in Action and, as I watched her stitching old letters onto cloth, I was struck by how she managed to retain the character of the original handwriting...I think I'm going to be stuck at the printing stage for a while!

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...