The Textile Craft Newsletter
inspiration for
patchwork, quilting & embroidery
incorporating
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Aurifil Facts File page Two
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Crafty Ideas Using for AuriluxRecently I came across a website that sells patterns for "stitching" designs on greeting cards. The designs reminded me of the wire weaving craft that was popular many years ago, but instead of wrapping wire or thread around nails on a board the design is created by stitching through card. I was impressed with the website as they offered several free designs for people to trial, plus lots of helpful information about the craft, so that you can very quickly & easily make up your cards.
A while back one of my customers gave me the card, above, made by this technique using Aurilux thread. It looked so pretty in this satin finished polyester that I thought you might be tempted to make your own gift tags for the presents for your crafty friends.
Self Variegated threads add another dimension t o quilting Have you discovered how wonderful the self coloured variegated threads look when used over multicolour scrap quilts? I think many people, including myself, have often considered the self colour variegated threads to be the "poor cousin" when compared to the bright, "in your face", effect that can be achieved with the multicoloured variegated thread. However when I had a "Millennium" scrap top to quilt .... you know the quilts that were made up of 2000 individual 2" squares of fabric... I could not decide what colour would work over the incredible variety of fabrics in this top. By chance I picked up Cotton mako colour code 3770 (pale blue self variegated). This turned out to be the perfect thread to use to stitch an edge to edge "Y2000" design over the quilt. The colour was soft enough to work over all the fabrics and the design appeared & disappeared across the quilt, as the colour changed, adding an extra dimension to the quilting. Since then I have used colour 4150 (pale golden brown self variegated) to stitch birds over a Thimbleberries "Bird House" quilt to achieve the effect of birds appearing and disappearing into their nests. I have promised myself that I will continue to explore the the possibilities of the self coloured variegated threads to add an extra dimension to my all over quilting designs.
Experimenting with Water Soluble stabilising film
Water Soluble stabiliser is suitable for embroidery work where there a background fabric is not used such as:
It is also creates a stable surface on top of fabrics with a "pile" such as towelling and corduroy and velvet. Without this stable surface the embroidery would sink into the pile as it was being stitched and appear uneven. It can also be used to transfer intricate quilting designs to patchwork. Trace the design on to the film using a permanent marker such as a Zig Millennium pen. Pin or baste the film into position then stitch the design. Pull away excess film and re-use. Dissolve away any remaining film. A neat non marking transfer method! * Don't waste any water soluble film! Excess film that is too small to re-use can be placed in a jar with water. Once the film has dissolved you have a stiffening agent for use when pressing sharp seam edges for appliqué pieces using the template method of appliqué. Get creative and experiment occasionally! * Test the pen before transferring a complete design. I had great success with the Zig pens but found that a standard office pen coated the surface of the film and did NOT dissolve. Instead it re-deposited on my light fabric as black spots
Auritex (tear-away embroidery stabiliser)
This is great for machine embroidery but don't overlook these other possible uses: Cut Auritex into A4 page size pieces and feed it through the computer printer to print out designs for:
Choosing Colours & Thread Types to enhance your stitching I was recently given a bundle of old textile magazines and they have been a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration. Some of the magazines are 16 years old but the articles are still enjoyable. Some things I knew but had not thought about for a while, other ideas were new to me and some things simply reinforced and confirmed why I like stitching in a certain manner. I have previously written articles about choosing the right thread for the job and, as I mentioned earlier, it was the topic of my recent lecture presentation at the Quilt Convention. So You can imagine how pleased I was to find an article about the same thing in my magazine reading. In this instance the magazine was an old copy of "Threads" (May 1997) and the article by Millie Schwandt was referring to threads for garment construction but the principals also apply to textile art. Here are some of the issues addressed in the articles: Which thread colour to use?
When this translates into patchwork piecing, where we are often stitching a very light fabric to a very dark fabric we have to make some compromises. It is here that I always advise that you build a collection of neutral piecing colours to extend beyond grey.
You will note that, apart from the first colour, these are all greyed neutrals so that they should blend into the background. Match the thread's strength to the fabric This is another factor that I have always emphasised. It is important to avoid using a thread that is stronger than the fabric if there is any likelihood of stress being applied to the stitching during use of the quilt or textile article. It is much safer to have the thread break than to have the fabric tear under stress. This means that we need to learn a little about the different thread types that are available and match them to the correct purpose. This is what the Threads article had to say about thread type:"
I think this supports my theory that you should always try to match the thread type with the fabric being stitched. Apart from the strength of the thread being relevant, both the thread and the fabric should have the same "care" properties so that they react in the same way when being washed or dry cleaned and pressed. Ever had the thread melt when pressing a cotton or linen fabric? It is a good idea to do some research, pay attention to how different threads and fabrics work together and then make your own decision as to what will give you the result you want to achieve. As in all things in life, there are always exceptions to the "rules", where you make an informed decision to use a particular thread or fabric combination to achieve a particular result. What is the difference between serger thread & sewing thread?
The article concludes with my favourite comment
I have always maintained that money spent on craft magazines is well spent as there is on going pleasure in re-reading articles months and years later. Often it will be an article that was not relevant the first time that is the inspiration on the second or third reading. I have months of enjoyable reading ahead.
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