I finally had some time to work on Kathy's technique. I have a whole new respect for the work she does. I did find that I really enjoyed the piecing and will probably do more of it.
I had tried her technique a little while back. This is what that one looks like.
I hadn't, at that point, read (or had forgotten) her tip about using a lighter color for the strips to avoid show through. As you can see, I have some black showing through my white background. I need the black and white for this piece, though, and am going to have to use it. Any suggestions about what I can do to save this piece? It needs to have a white background and black lines; otherwise I'd have used a black background with white lines and wouldn't have a problem! I'm wondering if there is some sort of quilting or embellishment I could do to "hide" or disguise the show through.
After this, I worked on two more pieces--one I consider large and one small. For the large piece, I started with an orange piece of fabric approximately a yard by the width of the fabric. I had previously cut a little off of one side of the fabric--thus the ragged edge in the process pictures. This finished, squared up piece measures 24" X 39".
This is the finished "large" piece (after squaring it up). Under it, I have included some process pictures.
Here are some of the pictures I took as I was making this piece.
Here are a couple of close up shots.
Here is the smaller piece. I made it to "go with" the larger piece. I started with a piece of blue fabric 18 1/2" X 21". This finished (not squared up) piece measures approximately 16" X 18".
I was surprised how this one turned out. I didn't use a ruler at any time, and I didn't try to keep the lines straight. I didn't
consciously cut the piece into uniform-sized segments. I did find that cutting at 90 degree angles was MUCH easier for me than cutting on the diagonal.
I haven't decided, yet, how I will "join" the two, but this is a drawing
I made in Inspire Pro before I made either of these pieces. Keep in mind, this is just a rough drawing. I definitely would have an odd number of blue "cages," rather than the eight in this drawing, if I do decide to do something along this line. I also think I'd use a very dark navy blue fabric for the "cages" rather than the black I have used here.
I photographed the two pieces together to see if I liked the combination. I like the play of the diagonals against the more uniform "grid" of the blue piece. I like the contrast of the dense piecing of the blue piece against the less dense piecing of the orange piece.
I haven't decides whether I like the horizontal layout of the piece better than the vertical layout. In most of my pieces, I tend toward the horizontal--not sure why.
I owe Kathy a big thanks. She has been (and still is) an inspiration to me. She has provided me with encouragement all along my path to becoming an artist. Thank you Kathy; thank you!
Beth - I can't tell from the photo whether you have already quilted the piece with the black lines, but it looks like you haven't. It's possible to turn the piece over and with a very tiny scissors, cut away any edges of the black strips that protrude beyond the white seam allowances. This is tedious and time-consuming but should fix 95% of the problem. You can even cut little bits of a thin white fabric and using a tweezer, slip them between the main fabric and the black edges that are showing through, for an additional layer of "insulation."
ReplyDeleteNice work with the two new expanses of piecing! I like the grid against the diagonals. Can't wait to see how you decide to combine them.
The white piece with the black lines is NOT quilted. I will cut away the black edges and post a picture. Thanks so much for that suggestion. I like how it looks and it's perfect for the piece I'm making. I'm really glad there's a way to save it.
ReplyDeleteI love what you are doing and have been inspired to try this method. I love the modern look and feel of it. About those black lines...since you haven't quilted it yet, I'd turn it over and put some iron on pellon on the individual squares to keep the black from showing through. I don't think I'd want to cut the fabric off the seams. I use this pellon when doing redwork so my red threads don't show through or when I'm doing applique and don't want a background to show through. I can't remember but it might be pellon 101. If it is different I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to cut all the fabric off the seams, just enough so there's less black than white. (No matter how you press your seams, there's always a white seam allowance closest to the right side of the quilt, with the black seam allowance beneath it.) Since this is presumably not a functional quilt, and it's already sewed together and pressed, there will be virtually no stress on the seams. even if you trim your black seam allowance to a sixteenth of an inch you should be OK structurally.
ReplyDeleteIf you know you're going to use black strips on light fabric, you can practice self-defense in advance by making sure your black seam allowance is always narrower than your light seam allowance. It's a little counter-intuitive to sew, but it does keep show-through to a minimum.
You don't have to cut all the fabric off the seams, just enough so there's less black than white. (No matter how you press your seams, there's always a white seam allowance closest to the right side of the quilt, with the black seam allowance beneath it.) Since this is presumably not a functional quilt, and it's already sewed together and pressed, there will be virtually no stress on the seams. even if you trim your black seam allowance to a sixteenth of an inch you should be OK structurally.
ReplyDeleteIf you know you're going to use black strips on light fabric, you can practice self-defense in advance by making sure your black seam allowance is always narrower than your light seam allowance. It's a little counter-intuitive to sew, but it does keep show-through to a minimum.
I like the pieces you made but I absolutely love the complete design using both pices you made in Inspire Pro. Never heard of, but will check it out for sure!
ReplyDeleteWow! You have knocked this one out of the ball park! I love that orange/yellow/ bright blue combination and your piecing looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteBeth,
ReplyDeleteYour months off from quilting must have really stored up tons of creativity because this quilt is great. I love them both but together...well, there are no words! You are just such an artist!
Hi Beth,
ReplyDeleteComing out of 'lurk mode'. You could also misty fuse some white material, then cut it to fit 'inside' the quilt lines. That, along with doing as Kathy suggested should eliminate any black show through. It will also brighten your white.
The more I see your experiments the more I am tempted to try this method. I too love the clean modern look of the finished works. How utterly fun!
Thank you for sharing!