Crazy Blue Graces
Crazy Blue Graces
November 2003
14 X 24 inches
Materials: Silk dupioni, brocaded silk, silk and rayon velvet, cottons,
velveteen, nylon lame', glass beads, charms, buttons, rayon yarn, cotton batting
Techniques: Machine pieced, machine embroidered , bobbin embroidery,
fused, couched, hand beaded, phototransfer and screenprinting by artist.
I had quite a lot of fun sewing and playing with using my home sewing
machine to do the decorative stitching. I first pieced the pieces (velvets,
silks, brocades, etc) on a muslin foundation, and then used my rayon
threads, and stitched a bunch of fancy stitches on the seams from the top
with my machine. I especially enjoyed the look of the satin stitch ones that
made melons, scallops, and triangle shapes, and the viney ones.Then, I wound
a few bobbins with thicker threads, and flipped the thing over ( since it
was sewn on foundation I could see where the seams were) and used the thick
bobbin thread to do more decorative stitches from the back. It worked really
well! Especially fun with the variegated pearle cotton I bought from Laura
Wasilowsky in Houston, and some thinner sparkly yarns. I had fun couching
yarn from the top also. Then, I sandwiched it and quilted it as usual for a
quilt, since I wanted the heft of a batting, and I like to do a nice
binding. I then went wild with beads and charms. It was really fun to make,
and I wound up really enjoying the process. I also used phototransfers of
myself and some friends, instead of the cigarette silks I had-- why use 100
year old ladies when I can use 40 year old ones?
Quilt design Copyright © 2003, Jeri Riggs