Free machine quilting of leaves with thermofax

Silver Birch leaf, on a background of free machined sari strips

Free machine quilting seems to intimidate many quilters.  It has taken on mythical proportions of difficulty and some quilters would do anything to avoid it.  I remember when I first started quilting doing everything by hand because every time I looked at the machine something seemed to go wrong.  Now, after years of practice, I don't even notice that I am free machining, it is as easy as straight stitching.
Free machining is where you lower the feed-dogs on your machine and then you control the size and direction of the stitch rather than the machine.  Like most worthwhile things in life, it just takes practice.  The more you do, the better you become.  
I'm currently making a quilt with some leaves on it and this is how I've recreated the leaves.

Silver birch leaves on the scanner

First I went into the garden and picked some silver birch leaves.  I discovered that our tree is a bit diseased and I need to look up why most of the leaves have funny spots on them.

I scanned in the leaves on the computer and then printed them off and traced the outline and some of the veins of the more interesting ones on tracing paper.  I then scanned the tracing in, printed it off on a laser printer and turned it into a thermofax screen.

Stitch'n'tear leaf, machined over

Using some textile paint, I then printed a number of leaves onto stitch and tear, which after the paint had dried I pinned onto the back of the quilt and stitched round the lines.

From the front, stitched and trimming back the excess fabric from the applique

I tried this in a number of different ways - adding fabric on the front, so it was appliqued on with the stitching as well as just the stitched outline.  

Finished leaf - stitched round once in very thick thread

The fabric was then turned over to the front and more machining added.
I'm really pleased with the effect of these and am now piecing together the quilt top to add the leaves too as the samples worked so well.

Only the outline of the leaves were stitched, then the central veins filled in with more machine stitching in different colours and types of thread

A different silver birch leaf, totally stitched in in three colours.

In my studio: what I didn't finish this week

On many other blogs I see lots and lots of finished work and I sometimes wonder how they get time to make it all.  My working processes are a lot, lot slower.  I can't work out whether I'm good at starting things but never quite finish them, whether I'm a slow worker or just that my work is more involved and I like having lots of things on the go.  Obviously I want to believe it is the latter!  The drawback of this is if I only posted when I had finished work, this blog would be very quiet.  So here is a glimpse of some of the things I have been working on this week.

Dyeing 

 

As the last blog post suggests I have been dyeing loads of fabric.  Partly for fun, partly for an article I am writing about fabric dyeing and partly to replenish my stock for the next batch of artwork I am planning.

Thermofax Printing

I got some screen printing inks last week and having been trying them out with my thermofax screens.  I don't know exactly where this is going to fit in, whether they become part of more complicated art or are left as 'simple' design pieces; perhaps a bit of both.

Coffee Cup Patchwork

I've also been progressing on the coffee cup patchwork - here are the first pieces stitched together.  Only another 37 to go...

Oakshott Logcabin Quilt

This quilt has been underway for ages, so I was thrilled to finally finish piecing the top and even more pleased with how it looks.  Using the shot cotton really brings the quilt to life and I just adore the colours in the Oakshott range.  I've booked into Beechwood Quilting next month to do a load of longarm quilting and this has been added to that pile.

Rail Fence Quilt

With some of the dyed fabric I have given into my desire just to have some fun making a simple quilt and have been piecing it into a rail fence pattern.  Sometimes it is lovely to do some stitching I don't really need to think about and just enjoy the process.

Sketchbook

Although I don't keep a beautiful, 'proper' sketchbook, I do use a notebook and have been planning things out more and more.  These are some little thumbnails for a new piece.  I'm desperate to start, but I'm trying to be good and wait till I have some other pieces finished.

City & Guilds
This weekend, I'm teaching Patchwork and Quilting City & Guilds at the Studio, so I have been making some samples, meeting other tutors and doing some drawing for it.  It should be a good weekend.

So that's this week.  Maybe I would achieve more if I just concentrated on one thing at a time, but it wouldn't be as much fun...