A complex issue of to add more embellishments or not

Started to work on another piece of free motion machine embroidery last night. This fabric had been block printed awhile back. Have not been able to think of a way to embellish it so decided to randomly free motion machine embroider. It is beginning to look quiet effective. At this stage undecided as weather l will add beads and buttons as further embellishment , what do you think?

Unfinished Projects

Always great to finish projects that have remained unfinished for a few years. These pieces not particularly complex but nevertherless satisfying to complete and experiment with a variety of techniques. In both these pieces the backing fabric was stiffened with a couple of layers of medium weight Vilene. The landscape is constructed from furnishing fabric sample pieces. The pieces were backed with visoflex and ironed into place, no particular design was followed here. It was ...placement according to the eye. Sky fabric in the 2nd piece is procion dyed and l felt once in situ required no further embellishment. To complete the scene in both projects l free motion machined landscape elements. Due to the thickness of the layers l used a jeans machine needle and a variety of Birch sewing threads. I always tend to find that it is only when l have completed a project and can stand back from it that l can fully appreciate the journey.

Mixed Media Fun

A fun mixed media piece, again fabric backed with a medium weight stiffener. Laces and fabric pieces placed in a pleasing effect and then embellished with free motion machine embroidery. I chose the theme red here and not having my fabric dyes on hand l used red food dye to colour the pieces. As always when sewing thru extra layers of fabric or paper, as in case of the heart, l used a thicker shaft machine needle.......denim or size 90-100.

A Finished UFO

This afternoon finished a UFO, a fabric collage. Washed away the wash away plastic to reveal a collage of red fabrics and incorporating a bit of glitz from silver chocolate wrappers. The 3rd photo shows the back of the piece, free motion machine embroidery.
Cheers
Suzanne

Technique To Assist You With Quilting

To assist a quilt to lay flat and reduce the number of bumps one goes over when machine or hand quilting in the final stage try and have as many of the seams lay in opposite directions when two pieces met.
Here you can see in the top row the seams have been ironed inwards and on the next row below the seams have been ironed out wards.
Thus reducing the bulk in areas where fabrics met.
See photo below.

Fabric Collages

A cool summers night in Melbourne tonight so changed into the trackies and settled down to tackle some of my outstanding UFOs. These photos are of fabric collages, each constructed in a mono tone of a color. My favorite piece is the blue. The green one has just been finished. The next one to be completed is the flowers, you may note that l have  plastic covering over it. This plastic covering is Wash Away Plastic. Ideal to place over work where you have a number of small pieces of fabric that need to be held in place to allow for easy stitching......ensuring the foot of the sewing machine does not tangle up with the fabric

Australia Day

They say put a chop on the barbie we say  "PUT SOME WOOL ON A KNITTING NEEDLE" this Australia Day.