What's Under the Needle?

August Challenge Week 2

Posted by on 8 August 2018 | 1 Comments

Tags: challenge

Here we are back at the challenge. If you missed last week, here is a link back to it: Part 1. My goal is to incorporate one word into my design each week. Last week I used the word 'Liquid' by selecting a blue silk fabric that could easily appear as water. You should have at least gathered some fabric. Start thinking about a background. Perhaps you can strip piece it to create 'vertical' lines!

Here are your challenge words again: Leaf, Shiny, Shadow, Liquid, Vertical

My word for this week will be 'Leaf'.

Working with the blue and pink silk fabric (which I had committed to last week as my 'liquid') I decided this would make a good background. Being so slippery I figured the best thing to do was stabilize it first. I used a lightweight fusible webbing to do this, pressing it to the back of the silk. It certainly gave the fabric a new and more stable character.

Once the paper backing was removed, the silk appeared to shrink however gained its shape again when pressed in place. Starting at the middle, I pressed it moving the iron to the outer edge and continued this all around to get it as even as possible.

Another benefit of the fusible webbing is that it will stop this fabric from fraying as silk often does.

I pressed the silk directly onto the batting and love the feel of it. Now, I'm considering using more silk in this piece!

To continue, I sketched an imaginary leaf shape and drew it onto fusible webbing. I pressed this onto one of my leaf fabrics and cut it out. I made four in total.

I purposely avoided the darker patches of the fabric - a technique known as fussy cutting.

With four leaves cut out, I'm not sure how to use them but hopefully, I'll come up with a plan as I continue to work along and bring all my elements together. Here are a few possibilities...

How are you coming along with the challenge? Feel free to send me a photo, I'd love to see!

Virginia joined in this week and shared a photo with us showing the fabrics she chose and a paper piecing pattern she designed. It will be fun to see where that takes her!