Quilting is my Escape

An inspirational article by my guest blogger – Christine Predd
If you enjoyed Christine’s article, please leave a comment and let her know!

Escape in Quilting

Maybe some readers make quilts from patterns and have a little bit of an itch to reach into the art quilt world at the same time. This can be done by thinking a little creatively as you work……..maybe adding a different technique, or just something out of the ordinary to that pattern and making it more your own creation.
Here’s some ways that may work for you to do just that! These are not original ideas by any means, just ideas I’ve gathered along the way.
Sew some of your blocks with the seams facing outward……. quilting
Using rubber stamps and fabric paint, stamp something on some of your blocks……perhaps a flower on a floral quilt, a bird on a blue/green quilt……..ideas are limitless! If you’re making a quilt for your child who always loses thing, how about stencilling on a key?
Phototransfers are always fun…….maybe a transfer of flowers from your own garden in one of the blocks.
Take a photo of another one of your quilts, transfer it to fabric, and cut that fabric into squares or triangles or whatever shape you need and sew it into your work. I’m still thinking about making a quilt for myself containing only images of other quilts I’ve made………..
Insert text as some of the blocks in your quilt……if you’re making a quilt for a friend, and you have a letter from her, scan that letter into the computer, and transfer it to fabric, and you have made your work even more personal.
Use a quilting stencil to make a stenciled design with fabric paints on your quilt.
Want to make your quilt more blendable? When the top is finished, apply a lite dye wash or lite layer of fabric paint to unify it.
Fussy cut motifs from one of the fabrics you’ve used and applique them to the border…….or onto some of the plainer blocks in your quilt.
Use an unusual fabric in your quilt in a few places………..a metallic, or organza…..or anything!
Overlay some areas on your quilt with tulle to create windows that alter the look of the fabric beneath it.
In my quilt called Escape that is posted, I stenciled on the palm tree. I used a shiny blue metallic fabric in some places that I hit with an hot iron………..I admit, by mistake at first……..but then I liked the look that revealed the batting underneath and I applied the hot iron some more. I also used a see through fabric that reveals the batting underneath. Don’t know how successful it all is, I’ll leave that up to you, but it definitely changed the appearance of my quilt.
These are just some ideas I’ve seen and heard about…………try something new!
About Christine
Christine Predd has been quilting since 1986, and began art quilting in 2001. She lives in Indiana half the year, and on Anna Maria Island in Florida the other half. Her blog “Quilting on the Edge” can be viewed at http://www.christinepredd.com, where she writes regular commentary on her creative experiences, and sometimes makes small quilts to accompany her writings.
Tags: Art Quilts
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