Welcome to this second Stitching News of January! We are virtually three quarters of the way through this month, already, and I have just about got my energy back and have a yearning to sew and be creative again for the first time since before the New Year. On the plus side though, I have had lots of time to think and plan.
In a box with some of my dyed fabrics I found a basic scarf this week that I had played with, about 10 years ago. I remember buying some plain white Liberty Lawn fabric for dyeing, some of which I had torn into strips 8″ wide. I had machine stitched two different coloured strips together down their length. Along one of the long edges I had inserted a flat, narrow, folded silk detail, but I had left it at that.
This is about as far as my memory goes. One of the strips is blue, and the other is apricot or orange, according to which section of the strip you are looking at! They were both hand dyed with a single colour, but scrunched up to create texture along the length. At the time, I do remember that I had not liked the pair I had sewn together, which is why it probably ended up in the dyed fabric box!
Having resurrected it I decided to place some more fabrics onto both sides two or three days ago, leaving them in place so that I could add, take away, for a while. This exercise instantly changed my mind about it! It had clearly needed more colour and texture to lift it.
I experimented with several colours; prints and plains before settling on four fabrics which I thought would work on either side of the scarf.
I hot washed the scarf, and all the fabrics, then ironed them while damp. The tension along one of the long sides of the scarf was a little tight prior to washing, but while ironing, I was able to ease the tension out.
I was feeling much more in tune with the project now, and beginning to smile!
The blue patterned fabric was the real game changer. It has a range of interesting marks in its geometric patterns, with overlays and subtle changes of scale. I saw it when browsing in an African market while on holiday many years ago. As you can see from the folded back selvedge, in the second photo, it is a batik, and was expertly done on a very nice quality cotton fabric. I have a metre of it, know I will be using it again before long! I love it.
I tacked my raw edge applique pieces in position, on both sides, and have now started stitching, with hand dyed threads. I intend to stitch over the whole surface, sometimes across the width, and at other times down sections of part of the length! Both of which you can see in progress in the top photo!
Another project I have on the go now is to make a doll! I made several in the mid eighties! One of the doll bodies I made was never clothed, and I have had it stored in a drawer since then. I caught sight of it very recently and instantly felt the desire to clothe her. (I have decided that this one will be a girl.)
As you can see she is tall; 18 ” to be precise! I placed a Parker biro beside her for scale! As I examined the body and limbs I could see there was shaping, (as in the fingers and hands,) and could also see that the head consisted of four pieces. So presumed I had made her from a pattern. I looked through all my patterns but there was no doll. So I decided to deconstruct her and actually make proper templates so that I have them for any future dolls I might make! If I merely dressed her, I would lose that opportunity! Perhaps I had been loaned the pattern at the time! I just cannot remember!
I knew I wanted to be organised, and beside me I had a piece of lovely Christmas paper which could not be recycled due to packaging tape right across it. So instead I cut it into four strips which I could wrap around the different parts of the doll after dismantling them. I learned a lot during this process, for instance the foot had a sole, which really helps to keep the shape! I also became more aware of how to assemble the doll, which may not have been so apparent, had I not taken her apart!
As you can see from this photo I labelled the paper cuffs before placing the different deconstructed fabric shapes into them; arm and leg above, and body and head below!
I have ironed all the pieces now, and they are ready to help me prepare the templates. More about this next time!
I also have some small patchwork pieces on the go. Now that it is obviously going to be warmer in my sewing room, I shall be more tempted to spend some time up there!
Until next time, Happy Sewing! Di
Di Wells Stitching News 