Teapot!

Just completed this little piece of work. It's a monoprint on fabric with lots of stitching.

Treasure in the Teapots I

approx 12" x 12" (30cm x 30cm). 

Monoprinted, handpainted and quilted textile mounted on canvas.

I hoped you might enjoy seeing it as a development of the type of stitching that I recently demonstrated on DMTV in the Fineliner Quilting workshop. That video is still available in the playlist right now so if you're a subscriber and you've not seen that one yet do take a look for more info.

Stitching as densely as this really changes the nature of the textile and the thread becomes equally as important as the fabric in terms of colour and tone.

My top tips when working in this way are:

• Don't worry about each quilting line being perfectly straight. A little wobble here and there won't spoil the overall effect one bit. 
• I do this freehand and so very long lines can be tricky to sew. Instead break up long sections into blocks. Stacked chunks of stitching are easier and quicker to sew and something like a checkerboard can look great.

• Think about the layering of your stitch. I've stitched the black lines first, then the bright pink on top. The pink needs to be on top to not be overwhelmed by the black. Basically, whatever is on top will have more impact. 

• Try using a 'wash' of coloured thread lines over the top of base stitching, just as I have done with the pink. It's a great way to add a painterly look to your quilting.

• The bits you don't stitch are just as important as the bits you do. I tend to quilt everything quite closely, but the squares in the print were left unstitched. If I'd quilted them they'd have looked quite flat and too similar to the surroundings. Remember you need contrast for quilting to work!

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Back with more soon!

Love Laura
x