Friday, June 10, 2011

Design Challenge

A few months ago, I was looking around the house for something to applique.  I have plenty of projects started but nothing I was in the mood for.  So I decided I was going to put to good use some of the beautiful hand dyed and batik fabrics that my friend Julie www.jaybirdquilts.com sent to me.  

I am using Marbleous Jacquard in Black by Robert Kaufman.   I can find a good picture of the black but her it is in Cactus...


... but the black....I just eat it up.

This piece is about 40" square at this point.  I took a whole piece of the black fabric and using a paper circle template, traced a circle with a chalk marker.  Then I did freehand drawing with the chalk to make each shape.  I basted a piece of fabric to the back a bit larger than the circle and then used reverse appliqué to create each design.  So... yep its all hand appliquéd and very fun.

Now I am trying to figure out how to set it.

My friend Sharla www.softexpressions.com  suggested that maybe it doesn't need a border which could be why I and struggling a bit with it.  Hmmmm...this suggestion may win out...

I used my Snagit Program to cut and paste some different options.

I tried just making black strips and continuing into a wider border with strips of the applique.
cutting it into piece.....oh my stars... this is scary.

 A suggestion from my friend Eileen http://eileenwintemute.blogspot.com, some simple but offset borders.  I added the shadow in my program but will most likely not add the shadow.
I probably won't get a chance to work on it for about a month, so if you have any suggestions, no matter how wild or simple,  or if you like one of the ones you see, I would love to hear it. Right now the first one and the last one are looking the best to me.


Hope you get to sew this weekend.
Love Aunti Nicole


1 comment:

  1. Nicole, I love that first setting with the angled lines - it really plays well with the organic figuring in your appliques!! Good luck and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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