It's several weeks ago now , but the second class with Louise Baldwin at City Lit was just as exciting as the first . The focus was on machine quilting/stitching and as predicted , my major challenge was getting used to the machines ( Bernina 1008 ) and how they worked. The dedicated textile studio is very well equiped - I was looking around for where the power sockets were , they descend from the ceiling on pulleys !
The session started with a review seated around a table of what we'd done the previous week and any images or samples we'd done for homework, a very useful process.
We then started off drawing shapes and creating designs for quilting
Louise had a variety of samples showing the effect of different thicknesses of waddings/ felt, slashing ( faux chenille) ; layering and making holes; different fabrics.
In a Powerpoint she showed work by Michael James, Penny Beres, Diana Harrison , Ester Bornemisza , Judith Denito Brown. Tim Harding, Vashali Oak
My first sample I used orange felt as the wadding and raided the scrap basket for pieces of fabric with colours and textures of shells, using free motion quilting foot to stitch lines
For the 2nd sample I used both the felt and a very thick polyester wadding, with scrim and upholstery samples, doing ' twiddles' in different areas leaving long threads between them
She demonstrated for me other properties of scrim - stretching it in a hoop then free machining causing fabric to distort like drawn thread work - definately one to try! Other people were using a cording foot to make corded lines and a tailor tacking foot to make interesting large stitches and loops. Definately ones to add to my list ( I've checked and they do them for my Bernina Activa 125)
I like to combine machine and hand stitching so prepared a more traditional sandwich of thin cotton wadding with a calico backing and applied some scrap fabric 'limpets' and did some machine quilting to secure them . As I knew I would miss the class the following week , I had a chat with Louise about how I might add hand stitching ( basically try lots and cover the whole thing! )
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