February-Garden To Quilt

Last week I posted this photo below where I decided to do a value study of the pansies with fabric & thread.  

This is week two of working on this value study & this quilt only lacks the binding & label to be completely done(I'll do this part later).  The border is simple with fused squares that have been satin stitched down with the same rayon thread used for thread painting & free motion quilting.   Scroll down to see a close up of the thread painting done on the periwinkle pansy (upper right pansy in quilt).



This photo shows some of the foundation thread work done before any actual shading is done.  I've started with dark purple which is a Sulky rayon thread & Superior Thread 60wt in the bobbin.  I'm using a top stitch 90/14 Schmetz needle. I've also had to lower my top thread tension so that the bobbin thread doesn't show on top.  Each machine is different so do a test sample before actually working on your quilt top.   No paints were used in this flower only fabrics.  I have to say that it was a great big challenge finding the values that I thought would work.

This next thread that I used is a light lavender color.  It was also a challenge to find a periwinkle thread color in the values that I needed for this pansy.  So I just worked with whatever I could find.



I have found that if you do not have all the values that you need to make your pansy look realistic then, use a hand dyed fabric so that your stitches will blend more nicely.  Notice the upper left petal has a hand dyed fabric where the color of the fabric lends itself to blending so much better with the thread being used.   Notice the bottom petal where the threads blend okay but, not the best.  I've done this flower as an example of what happens when you don't have the right values.  Your flower will look okay.  However using the appropriate values make all the difference in making your flower realistic. 

Final note:  Don't get discouraged if you don't find the right values in a particular color.  Try a different color where you can find all the values that you need. 

Stayed tuned for similar value study examples that I'll post next week.  Keep practicing!  Work in smaller sizes so that you can see results faster.  This is part of practicing process.