So far this year my work has been squared off and rectilinear. I’m breaking with that in my latest WIP, which is all about curves.
I was inspired by a sketch left over from my 2016 master class and my hoard of silk fabrics.
I had developed several sketches using cut shapes of tissue paper.
Someday had arrived for the dupioni, sari and kimono silks, the broadcloths, and the silk-cotton combo fabrics I’ve collected. Because the silks were different weights, I stabilized them with either fusible nylon knit tricot or WonderUnder. The differing material characteristics (some were closely woven, some ravelled or shredded, etc.) led me to use raw edge applique instead of piecing. I used MistyFuse for any pieces not backed with WonderUnder.
There were translation issues between my sketch and the work. The sketch was designed for transparent fabrics, and was another take on overlapped pieces of silk organza, a technique I used in Unfolding.
Unfolding 25″ sq.
I didn’t have the color changes created by the fabric overlaps, so I had to come up with an opaque approach. Here’s my first version.
The “hat” had to go. It looked lovely with transparent layers, but not as a solid piece. I ended up with huge blooms that would fit into a jungle. All the sinuous curves give it an Art Nouveau feel, like the embroidered fabric below.
After I ironed down the pieces I straight stitched around all the edges. I tried out a buttonhole and a zigzag stitch, but found they frayed the edges and caused raveling. There is still a bit of fraying, but I’ll have to live with it.
I plan to have Rococo (tentative title) quilted by a local long arm quilter who is very good with curved designs. For once, I think it’s the right approach to accentuate the curves. It should finish about 36 by 30 inches.
The Snarky Quilter 
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The difference between the sheer fabrics and the opaque ones is so interesting. It seems both would have placement challenges, but very different ones. I like your comparison to the Art Nouveau embroidered fabric. It’s funny how such seemingly unrelated items can still inspire part of our thinking. Yes, the button-hole and zigzag stitches would probably wreak some havoc on the fabric edges. I hope the quilting does what you hope for. Good work!
Thanks. The quilting is scheduled for July (she is quite busy) and I’m trying to decide on batting material. I love the loft of wool, but am concerned it would be too puffy. Thoughts?
I’ve used wool that is quite flat and wool that is very poofy. For a bed or cuddle quilt, I like poofy, but for a piece of art, I think that could be more difficult. If you want loft to show, but don’t want distortion that poofy wool can give, try a basic polyester like Soft & Bright. ??? Just my thoughts at 6:30am… 🙂
The opaque piece is such a nice design and I’m impressed with the changes you made the composition even better. I love the little touch of the floral print. “Unfolding” is beautiful, the quilting design works so well.
Yes, the opaque piece took a bit of fiddling on the design wall. I would have done parts differently but I ran out of certain fabrics. The floral is a bit of old kimono fabric. Unfolding is one of my favorite pieces ever.
Wow, that is beautiful!
So happy you think so.
This is beautiful. It is so nice to make something using all of them together.
Thanks for the kind words.
I really think this is a wonderful design. I love how the circle holds it together. What brand of fusible keeps the fabric transparent?
In Unfolding I used MistyFuse, which is pretty good for transparency. Their ultraviolet product is best for see through fabrics. It’s funny how the circle disappears and reappears depending how light hits the metallic silk.