Chapter 10 simple countercharge sample 1

Sample 1simple countercharge

Cream felt was decorated with silk,scrim and sheer fabric. The blue felt with bonded snips of silk. A simple cross shape was selected from the coloured paper exercise. 

In sample a I used a fagot insertion stitch around the cross and then used alternating long and short blanket stitching to edge it.

In sample b the cross was stitched using simple antique insertion stitch and then edged with regular blanket stitch.

Sample 2  countercharge

When I was cutting the first triangular shapes out I must have turned the template over as the shapes were not all the same size. So I had to do a bit of cutting to get this sample to work. I am quite pleased with the final result though.

 I used 4 different bonded felt pieces. The brown piece is an oiled scrunched magazine page. The orange piece is bonded with scrim and lace, as is the lighter blue piece. The last piece is fabric snips and sheers which I heated with a hot air gun to create texture,finally acrylic paint was applied. The last piece was quite difficult to stitch through so the stitching was quite uneven.

Sample 3 complex counter sample

Two different shapes were bonded onto commercial felt and then a 3rd star shape was cut out

Sample 1 has been stitched using a herringbone type of insertion stitch, a running stitch was then applied round the inside and outside of the bonded shape.

Sample 2 is stitched using simple insertion stitch.

Chapter 10 module 1 Inlay appliqué

Sample 1

Traditional hand stitched insertion stitched on bonded felt sections.

Sample 2 

I am not sure if this can be really classed as insertion stitching but while browsing on line I came across fabric artist Susan Lenz 

And thought I would try a version of her technique as a sample.

A4 piece of black felt with painted solufix (my local shop didn't have bondaweb in stock). Pieces of polyester fabric an nylon lace applied in squares and rectangles were then fixed onto the background fabric. Crystal organza was then applied to make stitching easier. Machine stitched stars and crosses worked within the squares and rectangles were all linked using straight machine stitching.

 2a.Detail of some stitching.

2b detail of linked shapes

2c,d, e and f. I then used the soldering iron (in a well ventilated room) to "cut away" the excess fabric.

2g the whole piece.

I went off at a bit of a tangent here but thoroughly enjoyed the process.