Monday, September 12, 2011

small wall art pieces

I have been putting together some small (4 in square)  wall art pieces for our stall later in the year.   It is also a good opportunity to play with designs etc

The basic design is a leaf silhouette using sheers and free motion, a small piece of fabric with hand stitching and some "quilting" (and perhaps embellishment).
 This is the first step. 
  1. The orange background fabric is laid over a 4in square of heavy interfacing (the fabric size is larger, more like 6in).
  2. The purple accent piece is placed next (within the 4in of the interfacing) It has been frayed along the edges for a bit of texture.
  3. I sketch a leaf shape with iron away pen (this one is a ginko)
  4. The green sheer is placed over the top.
 The second step is to free motion embroider around the leaf shape.  (This is another one, a geranium)
The next two steps are to trim around the sheer leaf and do some handstitching on the accent piece. 
Next the quilting.  Here I have just echoed in a blending thread.
The final step is to mount it on a 4in stretched canvas.  These are quite cheap and easy to get hold of at bargain stores (at least they are here)
I bought four canvasses, so there will be four leaves.  Although the layout is the same for each, the elements of each design will be different, ie colours, leaf shapes, embroidery and quilting, so that they form a larger piece when hung together.
I will show you all four in a day or two when they are all finished.


I might add a few beads, but the principle here was KISS. 
Keep It Short and Simple