Playing with layers

While visiting Adelaide for the Festival of Quilts I picked up a small pack of  fabrics which are proving useful for learning the skills of hand appliqué and playing with layers. All it took was some inspiration from Cath B, expert tuition and advice from Jane Madly Quilting and a beautiful (now empty) tin of Bassett's Licorice Allsorts for storage - just about perfect!

Creating depth

Creating the illusion of a three dimensional quality on a quilt top can be achieved in many ways. Here, dark brown and blue Shiva stick were crushed onto baking paper and worked together with a stippling brush. The bristles are short and very stiff - making it fairly easy to work the Shiva onto the quilt top. The bristles can be used to "stipple" or pinched between the fingers to create a well controlled line of paint.

First, some leaves on a remnant of the lime fabric were put onto vliesofix, then applied over the intersecting seams.

The Shiva was applied to create a "rolled edge" on the upper leaf and create a "shadow" over the darker, lower leaf. A few strokes were added to the "valleys" of some of the other leaves, giving them the appearance of floating over that part of the quilt.

The Sampler Series ... a.k.a. practice, practice, practice

I hadn't considered making a sampler series until recently - I do spend many hours practising skills and techniques and am in awe of those people who naturally just "do it"  or for whom such things as packet cake mix and machine applique come naturally. Not so for me. I have had some tuition from one of the Retreat Goddesses and now faithfully practice with different fabric, threads, stitch length, tension etc ... and record each of these so that when it finally is a "wooo hooo" moment I can make that experience last a whole lot longer. Well that's the plan. I have abandoned any and all hope of ever being able to make a packet cake mix, and I can live with that.