QUILTING IN PINK FOR WOMEN’S MONTH

MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS WORK

A while ago I suddenly had the urge to work with pink fabric and variegated thread. A very unusual colour for me to work in! I am still not sure what my inspiration was except perhaps that I had the prettiest shade of soft pink nail varnish on! Something that always concerned me about using a variegated thread is the colour changes in the thread. There is always the uncertainty of what will happen where I backtrack on some of the quilting lines. This was something that I needed to explore.

ALL THINGS PINK FOR WOMEN’S MONTH

Out came a piece of white synthetic felt, suitable Angelina fibres and a piece of soft baby pink organza. Two things were still necessary; the thread that I was going to use to keep the layers together and the thread that I was going to use to quilt. In my stash, I found a very pale pink synthetic thread and an interesting variegated thread with shades of pink ranging from pale pink right up to cerise pink. I was set and ready to start exploring!

If you feel like creating your own pink work in honour of Women’s Month, here is what you will need:

30cm X 30cm white synthetic felt

30cm X 30cm soft pink synthetic organza

Angelina Fibres

Pale pink Isacord thread to match your background exactly.

A pink variegated thread to quilt

Lots of ideas of how to quilt this small piece.

30cmX 30cm Loomtex batting (Optional, I didn’t use any batting)

Soldering iron

A SELECTION OF PINK REQUIREMENTS, pink embroidery thread, variegated thread and Angelina fibres

WHERE TO START

Start by placing the felt on the work surface.

Sprinkle Angelina Fibres all over the felt.

Cover with the organza.

Pin everywhere.

Put your quilting gloves on and start trapping the fibres between the layers by using the pale pink thread and a meandering stitch.

Once all the layers are stitched together firmly, start with your own choice of quilting pattern however, change to the variegated thread.

Afterwards, use the soldering iron to singe the edges.

SINGED EDGE AND CLOSE-UP of quilting with variegated thread

CONCLUSION

Working in variegated thread is not for everyone. The colour-changes happen regularly and if you do any backstitching or travelling back on the same line of stitching, the colour changes. This might not be what you had in mind! You have to decide for yourself if it is a look that you like or not. It is always a good idea to test on a small project before trying something new out on your masterpiece! In this case, I decided that I quite liked the effect of working with a variegated thread but I wouldn’t use it on a large project. I find it far too distracting.

What a fun little project to try out for Women’s Month! You will be using a variegated thread, working with Angelina Fibres as well as trying out some interesting quilting patterns!

If you are passionate about textiles and want to learn more about how to incorporate my innovative techniques into your work, follow me on Instagram @tillydeharde and Facebook, Tilly de Harde Fibre Artist & Teacher and visit my website www.tillydeharde.com & subscribe to my mailing list. Please don’t forget to leave a comment in the comment box below!