Straight an Curved Edges stitched onto a background.
Page 1. Cut edges – straight - using twin needle
The background fabric was a piece of transfer dyed cotton polyester using reds and orange paints. The working background piece consisted of 2 pieces of organza (red and green) with adhesive webbing between, trapping small straight sided scraps of blue, red to yellows, yellow to green organzas and gold lame snippets. A piece of white felt was used as a stabilizer.
The shape I used was taken from the green frontal section of the kite owl from Chapter 1. Using a cardboard template, I traced around 4 arrow shapes on each side of the square of background fabric with a soldering iron. The organza was attached to the background fabric by a single row of stitching around the cut out shapes. The cut out shapes were then flipped over and attached to the background piece by simulating straight stiches with the soldering iron.
For the remaining appliqued pieces, I used another piece of transfer painted cotton polyester created from the same paper used in the piece above using less heat. The middle shape is just the pointy bits of the original shape!!! I liked the colour combinations. Directions of the appliqued pieces were deliberate.
I tried to use the twin needle but soon found out that turning corners was quite difficult. As you can see in the above photograph, the bottom right had corner shape was my try out. The rest of the appliqued pieces were stitched twice with a single needle. Around the outside edge, I did use the twin needle.
Threads.
1. Valdani #M37 – 60 wt – 100% cotton (from Romania) colour – variegated gold/yellow/orange/red orange/ dark red.
2. 100% cotton – tones of red.
3. for the bobbin - 100% polyester – light grey
I enjoyed putting this piece together.
Page 2 Straight edges - Satin Stitch
This time for the background fabric, I stitched rows of automatic stitches (leaf stitch #24) on a piece for velvet. Used a piece of black felt as a stabilizer.
For the designated shape, I still used a part of the frontal section (centre dark green bit) of the kite owl and cut out five different sizes. Each piece was fused down and then stitched using the satin stitch. I left the foot on and feed dogs up.
Thread - Thread Studio – 100% rayon, variegated Warrandyte blue to copper. Bobbin thread was black Gutermann – 100% polyester.
I like the way the thread colours blend in with the fabrics.
Page 3 – Curved edges - twin needle
For this piece, I used the teardrop shape of the scales from the folk art fish from Chapter 1.
For the background fabric, I ironed a piece of painted fusible webbing onto a piece of transfer painted background.
This time I floated the individual shapes rather than join them together. The piece was stitched with foot on and feed dogs up.
Using the twin needle on the curved pieces was certainly much easier task than the straight arrow shapes in the first piece
To tie the floating pieces together, I twined stitched the background in vertical rows. I did this after I had attached the teardrops. (I am afraid it was an afterthought!! It did improve the piece.)
Thread - Thread Studio – 100% rayon – Cradle Mountain – variegated green to light green to light beige to medium beige. Bobbin – Gutermann – 100% polyester – mid green.
I liked the piece.
Page 4 - Curved edges - satin stitches.
For this piece, I used the tail of the smallest fish inside the big fish from the folk art piece above. For the background fabric, I ironed on fusible webbing and then attached a variety of black fabrics. Stitched a grid in black to hold the fabrics in place. For the pieces to be appliqued, I chose a painted fabric that had salt added during the drying process. To hold the elements in place, I put transfer adhesive on the back of each piece. I then satin stitched the pieces onto the background using a variegated thread. The feed dogs were up and the foot was on. I had to stitch very carefully and very slowly. 
Thread – Thread Studio – Carnivale – 100% rayon - variegated in rainbow colours.
I agonize over how to place the various elements of each piece. I am not sure what is a pleasing arrangement. Whether they should overlap or sit alone? Large to small groupings? Large on the bottom or on the top? Should some or all of the shapes be touching or not?
Page 5. Torn and Frayed edges – fabric
For this piece I used wheat pasted fabric painted in blues and greens stamped with bubble wrap. I ripped the whole piece into strips and then let the fraying hang out!!! The pieces were then interwoven. I ironed transfer webbing onto the centre of a piece of white felt and attached it to the strips to hold them in place. I then decided to tear some strips of coloured cheese cloth. I tore wide strips, cut them into narrow strips, and hand fray the cut side. Some cheese cloth strips were tucked under cloth strips. Once I had set a design, I stitched a grid. Replaced the cheese cloth strips and stitched them down using an automatic flower pattern (#22). I cabled stitched a craft cotton on top of everything!!!
To finish off the piece, I had to fussy cut the white felt between the strips of wheat pasted fabric.
Threads – Thread Studio - Barrier Reef – 100% rayon – variegated blues to greens. Sulky – 100% rayon – 932 1065 bright orange. 100% Craft Cotton – size 8 – variegated orange to yellow using orange Guttermann thread on top.
I like this piece. I took a while to finally decide what to do. I seem to agonize over each and every piece!!!
Page 6 – freyed edges – paper
For the frayed paper project, I used a dinner napkin. On one half I stitched a small grid using Thread Studio – 100% rayon – Warrandyte – variegated blues to red browns to beige.
I then washed away most of the paper leaving shadows of the leaves and the darker panel.
On the second half of the napkin, I separated the the top tissue and placed it on white felt that had fusible webbing. On the dark brown section I stitched 3 rows automatic leaf stitch pattern (#24) and one row on the beige section. I scrubbed out several sections between the three rows of leaf pattern and stitched free motion with the automatic leaf pattern still in place (feed dogs down). I added another cut out leaf from tissue tex sprayed with a bit of gold and beige paints. I stitched around the leaves and some of the veins as well as a rolling pattern around the outside of the leaves. I used Wonderfil – metallic red Col. # 8836.
I took the grid half of the napkin and placed it over the stitched napkin. The pieces were reversed. The leaf shadows were hardly discernable. I was also hoping the red metallic stitching would show up better.
I enjoyed the challenge of creating different pieces!!! A good chapter for me.
