Fabrics & Fashion Afterschool

NOTE: My cover image was designed using EQ8.

Day 004/365: Calo’s Birthday | January 8, 2023

WHO: You, Your Story | Concept: Identity

WHAT: Art Form: Textiles | Process: Quilting (Mini Quilt 20.5 inch square) | Category: Modern Improvisational | Process: Story Quilting | Techniques: Improvisational Accidental Piecing, Raw Edge Applique, Machine & Hand Stitching, Hand Drawing, Canva Graphic

WHY: Real Life Application of Geometry Points, Lines, Line Segments & Rays & To Explore the Concept of Identity Using Historical Textile Practices

Step #1: Create an 8.5 x 11 Line Drawing, Enhance Using CANVA (To Be Printed on Fabric)

• Drawing Supplies Needed:  8.5 x 11 inch Card Stock, Either Charcoal Pencil + Handheld Sharpner or Black Sharpie.
• Draw “What You Feel” Lines to fill up the page.
• Snap Image. > Upload 2 CANVA. Enhance to tell your story. Download & Email to be printed on Fabric.

Step #2: Modern Improvisational Quilting

Research Links:

• National Endowment for the Arts, “ The Quilts of Gee’s Bend: A Slideshow >>Web Link<<
• Quilting Daily, “Traditional Made Modern: A Fresh Take on Traditional Quilt Patterns >>Web Link<<
• Sewing Machines Plus Blog, “Traditional vs. Modern Quilts – What’s the Difference? >>Web Link<<

Step #3: Mock-Up Mini-Quilt Design on Paper

• Geometry Design Parameters: MUST HAVES: At least one line & several line segments points & rays.
• Design Pattern Supplies Needed:  Brown Paper, Sharpie, Ruler & T-Square or 20.5 inch Square Quilting Template
• Design an improvisational quilt layout inside your 20.5-inch square. Focus on determining the size and placement of individual parts to be pieced.

Step #4: Using FABSCRAP Fabric (Recycling & Reusing Designer Fabric)

• Decide on a color scheme and select fabrics from the FabScraps. To tell your story you can also bring found fabrics, or photographs that can be scanned and printed on fabric from home. However, the majority of the fabrics needed for this project will need to be from FabScrap remnants.
• Manipulate the FabScrap remnants to tell your story using different surface design techniques, such as:
  • Mark Making using markers or paint.
  • Screen Printing or Monoprinting.
  • Embroidery, with or without bead embellishments.
  • Decorative Machine Stitching.
  • Raw Edge Applique.

• Layout design and glue to paper. This design will serve as your pattern guide to create your mini quilt.

Step #5: Putting It All Together

• Machine piece your fabric components together. All your seams should be 1/4 inch. Iron as you go using a hot iron with steam. Press seams to the dark side, meaning press steams towards the darker fabric.
• Roughly cut cotton batting 1/2 inch larger than the quilt top. Spray base to hold in place.
• Roughly cut the cotton backing fabric 1/2 inch larger than the batting. Spray base to hold in place.
• Apply a quilt label and two triangle corners for hanging your quilt on the backing fabric.
• Machine stitch all three layers of your quilt sandwich using either a Walking Foot or a Free Motion machine foot.

Fabrics & Fashion Workshops are Made Possible by Grants From Wilson Arts & The National Endowment for the Arts.