133- Sewing Begins!
Thanks for your patience in awaiting an update on how the big Fear quilt is going. I switched gears from collaging fabric pieces together to work on sewing. What does that even mean when the quilt is nowhere near finished?
I use both dots of glue or fusing to hold the many bits of fabric together. If I am going to be adding a lot of stitch work, I may minimally attach the pieces, figuring that the stitches will hold it all together. Using a dot of glue (Roxann’s Glue-Baste-It) allows me to take the pieces apart by dabbing at the bond with a wet q-tip, so I might use this method if I’m unsure. Fusing creates a permanent bond and makes me more confident that all the edges will stay attached – but it is more time-consuming to do.
Anyways, the photo above shows me taking a collaged section off the design wall. I lay the section on top of a removable stabilizer – one that I will rip off or dissolve off in a water bath. The stabilizer extends beyond the collage, so I have room for my hands as I move the piece under my machine, and is a smooth surface that will slide without getting impeded by the unevenness of the backside of the collage. I like Pellon 360 EZ Stitch for the tear away and HTC 3150 H2O Gone. I don’t attach the collaged piece to the stabilizer (I just smooth it down and maybe use a few pins to hold it in place.)
I use my Handi-Quilter Sweet Sixteen mid-arm machine for this stage of work. I will go over all the edges and add details with threadwork, changing thread colors often. I’ve become very good at re-threading my machine! I use the same bobbin thread all the time – usually an unnoticeable mid-tone gray. I don’t knot or backstitch to secure threads. After stitching a bit, I use a self-threading needle to bring the top loose threads down to the backside, then flip the work over to cut the hanging threads to 1-2.” Later in the process, I might trim the threads more. All of the loose threads are going to be secured when I put fusible on the back when all the stitching is done.
