I decided to try free motion sewing on soluble fabric. I tried tracing the outline of an image from my iPad - extremely tricky as the screen kept resizing and moving - so it is not much like the image I was using. I only used half. Then I folded that in half and traced the rest from that, trying for a symmetrical image. (I did my post about dragonfly designs using my iPad, that's my excuse for the amazing number of errors in that post.)
I then traced it onto soluble fabric, using a water soluble pen (it should disappear when I dissolve the fabric).
I still had the naked needle on my machine, from the Alison Holt workshop I had recently attended, so I decided to keep using that as I had my image in a hoop. It turned out to be more difficult than in the workshop, the lighter weight of the soluble fabric meant that it leapt up and down and I couldn't focus the image properly.
I did the first side of the wings without a foot on the machine but decided that I might see better if I put the free motion foot on. It did make it much more stable but the disadvantage was that I couldn't see the lines as accurately, the foot obscured them. So it was six of one and half a dozen of the other.
It was also a bit ambitious to try to do a freehand symmetrical image, next time I will trace the design, or my idea for the design, in every section before sewing. I just made the pattern up as I sewed this time and I couldn't always see it clearly when it was moved in the hoop. Live and learn.
I haven't been able to use my machine for several weeks, due to renovations to the house, so it was good to get back to experimenting, even if it doesn't work out perfectly. I have missed the creative play.
2 comments:
I find this free motion process so fascinating Somehow the medium adds a dimension to the image which makes it really come alive.
Thanks theregatha, it is a good medium for playing, it is not all that exact and you can try various techniques and products and get quite different results.
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