Chapter 5 : Quilting, Padding and Stuffing -- Padded Quilting

When I read the instructions for padded quilting I imagined there would be great potential in the technique: I thought I'd be able to realise some lovely effects, translating a whole variety of plant shapes and surfaces. I've been disappointed by my results. My machine tension (how I do agree with those posting on facebook who fear getting their machine out), the tools for drawing designs on fabric and stuffing techniques, all of these are factors.  Then I pressed my work on the reverse and I have wrinkles spoiling it.  Oh the disappointment; oh the time taken.

 Dandelion is first in this set, with calico on top and scrim beneath.  I used a pencil used to mark out the design, a poor choice as the marks remained. The shape is complex with points and narrow areas and I tried both cotton wool and polyester fibre fill as padding.  Pointed scissors were best for moving the padding through.  The scrim side could also be used on top with random stitches to draw the slits together.

5:14

The following four samples feature docks, lovely straight stems with branches sprinkled with seeds.  I used yarn, some thick, some thin to pad the stems with fibre fill for the seed heads.

I've achieved some delicacy in the drawing of docks, which improved as I practised: 5:15 and 5:16 are freehand machining with no initial drawing. The seedheads, however, are too bulbous.  I used lawn on top and scrim below and, a confession, no frame which explains the seedheads.

5:15

5:16 has cotton organdie above and fine wool below.  I have better control over the machine, but the seedheads this time are too small to pad.

5:16

For 5:17 I used an Adger Chako Ace Pen, which only partially faded on the cotton lawn. The bottom layer is muslin. 5:18 is again freehand and probably the most successful outline, with the dock stems and seedheads in proportion..

5:17 and 5:18

Now for different subject matter: for 5:19 I used a tracing of one of my charcoal hedge drawings.  Whilst the drawing has potential I'm not sure whether the technique is appropriate. Silk organdie is the top layer, with muslin beneath. The machine stitching is poor, a mismatch in top and bottom threads -- in summary, more practise needed.

5:19

And here below a second,  I've taken another hedge drawing, this time scaling it up to give slightly wider branches.  I've used silk noile in top with muslin beneath.

Machine tension is now correct and I free-machined the outline.  The work was in a frame, as it was for the photograph.  I'm still not happy with the result as the fabric is rippled round the shapes leaving them indistinct.  My conclusion remains that this technique is not a match for the subject matter!

5:20