I made this little suede leather square sample way back in 2014. I’ve always loved it, but never done anything with it. I do think it could make a great art quilt block in a grid design, and am thinking about that. It could involve the fusing technique, so as I’m making small samply things just now, here’s one from yesterday:

The square behind the stitched piece is a 3.25in square of foam core; and why that particular size is a matter of recycling something that has been sitting around buried in my cupboard for many years.

In a recent clear out, I came across the package of 25 x ~8in x 3.25in sized pieces, carefully prepared by someone at the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC to give viewers the information on each of my quilts exhibited there in June 2005. Each label had been carefully taken down, placed in an individual envelope labelled with the quilt’s title, and they were all packed in a plastic bag and included with the quilts that were returned after the exhibition. I suppose I had thought I might use some of them again… but didn’t. After nearly throwing them out, I had an inspiration that they could be used to mount some small things. I removed them from their envelopes, found they were precisely cut the same size, and realised that if I cut them in half I’d have a large number of matching mounts for some small works, little samply things.

The several I’ve already done are turned back and the edges laced on the back, and of course, the basting guidelines removed. I may get some felt to cover the lacing so they can hang individually, might hang several related ones in vertical rows, or I may have those little panels mounted – we’ll see. I may do a group of tiny landscapes – collections of small things is what I’m aiming for. I intend to keep the project moving along during the next SAQA 100 day Challenge that is due to commence on Tuesday next, August 3rd.

This is partly because I’m waiting for a floor standing embroidery/quilting frame I’m having made here, that is almost ready for delivery. Such a frame will enable me to work on larger areas, with the ability to quickly and easily remove the clamps and move to a different work area of the fabric. Despite inquiring widely here, I found nothing suitable second hand or in deceased estates, and in the craft craft shops there’s nothing like what I want. If I’d visited the US I would have bought a floor standing quilting/embroidery frame by a well known maker for about US$65 to $70 and brought it back, but to import one by ordering from here would cost me about 3x or 4x that. However, who knows how long it will be before we can travel up there again to visit our families? I found a local carpenter, son of one of my friends, who agreed to make something using the US one’s online photo and description. It should be ready this week, and I’m looking forward to its delivery – it will be demountable and all the bits able to be stored in a bag when it’s not assembled and in use.

In progress – some very brassy gold lame overlaid with some very fine black nylon organza and then some other segments added over that. Both these metallics look as if they could be great, but I had to pause the audition because I was expecting a visitor and needed to straighten up a couple of things before she arrived.

Work in progress led to this 20cm piece.

I have several 20cm sq stretched artist canvases, and the small experimental works will be mounted on these. It’s a nice way to work, a bit fiddly, but could be scaled up a bit, which might then require much more stitchery, I think. At that point hand stitchery might become preferable, and the thickness of the remaining ~5km neon red, green and yellow threads might be appropriate 🙂 I’m on the lookout for a major way to use up this considerable thread resource!

I am currently making some small works, partly for a change of scale which I enjoy now and then, but also because I am waiting to take delivery of a floor standing embroidery/quilting frame I’ve had a local carpenter here in Uruguay make up for me, basing it on the pics of one commercially available up in the USA, which would cost me a large amount of money to import. I’ve seen the pictures of what PJ has made up for me, and I just have to be patient until it arrives in a few days’ time. I have some small artist canvas frames that I had big plans for several years ago but never got round to using, so I’ll be mounting this week’s creative output on those.

I saw an idea on Pinterest some time ago, which suggested I could use layers of sheer fabrics, overlaid and set in place with Misty Fuse, that wonderful bonding web stuff, and in some way stitched into place.

In the first sample, left, the black running stitch is dramatic, but the gold running stitch isn’t very interesting. But in the sample on the right, the gold machine stitching is striking, and probably more interesting than if it were in black or dark grey. These little blocks are about the size they will be on the actual work, so I think I’ll go with the gold machine stitchery.