Like many pieces, this little fabric collage started with an afternoon playing in my studio. I had no real plan, just a desire to experiment further with my patched and stitched cloth method.
This is my favourite way to create, no pattern deadlines, no size restraints, and no clear outcome of what it’s intended purpose will be. Just my hands, fabric scraps, little vintage treasures, threads and needles.
It’s such a calming way to create, just you and the rhythm of thought as your hands touch textiles, admiring their colour, pattern and texture. It’s a type of mindfulness completely unique to working with textiles, a feeling of productivity in a beautiful way, a connection between hands and fibers that calm the mind and bring joy to the heart.
For this piece I started with a piece of peachy pink solid cotton fabric. I went to my little scrap box and pulled out a few pretty fabric scraps that just kind of spoke to me. Then I went to my embroidered linen boxes and found a few sweet pieces I could harvest – some flowers and the sweetest little blue bird. I also pulled out a vintage piece of lace and trim and some colourful buttons.
I arranged all of my pieces, playing around with the composition, laying them on top of each other and shifting them around until I was happy with the layout.I made sure to take a photo so I would remember where everything went incase things shifted during stitching.
I used my favourite clover applique pins to hold the pieces in place while I invisible stitched them down. I then did an overcast stitch around the raw edges of fabric patches using Superior Threads Bottom Line Thread in Silver. I love this thread for invisible stitching and overcast stitching as you can barely see it.
For the decorative stitching on top I decided I wanted to focus solely on straight stitch and Kantha Stitch and experiment with different threads and ways to make the stitches.
I used 4ply yarn and perle threads to create different short and long stitches, sometimes overlapping them and varying the length of stitch. I then decided to sprinkle some french knots in a wool colour similar to the background fabric to add some contrasting texture.
With the collaging and stitching complete I now had to decide what I was going to do with the piece. I am really happy with how it turned out and think it’s just the sweetest little thing!
I put a call out on Instagram for suggestions and had lots of great ones such as turning it into a bag, cushion, stitching it to the back of a jacket and framing it in a frame.
I really like the idea of putting it in a frame, but I need to find the right one, something a bit shabby/granny chic, maybe timber with chippy paint. Until I come across that, for now I have just blanket stitched the edge in a soft pink that blends in to the background fabric and I have hung it on a vintage peach knitting needle.
I’ve created a little wall vignette in my living room, hanging it alongside my Blooming Stitches Textile Art piece and an artwork by Sophie McPike.
I hope this little piece inspires you to go to your scraps stash and have a little play. Remember we don’t have to create for an end purpose or item, we’re free to stitch and create just for the pure joy of it. What you make doesn’t need to be big or time consuming, this piece was worked on a couple of hours at a time over a few days. I picked it up and put it down when I felt drawn to it.
I see this piece as a bit of a loose sampler style project. A project like this is great to practice a particular stitch and experiment with different thread types and how they perform as different stitches.
So don’t go throwing out those little scraps of fabric, lace and textiles. Instead give them new life in a sweet little fabric collage and enjoy them.
Happy Stitching my Friend.
Miss Leela x
