Tightly pulled vertical smocking. Image via Trans.lu.cent» Smocking is a fabric manipulation technique that is generally created by using hand stitching to create areas of tension and release in the fabric. This results in very sculptural
This week we were using acrylic paint on fabric to create different effects. We started by stippling some calico with a dry brush using 2 colours - blue and yellow in my case, resulting in lots of green and looking like a flowery meadow! Then we moved on to using a diffuser and thin paint to give an effect like airbrushing, holding a piece of ripped paper in front of the fabric to act as a mask so that some parts stayed white. Then we moved on to a way of making monoprints on glass. We put blobs of paint on a sheet of glass. Some of the paint was special acrylic interference paint that produces a shimmery effect when printed. We then put another sheet of glass in top and pressed hard and twisted the glass to get the paint to mix at the edges. When the sheets of glass are prised apart, you get feathery patterns in the paint. We places pieces of fabric on, pressed lightly and printed off the image. These are some of the prints I made from 2 different attempts. As with all these things, it is the choice of colours that is most important for a pleasing result. The paint dries quite quickly but it can be easily scrubbed off the glass to do further prints. I then chose one of my prints to quilt. I made a sandwich with the printed fabric, cotton wadding and calico. Then I sewed round the edge of the feathery edges using free-machining to produce the quilted effect. It took a long time to do all the 'fingers' of paint but the final piece is very appealing. Next we had to choose another print and try out a quilting technique called Trapunto. Here you have the printed fabric and a backing fabric and outline your shapes. I chose a more 'blobby' print and outlined the islands of colour using free-machining again. Then you stuff selected blobs from the back with wadding. This shows part of the back of it. You cut a slit with sharp scissors, poke the wadding in with a bodkin and then sew the slit back up with herringbone stitch. I don't know if I have over-stuffed mine as the final piece is now quite wrinkled. Another learning point is not to use this kind of furnishing fabric as a backing fabric again as it seemed very hard to sew using free-machining - the needle seemed to get caught in the jacquard pattern. I have been working on my manipulated calico sampler this week too. Once I had decided what size to go for (about 32cm square) and laid out the pieces I had already made I didn't have that much more to do. I have still got to mount it onto card, which is why the corners are still hanging out. The end result is going to be quite impressive. The techniques used are (clockwise from top left): Furrowing (see post from Week 13) Pleating Stuffed pyramid Fabric strips folded alternately like a paper jack-in-a-box spring Frayed edge strips gathered and sewn in rows Selvedge strip gathered to form a rose Random tucks sewn horizontally and vertically Stuffed sausage shape decorated with a strip of gathered frayed fabric Frayed strip gathered to form a rose Circle gathered round a piece of card and topped with another one and a frayed gathered strip Various circles gathered and stuffed, the large one quilted through in places Thin strips pulled through a square of Binca fabric (in centre of sausage circle) Thick wool wrapped in calico Strips of folded fabric woven Raw edge circles gathered and pulled up, large one round card and small one stuffed Fabric gathered by hand in both directions, ruched up and sewn down round the edge only Fabric gathered round chick peas 2 circles gathered up round card, one with snipped edge and one with turned edge Various fabric 'nipples' made by sewing a running stitch in a spiral and pulling up Evenly spaced tucks pressed and then sewn across at right-angles in alternate directions Today is it my daughter's 16th birthday so I wanted to make her a special card. I chose co-ordinating papers and decorated them in various ways, dragging the edges across a black ink pad to give a vintage look. I was very pleased to find a sheet of paper featuring a rabbit that looks similar to hers, except for the colour! I also made a Valentine's Day card for my husband using a square of red heart plastic bag behind a silver Angelina fibre heart, topped off with a red heart cut from a Quality Street wrapper! The hearts are suspended across the window on very thin wire wrapped round tiny red brads. It looked really good for not much effort and lots of recycling!
I have finally put together my group of tactile samples! From top to bottom and from left to right: 1 Zigzag gathering over a string...
A Textile Designers guide to the art of Fabric Manipulation to use in simple craft projects
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I’ve been a bit slow about publishing recently, and there’s a good reason for that! This project has been taking up my whole life! I think it was worth it, though. This project is the c…
Fabric manipulation is an amazing art that transforms a piece of fabric into a 3-dimensional material. There are several easy techniques to make multi
Hi! My name is Mariana Baertl and I'm the creator and artist behind Living Fibers. I was born and raised in Lima, Peru’s capital, surrounded by the countries’ traditional handmade trades, specially textile work. I studied Fashion Design in Peru and later moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to
Ready for another packed day of stitching and fabric manipulation?? OK! Here we go! I'm grateful to Wil for all her contribution to this week. She had just done this piece with all these different techniques and it fit so well with this topic. Let's see what she has for today! Blooming This is a technique I learned during one of my City & Guild courses. For this sample I used 4 different colored pieces of fabric. In my case they are all blue, but you are as free in your color choices as you want. More than 4 layers will make it too thick to handle. The 4 layers of fabric are placed on top of each other and with a chalk pen I marked a grid on the top layer. This grid is my guide for the stitching lines. After the stitching I trimmed the square and then the fun part can start J. I placed a seam ripper carefully through the top layer and cut the fabric diagonally staying within the stitched lines of the square. The safest way of doing this, is by doing it layer by layer. You do not want the bottom layer to be cut open. As you see in the next picture, the underlaying fabric becomes visible. It is up to you if you want to cut open every square or if you want to leave some of the squares closed. I decided to open them all. To make the fabric stand up a bit more you can roughen it with your hand or with a brush. Gathering Gathering is a kind of smocking. You can do this either at random or in a marked grid. I made a sample of each variation. For the first one I handstitched the gathering lines at random using a strong thread. If I remember correctly – I forgot to write it down, I used Dual Duty thread. After the whole piece has been done – a perfect job while watching TV – I gathered the threads leading to this result: As with all my samples I placed it onto paper backed fusible webbing and traced a circle on it. Stitched around the circle and cut it out. This is how it looked after I zigzagged the circle onto the quilt. That the gathering threads are visible is okay with me. Actually it adds a bit to the texture of the circle. (Kelly's note: I love the more organic feel of the hand stitching which still shows on the final product! One last one for today which involves what is for me a new product! Another great way to produce a textured grid.) Texture magic Shrinking of fabric is another way to create texture. C. June Barnes has written an excellent book on this subject: Stitching to Dye in Quilt Art (ISBN 978-0-7134-9070-1). To say it very simple, you combine different fabrics on top of each other. Some of them shrink more than the others do when exposed to heat and the result is texture. For this sample I worked with Texture Magic On top of the Texture Magic I placed a piece of batting and a piece of fabric. Stitched a grid on it with a distance between the lines of 1”. After this was done I used my steamer iron to start the shrinking process and this is how the final result turned out: Texture Magic shrinks approximately 30% in all directions. As all my samples are turned into circles, this one too. I pinned a paper circle on it, stitched around it and cut the circle out of the fabric. So that's it for today! Wil has one more very cool technique for tomorrow and then the completed quilt. Plus tomorrow is FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY!! Be sure to e-mail me your photos!! [email protected]
Learn four simple methods forto created textured fabric for your quilt
Join artist Amanda Whited for a digitally-led Fabric Manipulation Workshop, exploring fabric manipulation techniques to craft a personalized lumbar pillow cover. From ancient smocking to contemporary gathering and tucking, this workshop unlocks the world of three-dimensional textile art. Embrace creative play with ample room for exploration, crafting a pillow cover using your design composition that perfectly complements your home and personal style. Bonus materials encourage extending newfound skills to embellish tote bags, clothing, and more. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a beginner, construct your personalized pillow cover with simplicity and comfort, choosing from two sizes and utilizing a sewing machine or hand-sewing for flexibility. This digital class includes: A detailed digital workshop led by Amanda Whited Digital download with written instructions to complement the video tutorial Please note: This listing is for video-only workshop access. Materials are not included. If you would like to purchase the FULL workshop (video + curated tools and materials), click here: GET THE FULL WORKSHOP
The Canadian Smocking Matrix Design is a unique and popular way of creating smocking patterns. It is created by first creating a grid of horizontal and vertical lines on a piece of fabric. Then, the fabric is gathered along the lines to create the desired pattern. This method is often used to create intricate and … Continue reading "How To Do Canadian Smocking Matrix Design"
On Saturday I attended a workshop at Midsomer Quilting in Chilcompton. The session was run by Bini Mistri and the object of the day was to produce samples using different fabric manipulation techn…
Created using deadstock (meaning the remnant materials from large brands) cotton canvas, each pleat is carefully sewn for unique dimension and texture. This artwork is one of a kind and ships stretched. 17" x 32" x 1.5" Please inquire for a custom size or color.
Are you looking for ideas on how to manipulate fabric? In this tutorial I introduce a whole bunch of different types of tucks for you to choose from.
I’m really in love with the idea of doing something different with my costumes. I love the simple lines of things like robes and tunic, but as I’ve mentioned so many times before, I also really love the idea of taking things just that little bit further. Usually I do that by trying to make the interior finishes really special and the outside very neat, but I also love the idea of manipulating and even making your own fabric. As I mentioned in my Mythlore post, I plan to experiment heavily with pin tucking and cording in the pieces I’m making at the moment. the idea is to create a theme that runs through all the pieces and ties them together. A motif, if you want to use the fancy word. 😉 But I’ve also been looking around the net for inspiration and have been coming up with all kinds of creative things that you can do. Here’s a few that have started to get my brain thinking. And from this book which has now gone on my amazon wish list after finding it on Google books: The Art of Manipulating Fabric This book also looks like it might be […]
Learn unique techniques that will enhance your next quilt! These vintage sewing techniques will raise the surface of your quilt and truly impress. We’ll learn heirloom smocking techniques, t…
Are you looking for ideas on how to manipulate fabric? In this tutorial I introduce a whole bunch of different types of tucks for you to choose from.
