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Textile Techniques
Textures - Part One - Chenille - Part One
I have always had a liking for textured, manipulated, and distorted surfaces on quilts - in recent years my work has got flatter and flatter, but the desire to make an interesting effect has, so to speak, resurfaced a little as I have returned to in-real-life teaching...
If you haven't seen this before you will think it's rather magical.. if you have, bear with me, as I have a few twists of my own...
So, I'll start with Chenille, also called Faux Chenille, or Slashing
You need lots of fabric - layers and layers.. it works best with slightly loose weaves (not batiks), hand-dyes, woven colours, solids..
You will find that some printed fabrics look weird, as the white backs take over the design.
Plain muslin (USA) or calico (UK) is also fantastic for this
I started with a set of Oakshott cottons (disclaimer, I do a lot of pattern-designing for Oakshott, so I tend to have a lot of their fabrics at my disposal. Such a tragedy...)
These are "shot", that is, woven with one colour in the warp and one in the weft.. they shimmer lightly.
This was an odd pack that just came to hand, and has a close set of pinky-purpley-orangey colours. I also chose a dark purple for the base colour. In any set you will see more of the bottom and top colours than the ones in between.
Cut the layers to a shape of your choice (a bit bigger than the end size required, as this will distort), then
(Hint number 1)
Cut the bottom layer at least 1/2 an inch bigger all round. If these had Right Sides, they would all face UP..
(Hint number 2, press the layers on top of each other - they will stick together quite well)
Pin in a few places if desired
You will note that I have 10 layers. Much of the online and printed advice about chenille assumes 5 or 6 layers at most.This always seems rather skimpy, and you need to sew your lines a lot closer together... I'm lazy and fussy, so I use more cloth...
Sew on the diagonal, starting with a line across the middle from corner to corner..
The diagonal bit is important. I always use a walking foot, but if you don't have one, pin the layers together and sew...
Sew parallel lines across the fabrics. I'm using the width of my walking foot as a guide here, about 1/2 an inch. If you have fewer layers, sew closer; more, further apart... DO NOT sew across the ends of the channels, please
All sewn. Now, those of you of an Observant Nature (hands up, if you aren't paying attention?) will notice that my extremely Low Boredom Threshold set in on the second half, and I sewed some different diagonals..
As long as you are working on that diagonal idea, you can play..
Note that the lines that go in and out of the middle are continuous.. You don't want odd thread ends or weak spots anywhere. Use good thread, cotton or poly, and a small stitch. Check your tension is good both sides
Now you need to cut between the lines of stitching.
I did this sample with scissors, we'll look at The Technology further down. You will, at this point, understand why the bottom layer is bigger, as you don't want to cut that one. It makes it easy to get the pointy end of the scissors in the Right Place
Now, take your sample to the sink and Wash It..
I use a little dish-washing liquid and warm water, and rub gently.. Big pieces can be machine-washed, but I don't usually feel the need.. Rinse, and dry
Brush if desired
The result is just sooooo tactile...
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Now, I really adore the tactile handle and softness of Chenille, but it has visual qualities that are desirable too.. One of the things I have experimented with is making imagery using the technique - this is not easy.. I'm fond of landscapes, and this seems like fields and grasses, perhaps
(Detail of part of my Summer Landscapes piece)
However, in order to get any kind of imagery onto chenille, you need a degree of contrast which you may not imagine before you try.
Here's Sample Two
I've used the same set of Oakshott colours and background as the first sample, plus a top layer of the same dark purple as the base, and a leaf cut from a vivid eggy yellow.
The leaf is raw-edged, not sewn down, and placed so that the grain matches the underneath layers - this is quite important - make sure you decide which way you want it to go before you cut.
Note that I now have 11 layers (12 where the leaf is) - if you have a weedy modern machine you may find it has a coughing fit here; if so, take a couple of layers out.
Press, pin, sew, as before
This time I've kept the sewing very simple, just parallel lines about 1/2 inch apart
And I'm going to use The Technology - but I start every channel with a little snip from my scissors And the very short channels will be cut like this all the way
Longer channels, however, are much easier done with a Slash Cutter
I honestly thought this was a majorly stupid buy until I had used it the first time.. What a nice toy..
Slip the cutter into the channel, push (along, not down) and it slices neatly through all the layers at once
Do check to see that you have reached the base layer in all the channels
All cut
And Washed again (note, this was photographed wet, so it looks rather dark)
Note how much the leaf has blended in, and the colours of the underlayers emerged...
More next month!
Click Here to go to Chenille Part Two
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