I've been mulling this leaf thing over for quite awhile, and was grateful to Terry Grant for reminding me about what she calls ghost leaves - those that have progressed in their decomposition to the point of developing holes that make them look quite lacy and ethereal (see her post here). I wanted to make my sheer leaves look this way too and knew I could do that with a needle heated in a candle flame.
Oh yes, I like this a lot. Initially, I held the leaf between my thumb and finger, poking the hot needle through the fabric. But I didn't have quite the control I wanted that way, got a few holes bigger than I really wanted. So then I tried holding the leaf flat against my teflon applique sheet and tapping the hot tip against the fabric. This gave me smaller and more organic-looking holes. These may make it on the quilt, although perhaps not scattered over the center pieced portion as originally envisioned. These may look good out in the border. We shall see.
Oh yes, I like this a lot. Initially, I held the leaf between my thumb and finger, poking the hot needle through the fabric. But I didn't have quite the control I wanted that way, got a few holes bigger than I really wanted. So then I tried holding the leaf flat against my teflon applique sheet and tapping the hot tip against the fabric. This gave me smaller and more organic-looking holes. These may make it on the quilt, although perhaps not scattered over the center pieced portion as originally envisioned. These may look good out in the border. We shall see.
2 comments:
Using a heat gun also gives a very nice effect. The picture on the homepage of my site shows an example.
Wil, just took a look at your leaves and they ARE fabulous! I don't own a heat gun so can't try this.
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