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| Still auditioning fabrics |
Just when I think I have it figured out, I go second guessing my decisions. With all my interfacing pieces cut and ready for fabric to be fused, I began to waffle over which of those two dark fabrics should go in the middle, which on top. The batik was always the one fabric I was so sure of and now I wondered if it should be on top. I finally stopped myself, just go with what you originally felt strongly about. It never occurred to me that I didn't have enough fabric to cover that spot! Well - that made things a bit easier. As I studied the other Stonehenge fabric, I noticed that in some places the mottling definitely moves at an angle, much like the quilting I plan to do over it, so fate must be on my side here. I chose a spot where that showed up the most.
I'd wanted to make all the rest of the fabric choices now so I could do all the fusing at once, then do all the quilting at once, then do all the satin stitching at once. But I was still struggling to find the right piece to go in the lower right and bottom sections. I did end up purchasing more fabric but it occurred to me that I'd know better which was right once the quilting was on that center section. I could feel myself resisting working "out of order" but because of my out of the ordinary construction method, I can actually do this quite easily. I started marking the quilting lines, trying out a new product as my usual marking tools weren't showing. This chalk pencil by Roxanne seems to work well. I don't know what the binder is, but it does not brush off like other chalk-marking products I've used. I was a little concerned that the lines might disappear as I maneuvered the piece through the machine so perhaps this is good. Just so I can remove any visible marks after stitching, which I should be able to since it says it's water soluble. Yes, I should have tested first but I have a certain trust in Roxanne products. Fingers crossed that this does not become an issue somewhere down the line. By the way, these come in a 4 pack - 2 white, 2 grey. Does anyone have experience with these?
As I studied my sample as I worked, I suddenly remembered that this stitching I was marking would be emulating water flowing down over the stonework and I needed to satin stitch the grout lines first. After trying several settings, I settled on a 6 width and .8 length - it looks great!
4 comments:
I think you are on the right track....but I had to laugh when reading your post. I've had sooooo much indecision on my last couple of projects....and esp. on the current one......my head aches and I worry my age is getting to me. Indecision scares me.....
I LOVE LOVE your satin stitching. It is darn near perfect. I am the queen of second guessing as you well know. I wish I could see it in person, but can only tell you to go with your instincts.
I DO love that Stonehenge fabric! As for not having enough of that one batik --- what do they say? Ingenuity is the Mother of Invention! I'm sure you'll come up with an even better idea. I'll have to look for those Roxanne marking pencils. I still haven't settled on the ideal tool for marking -- my favorite now is the tear-away quilting paper. The chalks always rub off before I get to the stitching. And I'm a little afraid of the blue pens now ...
The Roxanne pencils are marketed under the Quilter's Choice brand. I bought mine through Connecting Threads. I've discovered that I can pretty much removed all traces of the white pencil, at least on this fabric, by rubbing across the line (not in the same direction as the line was drawn) with a scrap of the same fabric. This is the same method I use to remove lines made with a Nonce pencil. Of course, could be a totally different story with the grey pencils on a light fabric, so I'll be testing beforehand if I use those.
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