Semi-Detached Structure

SEMI-DETACHED

... or OMG! 

I completed a challenge! 

Meet Semi-Detached. 

I made the leaves about six weeks ago and left them alone until they provided the "I should do something with these" impetus needed to create Semi-D. Semi-D is created mainly from silk dupioni, which doesn't photograph very well, MistyFuse, and Timtex. I like the rigidity of Timtex, which gives the piece "structure". 

The tree-branch is made from Timtex and heat-activated, moldable batting, giving the tree-branch a slight three-dimensional curve. According to the packaging, the moldable batting gives rigidity and stiffness for handbags and totes. A fun product, and I shall try it again for something. 

The Timtex and moldable batting were covered in brown silk dupioni and cords made from silk embroidery floss,  Kreinik braid, and metallic knitting yarn (the stuff that looks like a ladder) were attached with a zig-zag stitch. The edges were left raw for a little bit of texture.

I should have used a much firmer quilt batting than bamboo, and next time I will quilt the backing and top before attaching such heavy add-ons. In order to keep some of the leaves from flopping around, and to secure the base of the tree-branch, I used some "450 Quick Dry Adhesive" - it's clear and dries very quickly. Some of the leaves are raised from the surface with large beads, which are glued to the background and to the leaf itself.

While I was writing this, my husband was vacuuming my sewing room (Yes, he really was!) and found something I thought I had lost. So I added it to Semi-D.

As a bonus (and because I haven't kept up!), this is a photo of Stream - the piece I used for inspiration when I made the leaves. Stream is over two feet long, and is over seven years old!

Ready for the next challenge!

Frankly, it's Frosty! (or "Inspired by Bacon")

Happy New Year, challengers! I hope you had fun with the frost theme! When I told my husband that I thought the theme should be seasonal, but not Christmassy, he suggested "frost". So, Frank, this one's for you!

About two years ago, I won a random drawing from the Quilting Arts forum. I received, amongst lots of other goodies, some white opalescent Angelina fibres, which I excitedly packed away in a drawer, where it remained until I went looking for frost. I spread out the Angelina and MistyFused them together on plain white cotton. And left it like that for about 6 weeks, waiting for inspiration. 

A few weeks later, my sister suggested that "we" (meaning "I") make a bacon ornament for her son's Christmas tree. She even provided me with a picture of her idea of a perfect slice of bacon. This is what I came up with - free-motion stitching in many different threads (complete with some glitz, because it's for Christmas; but not too much, because it's for a guy!) on water-soluble stabilizer:

(Before I gave it to my nephew, I rinsed out the water-soluble stabilizer!)

As I was makin' bacon, I decided I could make a tree - using the same technique and, if it turned out, use that with the Angelina/MistyFuse background. This led to some more of the same technique to the strips at the base of the tree. During my canvas-work/cross-stitch days, I  had accumulated a rather large supply of fancy, glittery, glitzy threads and fibres, so I added lots of frosty sparkle!

 

Using an over-dyed rayon thread for a bit of subtle colour in the trunk of the tree, I machine-stitched the three pieces to the background, but decided not to stitch down all the branches, because I like the 3D effect. I also like the crumpled effect - the Angelina cannot be ironed any more due to over-heating. I think the 3D effect and the crumpled look add to the harsh, wintery appearance of the piece.

After I had finished the machine-stitching, I added a few random opalescent beads in the branches of the tree. 

This is my Frost.

I look forward to seeing the more frost - and to the next challenge!