The beginning of the tale of the tail......

I already have a tutorial for "cut-away transfers" and will add this to it.  I've tried to meticulously break it down into every step.. the hardest thing for me to do.  It's always easier to do something yourself than to explain how you do it... But follow along as this is a MOST useful technique.   I'm working this tail "off-block to make it easier for me to handle under the magnifying lamp.

To begin with I must describe the fabric.  It is a very dark rich turquoise and a very shiny iridescent surface with a subtle texture.  I would never try to mark on it with any pen or pencil.  It is a large complex design that will be stitching and beading so working through plastic film does not appeal to me.  It is perfect for cut-away transfer.





First I found peacocks tails I liked and cut them into pieces.







Then I played around with these pieces -arranging and rearranging- until I came up with a tail shape that suited my block.  I taped them together.  Once I had them like I wanted for my tail I  taped together so  I could trace them.






























 
Once traced I could scan it into my Microsoft word program to get a reverse image.. I always label this copy "right side" so I don't get mixed up later.








In the picture tools of Microsoft Word is the ability to flip this image. Almost all word or photo programs have this ability...you might have to hunt for it. But Staples or Office Depot can do it for you also.

So here you have the reversed design to add to the BACK of your fabric.  You must have a reversed image so when you are done it will be correct on the front.  By writing on the original it is easy to see this is the reversed image I want to work with.

Since the center if each "eye" of the feathers is the same I do not need  reproduce it but I could if I wanted to with this method. I could reproduce the tiniest details

I begin by cutting out the entire shape

















I've added fusible tricot to the back of the fabric to prevent raveling and I pin this entire paper piece of the tail to the back of the fabric and trace around the entire outside edge.

When I remove the image this is what it looks like.  I am using a heavier marker that I usually would so it shows better on film.

Then I cut off just a few of the whole sections at the bottom, replace it in position on the fabric and trace around the cut off sections











And it will look like this......

You just keep repeating cutting and tracing

This sounds complicated but actually it goes very quickly... literally minutes.  Each cut and trace  adds to the design.  If you mess up just tape it back together and recut.












You eventually end up with a pile of little pieces and your design on the back of your fabric.

I then run a quick basting stitch on the back and when I turn it over I have my design in a format easy to stitch and bead upon. I don't have to worry about film shifting or markers smearing or fading.   I will outline all the feather in a gold chain and will add gold beads to the chain and work in from there..  I did this fan years and years ago for this block and this is the look I'm going for.

Adding type instead of an image.

Sometimes I like to add some wording to a block that has a theme.  Such is the case of this block with a rabbit theme.  This little poem was too long to stitch so I used my favorite method of adding words to a block...

Here it is on the entire block and it is the perfect final touch.

On my current project inspired by my anniversary sampler, I wanted to use the original words on the sampler.  My original plan was to cross stitch the words petit point but it just wasn't going to work.

So I scanned it and printed it on paper-backed cloth made for image printing.  I use a cotton variety but there are also silk sheets available.  I personally like the cotton better because it has more body and is more dense.  I just rough cut what I want to print and will trim it after I have the Wonder Under on the back.

Wonder Under is a fusible paper-backed web made by Pellon.  It comes in two weights and I prefer the heavier one.  It is readily available at fabric stores and is usually shelved with the interfacings.  It is widely used by stitchers doing applique.

I want to mount my wording  on felt.  The problem is that even the denser cotton is very transparent once the paper backing on the image is removed.  First if you are using a colored felt, the color will show through and spoil the image.  Second often the fibers of the felt might also show through when attached to the fabric with the image.

To get around that problem I attached the image FIRST to a piece of plain white cotton or muslin.  I use Wonder-Under to attach it.

Here are the materials assembled.... image on fabric, wonder-under, cotton square and colored felt.

After the image is backed with Wonder Under and ironed to the cotton/muslin square I trim it to size and attach ANOTHER piece of wonder-under and iron it to a larger piece of felt.







 Once it is attached to the felt I trim again leaving about 1/8" of felt exposed.  And it is looking like this.. There is nothing turned under so it will lay flat and the wonder-under keeps any edges from fraying.  Now it is ready to attach to my block.

Sometimes I use trim on the edges or just attach with tiny stitches and/or beads.  Here I am using trim across the top and beading around the rest of it.

The smaller image of our name I just attached with tiny stitches.








The first time I added a poem I just printed it on silk and turned the edges under.  It did not lay flat and the needlework underneath showed through.  I was not happy with it.  It was lumpy and wrinkled.











When I was working on my Morris book I wanted it to be "interactive" with flaps that could be lifted with an image underneath.  The flap needed to be even more firm so I added another step with two pieces of felt.

When you lift this flap there is a wild turkey underneath.  I have these flaps throughout the Morris book.   I added the flaps with beads as "hinges."

When I did the book about my sheep I used the same technique to add a poem, names, and other information.


I know someone will write and ask how I got the curve in the type of the rabbit poem.  Years and years ago I downloaded a little free software program called "Type Twister"  I just love it but it is no longer available and it now only works on my old computer. It is a fabulous little program and so sorry it's not compatible anymore.

Next birds and progress report

One of the things I failed to mention last month that often I will print several paper copies of a bird (or other image) in various sizes and place the cutouts on the block to see what size works best.  I can also use these cutouts as "space holders" when I'm planning my stitching.









The next two gold birds will be a cedar waxwing and a hummingbird.
The waxwing is, as you can see, fairly simple shapes and can be transferred  easily with my "cut away" transfer method.







On the other hand the hummingbird is quite complex but it too can still be easily transferred you just have to cut away more parts.  Shown here as a paper cutout above (sections marked for placement of gold embellishments)  and below the results after doing the transfer by cutting away bits.


Things I've learned so far: 

I figured the gold velour was going to be a bit stretchy headache but I had to try it anyway because I loved the color and texture.  But it turned out to be fabulous.  The color enhanced the beads, etc. and it was a dream to applique....so I am using it some more...  I couldn't have been more shocked at how well it worked out.

Next my initial plan was to paint a bunch of lace gold and work from that.  But there is such small amounts of lace on the birds and the shape has to be so specific, I realized I'd end up with a pile of gold lace I wouldn't use.  So I will paint lace gold as I need it..

Cut-away transfer AGAIN!!!

Of all the things I have shared I feel my method of cutaway transfer is the absolute niftiest.  If I want to transfer a design or image to a fabric with texture (velvet, linen, lace, etc) or a fabric that has a prominent print or    fabric that is too special to make any mark on, I ALWAYS use this method and apply it to the BACK of the fabric.  There is already a tutorial on this blog but I will go though the steps once again...

Since I work from the back of the fabric  I need a reverse image of my design.  Then I apply an iron-on interfacing to the back of the fabric.   I mark my image into sections. 

I then cut out the reverse image I want to transfer and lay it on the interfacing and trace around the whole image.

Please note:With birds I do not cut out the beak.  I always apply the beak at the very last.

Then I start cutting off the smallest outside bits.... in this case the top of the head and the tail.  Then I place the image back on the interfacing and make a line where I cut away.

I just keep cutting away bits and marking where I cut.

Eventually I was down to the wing which was the last part to cut up.

You can see what is left of the paper image as I cut it all up into small bits.

Then I do some basting with a contrasting thread on the lines...











And when I turn it over  I have my bird on this velour fabric.  There are no marks or chalk  or tissue paper to deal with and the basting stitches are easy to remove as I go along.  You would be amazed how easily and quickly you can transfer even very complex images this way.

So I have gathered my metallic gold threads and sorted them from light to dark and will soon show you how I start the stitching.

Tips & tricks for awkward corners!

 

Some times when you are piecing a block you quite often end up with an awkward   corner really too small for a motif treatment..  And Mary's block is a good example except that she has four such corners.  I could put a little motif in each corner but that would not help the problem. 

 

I have a bag of tricks for just this very thing...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  I try to bring the patch into block by moving some of its color and adding something that makes the shape less defined.  This time I chose flowers the same shade as the block and moved some down onto the purple along with some foliage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. For the upper right corner I chose something bold to attach to it to make it work as a larger unit.  Notice how it overlaps the seams to help include the small patch into the block as a whole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Another option is bring some element from the block down into that patch and it just disappears..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Sometimes rather than make a small patch seem larger I divide and conquer to make it smaller... With two or more pieces of trim you can downsize a patch.  On fact it becomes so small it hardly seems like a patch at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now there is some variation in the four small corners which were so similar in size and they all have their own personality..

 

5. Another technique I use often and could have used here is to add a coordinating trim (usually ribbon) to make a block larger.    In this case I could have added a wide purple ribbon to the little purple corner patch which would have doubled its size and made the turquoise  patch smaller.   I use this technique often...

And now the tail...  I didn't want to mark on top of the block so I turned it over and sketched a tail.  I already had the peacock body in place so positioning it was no problem.  Then I did quick basting stitches over my lines.

Then I could turn it back over and embroider over my basting stitches.  I use this technique over and over and over again and have long meant to write a proper tutorial on it... Mary Corbet had an article recently on transferring designs and working from the back wasn't mentioned so I am determined to get a tutorial worked up and send it to her....

So I used all the colors in the block in the peacock tail and carried it right down into the pesky little corner patch!!!!!