Our quilt group had a chairman’s challenge called ‘Shop till you drop’. I wanted to make the background look like our local High Street so I took a photo of my little boy walking up it so that I could get the scale.
I then drew it to size on an A3 sheet of paper which is to be the size of the finished piece. When I was happy with that I transferred it onto a piece of fabric using an HB pencil I always use pencil because it washes out or gets covered by stitching. I found the easiest way to this this is over a light board, (I used to tape the fabric to the window to trace!) I’ve got the perspective wrong, the pavement is going up to the sky on my drawing, whoops!
I made the quilt sandwich using 505 spray to tack the layers together before free motion sewing over the drawn lines. I like to use small pieces o a rubber mat to help grip and move the quilting around.
To add the colour and detail I love using Derwent Inktense pencils https://www.derwentart.com/en/gb/4407/inktense-pencils. They are so simple to use and you can blend and mix the colours. They are like watercolour pencils but with stronger and more vivid colours. Work in different areas that are not touching to prevent the colours running into each other. Use a mix of water and fabric medium and apply over the top of the pencil, this makes the true inky colour appear. Gorgeous!
Then it’s time to add the applique figure. This is not an applique of my son but the one we were given for the challenge. A rather frumpy looking woman. To make the figure I applied fusible web onto the back of the fabric pieces and again using the light box traced the outline on to the fabric before cutting. I used a bit a glue stick to gently stick the pieces on before free motion stitching close to the edge.
I had scrap patchwork samples that I had made a while ago and decided to cut these up for the shopping bags, bright and colourful. Time to add the binding and the hair and my picture is finished!
Shop Till You Drop
Gin and Sewda 