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Tuesday 1 October 2013

Green Bowl

Too bad this can't count as a 'green' piece because the colour is so close.  I thought you'd like to see what I have been doing this afternoon.  The material is called eyelash fabric and unfortunately the shop only had silver, gold, red and green (could Christmas be around the corner?!).  My local craft centre is holding an exhibition early next year for visually impaired visitors - called Tactile Textures.  I have submitted my Braille quilt and also some coiled baskets made of different ropes, cords, and fabrics.  I hope this one will be accepted because it has a lovely delicate tickling feel...


The fabric is on the right - but look what a treasure trove of sparkly green bits you get from cutting strips!  You can imagine they are stuck to me, the carpet, everywhere I go I seem to be leaving a trail of green eyelashes!

Hilary

5 comments:

  1. What fun fabric, and what a lovely bowl!

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  2. Please describe the technique for this Hilary. It is intriguing.

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  3. Michele, it is not a new idea and I learnt it from Helen Deighan some years ago. This bowl was made using 6mm polypropylene (?) cord which is wrapped with 1" wide strips of straight cut fabric. The fabrics can be anything from cotton to nylon to the tarty fabric I used. If you use a decent cord like a cotton or jute then it doesn't have to be covered. I use a tough needle and my #29 darning foot. I set the machine on a zig zag width of 3 and length 2. Match your thread colour because it is going to show. Stitch the base to the size you want and then the 'technical bit': you tilt the flat base as far up with your left hand as the machine will allow and keep carrying on stitching the coil. Hey Presto! - the sides appears.
    The zigzag stitch must just catch the sides of the cord - if you stitch too far into the thickness you will break the needle - trust me I know. You must leave the feed dogs up as you want the machine to feed the bowl through. Any darning foot will do as long as you can stitch a zigzag stitch in the hole.
    I have some white cotton cord which I am struggling with (it's just a bit fatter than 6mm) but I want to dip dye it and create something different - well, that's the theory.
    It is possible to create patterns by simply changing after a few rows of one colour, but with a lot of patience I have created more complex patterns and designs on some flat mats I made for a quilt about animal poaching in Africa.
    The possibilities are endless - for instance, the base doesn't have to be round. Phil has made some beautiful baskets.
    Hope this makes sense.

    Hilary

    PS I think there was about 20 metres of cord for this bowl which measures 5.5" tall and is 9" diametre at the top. H

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  4. As Hilary says I have had great fun with this technique ..... it can be quite addictive. Keeping it simple and flat it makes wonderful place mats which are full washable and dry in no time. The other book I have is 'It's a Wrap - sewing fabric purses, baskets and bowls' by Susan Breier.

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