I love the colours and the idea of making a quick quilt without having to muck around with cutting. I got a thirds pack in the same brand that were a darker purple, so for almost a year now have had an idea in my mind about what to do with them.
However when I opened the packs I found that the sherbert ones are all batiks and the other pack was from a different collection called 'rainbows'. Some where batiks but many others are prints - florals etc etc and just not my style at all for many of them. So I need a new idea!
I started off thinking that I would just do strips and then free hand slash through a few to put some pointed pieces, keeping others as flat joins. Have toyed with the idea of cutting freehand through the whole lot either before or after joining the strips and stitching it all back together but nothing has been gelling in my head as exciting enough to do.
I pinned them up on the design board and it's a bit too busy for me. Maybe having thinner pieces and pointy ends on some will help as visually it will break up the stripes. Then I thought of embellishing over the top once pieced - using shiva sticks or metallic free motion sewing or applique with sheers etc.
I found some beigey textured silk at an op shop and have cut a triangle from this and it seems to blend quite well, so I think I will incorporate some of this in too. And my hope is that if I do strip them all together and then add shiva's it will hopefully make the whole thing more cohesive and can be used as an almost Gustav Klimt kind of background to a sihoette of some sort.
I've looked over the web to see what others have done with bali pops but could only find traditional patterns that really aren't my thing. Would love to hear others opinions and see what others have done. Do you think they need lots of plains to break them up? Will they look modern if splayed with silks?
I'm still getting used to working with patterned fabrics, as a graphic designer and artist my paints and ads tend to come in plain colours - which are much easier to visualise! I did do a couple of digital proofs but they just don't look like the same tone....
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I'm currently working with a pack of Green Bali pops. Interestingly, there are a few ring-ins that aren't batiks, and I'm not sure I like them thrown in. So far, I've just pieced them 3 strips each, together. I don't have any real plan, yet. I'm just going with the flow and idea of the moment. Something will eventuate!
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame they put florals in these pack. I have always thougth they were all batiks prints.
ReplyDeleteLove your work.
Delia
Well the bali pop ones were all batiks (and some amazingly pretty fabrics that I wish I had half metres or more were in that), but the purple pack I got, while still hoffman and wrapped the same etc says "Rainbows" on the card, and that is the one that's a mix between batik, hand dye types and florals.
ReplyDeleteI rarely use florals and when I do they are usually modern or retros. I think I might re package up that pack and sell it cheap on SCQ or something. I'm not sure i'm ever going to use it otherwise. pity!