Free Motion Weaving
So I left you all on the edge of your seat yesterday with a post about my weirdest stash – all my stray and spent threads.
And now you can see how I’ve turned trash into treasure by stitching all those threads together to create this awesome cuff bracelet:
I’ve had it in mind to make something like this for a long time, but I couldn’t get past the fear of messing something up or wasting my time on a project that didn’t work out, so I kept putting it off. It was only after seeing all the beautiful colors of that blazing sun all piled together that I decided enough was enough. I HAVE to make something pretty today!
So here’s exactly what I did:
I layered all the threads in between two sheets of Solvy Water Soluble Stabilizer and stitched the snot out of it. The quilting was really interesting because I could barely see what I was doing over all those threads!
I quilted it twice with two different colors of thread, then bound the edges by attaching a piece of red fabric to the top and stitching along the edge, leaving a hole to turn the piece right side out.
Then I edge stitched to keep the piece from distorting and quilted over the piece one more time with Snake Paisley in yellow thread. At this point, the bracelet was complete and I washed away all the water soluble stabilizer and curled it around a bottle of lotion for a few days to dry out.
All told it only took a few hours to turn all that trash thread into a beautiful bracelet that I can’t wait to wear on my upper arm in the summer with a cute halter top!
I definitely want to experiment with this technique more. I’m going to call it free motion weaving because that’s what it really feels like to me – weaving threads together, but with multiple free motion fillers which can add many interesting textures to the surface.
Now if that hasn’t convinced you to start saving stray, spent threads then I don’t know what will!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
who would have thought!! that's cool, now you can do so much more with this…. SIGH, just another thing to save…. threads!
Oh, I forgot to say that my guild saves all our scraps and threads and we make dog beds for the local shelter.
Really, really nice job!
I <3 the look of the inside, too! It looks like butterfly wings.
You blow me away. I use that solvy and use stray yarns but never would have thought of a bracelet. Your mind just goes and goes. I know you are a genius…that is why you have such highs and lows emotionally and a racing mind. You feel more deeply, you think more profoundly, you invent constantly. It must be hard for your brillance to stay confined to a meager human body. We all thank heaven for people like you….but even thinking about how hard it is to be a mere mortal must be difficult. You just need your husband and child to keep you grounded for us to enjoy. Thank you for all your efforts on everyone's behalf….but keep taking care of YOU.
This is really nice. The edges of the cuff have a perfect finish.
Lovely work, Leah. By using up the bits, you are the queen of green too, besides the best free-motion quilting designer on the planet!
Such an amazing cuff bracelet!!
You blow me away. I use that solvy and use stray yarns but never would have thought of a bracelet. Your mind just goes and goes. I know you are a genius…that is why you have such highs and lows emotionally and a racing mind. You feel more deeply, you think more profoundly, you invent constantly. It must be hard for your brillance to stay confined to a meager human body. We all thank heaven for people like you….but even thinking about how hard it is to be a mere mortal must be difficult. You just need your husband and child to keep you grounded for us to enjoy. Thank you for all your efforts on everyone's behalf….but keep taking care of YOU.
Need
More
PICTURES!
I'm more of a visual learner…
Your cuff is GORGEOUS!!!
=-)
Leah,
Hello! Lovely job on your Cuff Bracelet, justifies all those threads I keep hiding away, my family thinks I'm a little mad now they will know I'm not.
Wow – that's amazing Leah! Can't wait to see more!!!
Your cuff turned out nicely! From what I can see of the inside it is really done well as well! I had not thought of a cuff, but may have to make one now…..thanks for the inspiration…
Leah,
Why did the bracelet have to be turned? If you had bound it and then washed out the stabilizer would that have worked? I may have missed something…
Sounds like a cool way to use some pretty threads.
Thanks
just echoing (no pun intended) what quilter501 said. Very insightful comments.
Love it 🙂
~ Jae
Great idea! It's beautiful!