The challenge was a struggle for me. I have not done a lot of elaborate applique work so I really learned a lot.
This challenge was created by Anne Kelly. In this challenge, the idea is to create a folk art flower composition using fabric scraps from your stash.
You can cut flowers from a fabric scrap you have, cut out a vase shape, arrange them on background fabric, and glue them down with a glue stick. Once they are in place, you can either stitch down each piece or sew over the entire piece with a technique called overstitching.
I used upholstery fabric for the vase and I got the flowers from a cotton fabric I had. I guess I must like a mustard color. I labored over the composition for a week, arranging and re-arranging the pieces until finally getting the courage to glue them down. Once the flowers and vase were glued down, I used the sewing machine to run straight stitches over the whole piece.
I struggled to find complementary colors to go with the mustard. I wanted turquoise or a bright red orange so instead I made some butterflies and birds on felt and attached them. I used lots of color and I am still not sure if it all works.
I added little touches of variegated thread to highlight certain areas and add more color.
i added the Iris Apfel glasses in the corner and then added a lot of little hand stitched details like the trails behind the butterflies and small stitches between the flowers. I also added the black and white ribbon to the top and bottom to try to bring it all together.
I stopped when it felt 80% done and before I could start adding beads, which I was getting ready to do.
I really learned so much from this challenge and had a lot of fun in the process which I did in little bursts though out the course of 2 weeks. This is really fun to try if you are new to applique. I guarantee you will learn a lot!
Thanks for stopping by.
Stay healthy,
Pam