QUILTsocial | Issue 08

In this article, we explore embroidery stenciling technique
using fabric dye to create your one of a kind wrap for your
favourite body pillow. These pillows are generally larger
than most standard pillows. These can be used for an
existing pillow you already have, or you can sew your own
body pillow to co-ordinate with your pillow wrap. For this
issue our focus is everything about slopes, snow, wintery
highlights. And this was achieved by selecting embroidery
of that nature, with snowflakes, trees, and decorative
snowflake like stitches.
Imagine this pillow displayed in an entrance to a
kitchen, a mudroom, in any room of the house on the
longer bench style chairs.
Also visualize colour and room variations and beds,
rattan or wicker furniture. Make seasonal versions.
Choose embroideries which are open and with lighter
stitch counts, trace outlines, sketch-like embroideries,
all of which can also be found or created in the
Premier+ embroidery software.
The idea is to experiment. The techniques can be
applied to any project for home decorating, fashion
or quilting. Another creative idea is to explore dyeing
process with an assortment of methods.
There’s a multitude of ways to use the embroidered blocks,
to include wall hangings stretched over canvas, quilts,
handbags, pillows, home decorating accessories.
This pillow wrap can be pieced and then quilted. You
may choose to line it or make it reversible. Or it can
be left as just pieced and no quilt batting. There are so
many possibilities.
Fabric dyes can be used for this stenciling technique,
or bleach dyeing using bleach and water, or tie dye, or
dip dyeing or even tea dyeing. Fabric dyes come in a
multitude of variations as well. The one selected for this
project was a dye using hot water.
The reason this is considered embroidery stenciling,
is because the stencil is created using machine
embroidery, with a special stabilizer on the surface.
When the stabilizer is removed in different areas it
creates a dye specific area. Essentially the embroidery
combined with the removal of the special stabilizer in
different areas is creating an embroidery stencil.
Like many forms of stencils on plastic materials, the
embroidery itself becomes the stitch out pattern for the
stencil. And the stabilizer with its repellency during the
dye process prevents the dye from penetrating specific
areas of the embroidery.
As you’ll see later in the steps, of creating these blocks,
the sky really is the limit to endless possibilities.
If you wanted to experiment with rubber bands and tie
specific areas of the embroidery, or background fabric,
or fade areas using bleach and water method, the
effects are very interesting.
The theme of this project is fabric dyeing.
Different fabric types are affected in the dye process.
Depending on the composition of the animal, plant or
synthetic fibres, each one reacts differently. Some fabrics
have to be saturated longer than others, or additional
applications of spray or soaking may be necessary.
It’s very important when selecting the dye to read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions.
As mentioned in previous articles, it’s important to
remember that a mix of assorted fabrics gives surface
interest, and in this case cotton is used, but silks, linens,
wools, or synthetics, can all be dyed. Embroider a lace piece
to co-ordinate and dye it to co-ordinate or contrast with
your artistic piece.
Q
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UILTsocial
| issue 8 79