Recycling and circles

Decided to use up some of the thread ends I had been collecting in a tissue box this year. I laid the threads out on “wash away” , chucked some red and yellow Angelina in for good measure. I had some small scraps of plastic film that I had used for dragonfly wings, so I snipped this smaller and sprinkled the snippets on top. I pinned it all around the outside. Using a grey thread first, secured by sewing around the outside, then large circles and swirls in all 4 quarters. Changed thread to a blue silk, and sewed swirls all over. Then a variegated metallic thread, that always breaks, always pulls, and I always manage to break a needle using it, and today was no different.
After soaking the “fabric” in water, I didn’t rinse it as fully, as I wanted the residual glue to hold it together when it was cut into circles. I ironed double sided Vilene to the back, and kept the paper attached.
I keep looking at the fabric, the Angelina catch the light. The small random triangles of plastic film peek through the other threads, also catching the light, so decided to call it “let there be light”.
Possibilities for the design include circles spirally from large to small, or vice versa. I like the idea of different sized circles but I guess will wait and see, depends on how the outlines of the circles sew.
I have been doing some reading on Crop Circles, so these have inspired me to gradually decrease the size of the circles.
Had a play around in “Publisher” making perfect circles, numbered them from large to small, and then printed them out. Roughly cut the circles out. and then glue stiked the circle patterns to the back of the fabric (Paper of Vilene). Violà, cut out perfect circles following the printed circle.
Decided to embroider an asymmetrical circle in a mixture of green threads using free motion zigzag. Still having difficulties with the green varigated thread, but feel I have created dimension. I even remembered to stabilize the back of the fabric before starting sewing – I am learning!

After removing the paper backing, played around with the placement of the circles, pinned them in place, and then ironed them to the fabric. Because of the texture of the “thread” fabric, the Vilene didn’t hold very well, so I ended up glue sticking the circles down.

A metallic silver thread sewn in a curved line from the largest circle to the smallest circle, following the line of the large green circle. I have left the edges of the circles unfinished, and they have fluffed / fringed up creating an unexpected contract to the embroidered circle. Quilted around the circles using a burgundy thread, and quilted smaller circlers inside the large green one. Finished the quilt with a silver sequin and purple bead.

No dragonflies in this quilt, but uses the theme / symbolic “into the light”, and be aware how our life can be transformed when we light a candle, instead of cursing the darkness.

Adinkra Cloth

In the last Quilting Arts magazine, there was an Article on Adinkra – West African Symbolism printed onto cloth. I don’t want to make the stamps, but I am fascinated with the symbolism. I will print the symbols onto fabric using a bubble jet printer.

Using a freezer paper pattern and Shiva paint stiks a I made a dragonfly in the middle of an A4 sized cotton cloth. When dry, I removed the freezer paper.
Considering the words I used in the previous collage, I looked for symbols that reflected the dragonfly.
Using “Publisher” I made several Adinkra symbols ready for printing in a grid pattern. Symbols are from www.welltempered.net/adinkra.. Traditional Adinkra cloth usually has one symbol per grid with very close spacing.
BESE SAKA “Sack of cola nuts” (affluence, abundance, prosperity)
DWENNIMMEN “Rams horns” (humility, strength)
MMERE DANE “time changes” (change, life’s dynamics)
OSRAM NE NSOROMMA “the moon and the star” (love, faithfulness, harmony)
SESA WORMUBAN “I change or transform my life” (Transformation)
BI NKA BI “no one should bite the other” (peace, harmony) I really like this, it reminds me of Ying/Yang)

I also found a Southern Pueblo Indian symbol of the dragonfly, connected with water (purity), and renewal (transformation, change).


Had problems with the network, so had to physically put the file on the bubble jet’s home computer. Didn’t have Publisher, but Corel Photo House, so I had to convert the file, and reformat, as the margins were different to my laser printer set up. Grrrr.

Changed the printers properties to “Transparency”, and “Best”. The freezer paper backed fabric printed okay, but the ink didn’t like printing over the Shiva painted dragonfly. I left it overnight, and heat set it in the morning. Because of the printer set up, I will have to stitch extra “grid” rows on the outside, but it should be okay. I Sewed around the quilt “grid” but didn’t like it, so unpicked it.

Decided to echo quilt instead, starting around the dragonfly in orange thread. Much better result. Had to add a small border of orange fabric to bring it up to A4 size. Zigzagged around the outside with orange thread. The creative imaginings has been used as a force within me.