Quitlets

Everyday I try and do some quilting practice.  I use a very small format of 15cm x 10 cm.  It is really manageable to get a little quiltlet completed in under 1/2 hr.  It is also a great way to experiment with new colours together, new patterning and new ways of design.

How to make a quiltlet

1. Cut up some printed material with random blobs of paint on it.  The pieces of fabric I am using at the moment for my little quiltlets are just pieces of fabric I didn't want to create into any works of art, so I just cut them up for my quiltlets. 

2.  Cut up a small piece of batting and backing fabric just a wee bit larger then the front piece.  Place on top of each other.  There is no need to pin or baste together as it is so small.  

3. Decide on the stitching you want to do.  I wanted to experiment with straight lines and  contrasts on the 2 quiltlets I made.  I used a very dark red thread so it the quilting would pop out.

4.  Experiment with different stitches on the machine.  Most of them never get used in quilting and yet they make a really nice effect.

5.  I wanted to really get a strong contrast in the shapes in this quiltlet so to contrast with the lines I added 5 circles .

The second quiltlet today was quite a contrast of colour,  texture and pattern.  This one was stamped with a a few different handmade rubber stamps.

I followed the same basic design as my first quiltlet with rather a dramatic difference in results.

The fluro yellow didn't stand out quite so much on such a busy background.  

This piece was is moving and busy and the first piece was more solid and stable.

It was a good way to see how thread works on different fabric and and pattern.