Category Archives: felt

Free-Form Design Complete

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Home in the Country #2 by Laura Wasilowski

My free-form design on felt is complete. It is stitched to a rectangle of yellow felt using the fly stitch and French knots around the pinked edges. The yellow felt is stitched to a blue cotton fabric that is wrapped around a stiff interfacing.

Creating artwork by improvising a design can be a challenge but it is always rewarding. Sure, you don’t have a sketch or pattern to work from but designing a composition as you go is a cheap thrill! Without a pattern, you are free to let you imagination and chance help you create something unique. I recommend free-form design to everyone!

Free-Form Design Step #3

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The new house constructed on the vacant lot next to the trees looks a little stunned by the giant blue dot object hovering overhead.

But I’ve stitched the house securely to a mound of solid blue earth using a blanket stitch. (The blanket stitch came in handy to add texture to the blue earth too.) The rooftop is held into place with fly stitches and French knots so it’s not going anywhere either. To take the menace out of the big blue dot in the sky, I’m turning it into a flower. What could be sweeter than a giant flower in your front yard?

Free-Form Design Step #2

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This little free-form design began with a step-out from my Nut House project. By turning the step-out swatch horizontally, the few leaves on the end of a branch become trees. I love being an arborist!

See the blue stitch lines of the branches extending to the bottom edge of the fabric swatch? I’ve added extra rows of chain stitches placed closely together to make hardy tree trunks. When you want thick lines, use the chain stitch.

In the vacant space on the right of the trees, I’ve tacked down a free-cut hill and house shape using felt fabrics. With felt there is no worry about the fabric fraying and it’s also easy to stitch through. I’m looking forward to adding hand embroidery to this part of the design.