Transparent Design

 

"Crimson Bird"

My goal was to paint a transparent design over a busy background.

I started painting a cotton fabric with acrylic paint. I used the small bottles of acrylic paint that you can find in hobby shops. When you use this kind of paint on fabric it can leave a thick layer, making it difficult to sew so you must be careful to put just enough paint.

Took out stencils, in this case stencils I designed and cut and colored with paintsticks. I sandwiched it with batting and a backing fabric. 

Load the sewing machine with Aurifil 12 weight and sew around the bird and plant. I could have left the piece like this but you know how much I like to combine different kinds of threads in the same piece. The texture that is achieved with the combination of different thicknesses of threads makes the piece sing.

I wanted to choose a thread that gives texture but not distraction since the background is colorful enough so I used Invisaline thread on the top and Sew Fine thread in the bobbin. I used an easy stitch design and sewed the whole background slowly. For the finishing touches, I added some beading for the center of the flowers and a french knot for the bird's eye.

Detail