PLEATED LETTERS

 

I wondered if pleats could form letters.
 

A few details of this experiment using random pieces of scrap:

“I” : double pleats + strip of batting = volume, visual weight.

Did this to balance “I” against “D”, “E” and “A”,

 which are wider and have more complex lines.

 If left as a single vertical pleat, "I", even as a wide pleat,
would be overshadowed by its companions.

By the way, all this was eye-balled. No measurements etc.

“A”: I wanted to give prominence to the two diagonals,

which are the defining lines of this letter.

 

 To do this, the horizontal pleat was sewn first,

followed by the two slanted pleats.

 

Note that this is different from how I would write “A”,

where the horizontal line is drawn last.
 

I learnt from this that the pleat sewn first would be “recessed”,

pressed down by the pleats sewn over it.
 

I had to think about recessed and prominent lines of each letter

to determine the order of sewing.

 

Sometimes, this may mean going against the instinct

of sewing in the same order as writing.

* * *
The three-dimensional effect of these letters appeals to me.

Question in my head at the end of this experiment:

 Would it work to mix and match

pleated letters +
improv letters or foundation paper pieced letters

to form a word/sentence?

* * *
 

Not ironed. I like it puffy!

 

I chose the word, “idea”, to thank Ann and Kaja for starting AHIQ.

 

This is a great platform to test and share ideas and I am grateful for it.
  

I was told this by a senior director of an organisation I worked for:

If you have a dollar in your pocket and
the person next to you has a dollar in her pocket and
you both exchanged what you have,
you'd still end up with a dollar each.

But if you have an idea and the person next to you
has an idea and you both exchanged ideas,
you'd end up with more ideas than you started with
and be the richer for it.
 

(Modified from a quote by George Bernard Shaw)

~Ema N~

 

Read about my Pleated Patchwork experiment here.

 

 Linking up with AHIQ.

 

 

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission.

GOLD!

Here's my thought process for this month's theme:

Gold --- Gold Medal --- Sports

So I used marathon race bibs to make a pouch.

 

You know, those rectangular pieces with numbers 

that runners pin on their t-shirts.

These bibs are from a colleague who runs full and half marathons,

some times competitively, other times for fun.

I made the pouch the usual way.
Sewing seams with right sides together then turning them out.

Well, this plastic-whatever race bib material creased terribly

and the colour flaked off in places when I turned them right side out.

 

Both sides of race bib pouch.

In desperation, I ironed it on a low temperature setting with a press cloth.

 

That flattened the creases, but they are still there and

I fear they are permanent.

But my colleague liked this “distressed” look.

Phew!!!

 

 

See the pic above? Notice the two new bibs from my colleague.

She wants another pouch!

~Ema N~

Linking up with

See what others created for Le Challenge's "Gold" theme!

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission

 

PURPLE SWEET POTATO

 

Freshly steamed purple sweet potato --- the perfect snack on a chilly day.

 

Love the colour!

 

I want to make a patchwork quilt using colours of fruits and vegetables :-)

 

~Ema N~

 

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission



 

PLEATED PATCHWORK

 

I'd been making some clothes recently and had to sew pleats.

 

I thought it would be interesting to use these on patchwork blocks too.

 

So, yesterday, I experimented.

 

Before ironing!

 

Machine-stitched pleats onto a strip of cloth.

 

* No measuring, no markings
 

* The width of each pleat and the spacing between them are different
 

* A few pleats are straight, others are slanting
 

* On the gingham and purple flower blocks, cross-pleats were added

(sorry, not the best photo – please look closely!)

 

 

I do like the texture created by the pleats.

 

The effect is best on solid colour fabric and not prints.

 

Making all blocks pleated is too much for the eye to handle.

 

But I think ONE pleated/textured block in the centre

surrounded by plain blocks can be very interesting indeed!



~Ema N~

 

 Linking up with AHIQ.

 

 

Photos and text belong to the author of this blog, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not use without permission.