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At First Light - part four



Woo hoo!  It's finished!  Let me introduce you to At First Light, companion piece to As Daylight Fades.  They are both approximately 3 x 2', all hand painted silk except for the batting and backing fabrics, and all hand stitched.





I started by stitching down the top-most pieces, that is, any pieces that were not covered on any sides by any other pieces.  I then moved on and worked more or less from the center outward so that I could trim pieces as needed as they shifted slightly.  I used a single strand of embroidery floss and stitched through all layers of silk and the batting layer, using a blanket stitch.





The backing fabric was added and cut to size.  I stitched all around the outside with the same blanket stitch.  Even though the image at the top shows straight edges, they are not completely straight: wherever the blocks jutted out slightly around the edges, I allowed them to stay that way.





I added buttons to the back in strategic spots, stitching up through all layers and around seams on the front in order to keep the quilt from sagging.  Since I didn't quilt through the backing fabric, something must be done to help stabilize a quilt this size.  Tiny ones can get away with no buttons or knotting





Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four
Copyright 2011 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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Comments

This is absolutely gorgeous! Ethereal, like fairy dust! Silk is sooooo addictive!
Cyndi L said…
You know it is! I just had to order more plain white yardage...

And, I've been playing with soy silk roving lately. Not silk, I know, but it's got that nice luster just the same :-)
Robbie said…
Such a delicate, peaceful piece!! Just lovely! Idea of the button is also quite clever!!
Cyndi L said…
I've seen it done by several people, Robbie, but I think the first one I learned it from was Nancy Eha.
Ann R. said…
Thanks so much for sharing this. Your work is beautiful. I had been wondering if it was possible to use handpainted silks in a quilt and stumbled upon your postings. Did you finish the edges of the silk pieces in any way before arranging them ?
Cyndi L said…
Thank you, Ann! I don't finish the edges at all. There is a certain amount of unraveling that occurs, and you have to handle them gently, but the paint (I don't use dyes) helps to hold them together a little bit. I just stitch around the outer edges with a single strand of floss, very very carefully!