One Way to Add Texture to an Art Quilt

An abstract art quilt with lavander,pink, and grey colors
Long strips of cotton with the threads couched on them.

Introduction

Yarn Adds Texture to an Art Quilt

Use yarn to create fabric to add texture to an art quilt. I zigzag or couch multiple pieces of yarn on strips of  100% cotton. Then I cut them up and use the pieces  as fabric in my art pieces. Decorative threads can also be used.

brightly colored yarn
Yarn I inherited from my mother.

My First Inspiration

I have several small spools of yarn I inherited from my mother.   Their bright colors attracted me. I don’t know what my mother had used them for. I wanted them for something,although I didn’t know for what. They languished in my studio for a long time before a perfect use came up.

My Second Inspiration

Several years back at a large quilt show, I saw a piece that had a large amount of yarn jammed on top into big blob. To be honest, I didn’t like effect at all. But it gave me the idea to use  yarn in a more orderly fashion. I stumbled upon a way to create more  texture for my pieces.

Materials


First, I  chose the colors that I want to use in my art quilt. I go through my box of decorative threads and yarns looking for yarn with texture and complementary shade of color. Using a long strip of cotton fabric, 20”-40” long and 5” to 6” wide, I begin.  Other backings like ribbon didn’t work well as it was slippery and was not easy to sew with. I zigzag(couch) the yarn to the cotton strip.  I  prefer to match the sewing thread color to the yarn as that the color of the yarn stands out more; the stitching appears invisible. But that is a personal choice one can make.

Suggestions


Don’t worry about the lines being straight.
A thin piece of yarn can be doubled or tripled to become thicker .
Vary your use of threads  for texture.
Remember to leave space for the 1/4″seam allowance.
Don’t sew too close to the side edges of the cotton fabric.

zigzagging threads
Next,various strips of cotton with yarn and decorative threads zigzagged on them.
Then,long strips of cotton with the yarn couched on them.

More Suggestions

Sometimes I keep the threads straight and sometimes I cross one thread on top of another.  I like the movement this creates on my art quilts. Overthinking this process is not necessary. I find it fun and relaxing. If things don’t turn out as I would like then I can just save the piece for another project.  After 5 or 6 pieces of yarn have been couched, then I randomly cut them into pieces to use as fabric.

couching decorative threads
Sometimes I use linen with a slight design on it for added texture.
Finally,I cut up the long strips. They are ready to be used as fabric.

Conclusion
It will be easy to find interesting yarns and decorative threads at flea markets or garage sales. There won’t be enough yarn for a scarf or a sweater but there will be more than enough for your couching projects.

https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/02/decorative-threads-add-texture/

http://annbmayartquilts.etsy.com/

https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2021/02/the-making-of-an-abstract-quilt/

By Ann

Ann Baldwin May was born and raised in Palo Alto, California. She received her education from University of California, Irvine (History, BA Elementary Teaching Credential, Masters in Teaching Spanish) Her first quilting class was in 1975. She retired in 2012 after working 30 years as a bilingual teacher and Bilingual Resource Teacher in Watsonville. After making over 300 bed quilts, she turned her attention to art quilts. Ann is passionate about using repurposed materials often from the San Francisco Design Center. She has won several awards for her work. Kaiser Permanente has purchased five pieces for their Santa Cruz County facilities. Her work has been juried into shows all over the country including San Francisco and Chicago. She participates in the juried Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour. She is married and has two daughters. Ann Baldwin May Santa Cruz Art Center, 1001 Center St.#4 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 baldwinmay49@yahoo.com 831.345.1466 annbaldwinmayartquilts.com Facebook- AnnBaldwinMayArtQuilts@annbaldwinmay Instagram-annbaldwinmay

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