I am currently working on a quilt which will have a lot of text on it. Basically, it will be a 'wholecloth' - a bilingual text, German parts alternating with English, on a piece of shibori fabric. This is the whole piece of fabric:
I want to stitch the text, using a color for the interior part of the words, and a very narrow line on the edges, alternating between the languages.
Barbara has already given me a full bag of technical advice regarding the stabilizer for the stitching, thanks, Barbara. Now I am at a loss regarding the color of thread to use.
At first I thought I would do a blue similar to the blue of the fabric, and a light gray ('silver' - though not a metallic thread).
But this seems a bit dull, doesn't it? Would blue and red be better - these are two different reds, the one on the right is slightly darker.
I'm always someone to go for yellow, but this seems a bit too strong for me. After all, it's not supposed to be a poster, but something which draws the viewer's attention through other means. We tried different reds with the same yellow:
I still think this is rather a pushy combination.
What do you all think?
Perhaps the dark blue with the duller red from the last picture?
Here's the whole audition I am working with right now - or should I go in a completely different direction?
Is this going to be machine stitching? (I gather from the fact that all the threads are machine threads) Programmed or free-motion? Will you put in the central part first and outline, or do the outline first and then fill in?
ReplyDeleteI suspect the harder decision will be exactly how to execute the letters rather than the choice of colors.
Can you find a pale blue background fabric and stitch some samples? Hard to make judgments from looking at the spools alone. (I have been in the same quandary, and the threads always look different once they're off the spool and on the fabric)
The red and blue combinations sort of evoke images of the American Flag and that of the UK. If that is what you had in mind - perfect. Personally I like Michael's suggestion best. Have you thought about using blues, turquiose and green? You also might want to think about using 3 - 4 shades of one color for the outlines and 3 - 4 shades of a second color for the insides. That could bring a bit more "life" into the project.
ReplyDeleteYes, this will be machine stitching. Free-motion according to the outlines I have copied from a computer print-out onto water-soluble film. I'm planning to copy the outline onto the fabric with a really thin grey thread, then get rid of the film, then do the central part first, and then finish with the outline. Thanks, Kathy, for the idea about doing samples on a similar colour. (Why don't I have smart ideas like this?) And thanks, Barbara, for suggesting even more and other combinations. I don't want to suggest the American or UK flag, so I will see how the samples look like and probably stay away from the brighter red.
ReplyDeleteI will busy myself a bit more with the thought about different shades for outlines and central parts, too. That sounds very interesting...