2016 New Applique Project

Inspired by the silk applique class I took in September from Chris Wickert, I’m moving on to an original, all-applique project. Here are the steps I’ve taken so far: [If you’re seeing this on Facebook, please click on the photo to see all steps.)

Beginning Sketch

Design based on “Eden” (c) Kathy Thaden: http://thadenmosaics.com. I want to interpret the texture and glowing colors of mosaic tiles in fabric.

Pattern at Full Size

Next I cleaned up the edges of individual tiles and spaced them so even amounts of the background would show to represent grout. The final size will be approximately 24″ x 36″.

Tentative Color Placement

With a fistful of felt pens, I auditioned colors. The fabrics will have much greater variation, but this is a general sense of a progression from muted purples through nearly orange at the bottom.

Background Marked for Applique Placement

The background fabric is solid black, which should help the tile colors stand out. I used a chalk pencil to mark the placement of the appliques. I think I’m ready now to begin cutting fabrics and stiff interfacing to suggest the dimension of tiles.

More to come.