[-photo essay, fiber art-]

by Nancy S.M. Waldman

Patchwork quilting is an exacting process. There is a great deal of planning, measuring, precise cutting and piecing. Some of us are cut out (ahem, *sorry!*) for that and some aren’t. Or perhaps it’s a discipline that we enjoy at some times and not others.

At times we may just want to be spontaneous, playful and get quick results create with our textiles.

Here are some examples of a kind of stitchery that requires none of the planning and precision of quilting, but that can give stunning results.

There is no one name that sums up this kind of work. It includes raw edge collage, surface stitching, whole cloth manipulation and fabric weaving. The idea is to make a new textile by combining more than one kind of fabric by layering the elements and using surface stitching rather than hidden seams to make them one.

Here is an example of a simple and quick project. It is a placemat made from three fabrics woven together and surface stitched until it becomes one. Below, you see the base fabric cut into wavy strips.

A strip of fabric was left uncut at one end. This edge was basted onto a piece of interfacing the size of the finished mat.

The two alternating fabrics were also cut into wavy strips.

These were then woven into the base fabric. Don’t worry if all the corners don’t meet exactly. You can remedy that with your overstitching. Pin or lightly hand-basted the strips to the interface backing to keep everything in place while it is being stitched.

This one is top-stitched in a wavy, random pattern in both contrasting and matching thread colours. In order to add durability to a project that will have to stand up to fairly frequent laundering, there are vertical strips of zig-zag stitches in various colours.

Once the stitching is finished, it’s backed and the edges finished and in a afternoon’s work, you have a lovely new placemat for your (or someone else’s) table.

This kind of weaving can be done with straight edges for a more traditionally patchwork look.

Decide beforehand what kind of surface stitching best matches the fabrics and results you want. They can be contrasting colours or ones that blend in, or both. They can be random or follow a deliberate pattern. The patterns can be angular, squared-off or wavy. Use plain or decorative, zig-zag or straight, single or double stitching.

This table cover was also made using this technique —but taken to extremes. The fabrics are swatches from decorating sample books. They were cut into random slits, woven in random directions, over-stitched and sometimes re-cut into strips and re-woven. The table base that this was designed to cover has curved sides and front and this technique worked beautifully to be able to mold it to the precise shape needed.

This is rather old and has been washed several times. The fraying, raw edges are more pronounced, but the whole piece is quite sturdy.

Another fun alternative is to cut slits in the middle of a piece of cloth, weave other fabrics into it and over stitch the whole thing. Here’s a more delicate “shabby chic” pillow top that uses this technique. This pillow was one I had purchased years ago. The front was made from old linen and lace. The linen fell to pieces a while back, but the lace and structure of the pillow was intact. To refurbish it, I cut slits in the white lining and wove in strips from old handkerchiefs. These were then top stitched extensively.

In addition to the weaving, other bits of fabric can be appliqued to the surface design. As long as your raw edges are securely stitched, it will hold up well.

This small lap quilt I made for my niece, emily, shows this technique as well as the interspersed woven sections. I divided the whole cloth of the floral background fabric into thirteen squares (3 rows of 3, 2 rows of 2). Strips were cut into those areas and then interwoven with other floral fabrics and top stitched to secure all fabrics. Appliques of additional fabrics were also added and surface stitched.

Raw edge collage is also wonderful for representation or impressionist fiber art as well. Here is one from fiber artist, Suze Corte. It’s titled, Coming Apart at the Seams and uses vintage quilt scraps, fabric, buttons, lace, threads and a shard from a china dish—all with raw edge technique.

© 93-07 suze corte, all rights reserved

Stayed tuned! We’re going to be showing you more of this kind of fabric collage work in the months to come.

For more instruction in all these techniques, you might be interested in
On the Surface, by Wendy Hill.