Certificate Module 5 Chapter 5 part 4

5.5.13 Trapunto or stuffed quilting

I'm not satisfied with today's grubby little nothing of a sample, especially in view of the many hours I spent on it!  I enjoyed the technique, stuffed quilting, otherwise known as trapunto.  Two layers of fabric are laid one on top of the other and the shape to be stuffed is outlined in stitch.  Slits are then cut in the back through which stuffing may be pushed and then the slits stitched  up.  However I think I did it in too small a scale for my large, clumsy hands and it was hard to get the stuffing inside.  One thing that helped was a little tool that used to belong to my late sister-in-law.  I don't know the original purpose of it, but it was helpful in pushing the stuffing into the shapes as well as being a nice reminder of a much loved person and her exquisite sewing.

Mystery tool which helped so much with the trapunto

The image was inspired by an unusual fungus that I saw while out for a walk.  It almost looked quilted.

unusual fungus

While it is frustrating to spend a lot of time on something which hasn't really worked, it has taught me a lot about the technique and that small intricate shapes are not the best to work with.  I think that this particular image might be better suited to a different form of quilting.  I'd like to try this technique again, using simpler, larger shapes and perhaps using machine stitching to outline the shapes since the hand sewing took a great deal of time.

I thought to start with that this sample had achieved nothing, but on reflection, I think I have learned more about the technique than if I had done a sample that worked right first time.  Failures are but learning opportunities after all.