blog imageThis is a scrapture. What is a scrapture? It’s a picture made from scraps, of course. Fabric scraps, particularly cotton. There’s a reason for using cotton, but I’ll get to that later. First I have to tell you that this is my very first post on my first blog, so I hope you’ll forgive my learning path here and the mistakes I’ll make.

This scrapture is called “Orchid on My Window Sill.” It’s small – just 9 inches by 12 inches.

I loved the way the winter sunlight coming in the window lit up parts of the blossoms and filtered through the leaves. So I took several photos of it, and printed out the ones I liked best then used them to help me remember where to put the small, coloured cotton scraps just where I wanted them. Some elements of this scrapture are larger. This is one of the few scraptures that has many larger elements – mostly the parts of the window frame and the background.

In other posts I’ll be able to show  close-up photos showing the edges of all the small bits of fabric that together act like brush-strokes of paint, allowing the picture to come to life. What I’m doing in my scraptures is using bits of coloured cotton fabric instead of paint. I’m painting with fabric! My “brushes” are my fingers, some great tweezers, small, sharp scissors, and that’s about it. No glue. Nothing holds the cotton scraps together but stitches. And I can’t put in the stitches until I have the entire picture completed and can carry it to my sewing machine, where I madly free-motion quilt densely all over so that every piece is attached firmly to the background. How do I do this?

Keep checking my blog and I’ll show you how I do it. It’s so much fun.

Here’s a closing thought, one that keeps me coming back for more scrapture play:

Within the word “SCRAPTURE” hides the word, “RAPTURE.” Isn’t that wonderful?

 

 

3 thoughts on “My First Post

  1. Wow!!!!
    You guys are amazing. Everytime I go to throw a scrap away I think of you Frances and ask myself, should I save this for Frances.
    Luv,
    Faye PFC (Professional Fabric Collector)
    >/<

  2. Now I know why I have saving all those scraps, can’t wait to try this. I have used the soluble stabilizer with yarn to make scarfs,same idea.

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