It struck me recently that this blog could be a good place to share information on techniques that we come across in the course of creating our quilts. I know that there are several techniques that my fellow Endeavourers have used that I would love to know more about!
Today on my blog I have shared my first attempt at creating a machine wrapped cord and it seemed like that might be something that could easily be incorporated into a spiral themed quilt, so I thought that I would share the technique here too.
My original introduction to the technique was at an embroidery workshop I attended in February when we were trying our hands at quilting with paper. This example of a tree bark inspired piece showcased the use of the machine wrapped cords very effectively.
To create my own machine wrapped cord I started off with this length of cord that was either a bag handle in a former life or was the leftovers from some piping!
I used a turquoise thread in the bobbin throughout this experiment but alternated between the three threads above to create a variegated effect for my cord.
With the machine set to a standard zigzag stitch I dropped the feed dogs and pulled the cord through the machine whilst stitching. At times when the cord was more difficult to pull through each thread colour would bunch up but for me that only added to the overall effect.
As you can see after a few passes through the sewing machine I ended up with a tightly wrapped and variously coloured cord. Although this actual cord is intended for another beach themed embroidery I am sure that you can see how it might work very well on a spiral-themed piece :)
