My Georgia on My Mind, reverse applique piece had tons and I mean tons of hand stitching on it. Because of that, I did chose to fuse a piece of fabric on to the back to cover up the stitching. Was it that bad? I don't know! I honestly didn't think much about it...I just covered it up! If it were machine quilting, I wouldn't have done that. But as I said in discussion I had with Mary, I don't enter shows (other than my group exhibits I participate in) so would I have covered it up for a show? I thought I'd look at my current stitching project and some past ones!
The picture above is my current hand stitching project. Looks decent from the front...not perfect...but decent. After all, this is for me! And if I give it to someone it won't be a quilter! They would critique it too much! I give my quilts to friends or family who don't sew! There's a method to my madness!
Oh, back to the back! So here's a picture of the back of my work. Not perfect...would it pass inspection if in a show?? Most likely not...especially, if a judge needed some reason to award a prize and had to find some factor to eliminate one. Makes sense to me.
This is a shibori piece I did a few years ago with machine quilting, beads and stab stitch. And here's the back.
Not too bad but you sure can see uneven stitches...but that's the charm of hand work, right!
And my current project...the butterfly. I do fuse onto the back of my beading pieces unless they are being mounted on canvas. There's just way too many threads and I think they do look messy.
Here's my red black butterfly from the front...
And from the back! A tad busy, right!!! Maybe I should be more conscious of my hand work. I try to be careful and maintain good workmanship but I'm far from being perfect that's for sure. So what does all this mean...beats the heck out of me!! Just don't look at the back of my work!! If I give you one of my quilts, just smile and talk about it behind my back!
So what do you look like from the back?
Scare me not.. not sure I'd want to know what I look like from the back. But I love the look of the back of a quilt that's hand done or machine quilted. I'm with you on the more random stitching though... not something I want to spend a lot of time gazing at. So I think covering it is a neat and tidy way to go.
ReplyDeleteOh Robbie this is always going to be debated as not everyone can be pleased. I personally like to see the stitching...especially hand stitching...to know how much love was stitched into a piece. I agree that some could be covered and others are to be left alone. This individuality is part of what makes us unique. I embrace those little imperfections...yes, even my own backside which thankfully I don't have to endure looking at too often. Your work is stunning and I love your stitches...each and every one of them. My postcard is total bliss...front and backside my dear!
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