Use your scraps and favorite fabrics to create a detailed illustration with free-motion stitching and embellishment. Tina Givens, illustrator and fabric designer, shows us an easy patchwork technique to create strikingly detailed scenes and illustrations.

Materials list:

Basically, all you need are your favorite scraps of fabric and some sewing supplies. For 'LUV' I used 5 fabrics including a solid for her face and arm, and one for the background. But note: you could use a softly patterned fabric for her skin, just keep in mind you want her stitched facial features to contrast well. And, if using a patterned background, use something that's dramatically different from your fabrics used in creating 'LUV.' I made 'LUV' with a 1/16 th to 1/8 th of a yard of each fabric. For an 8 1/2" x 11" you can use much smaller pieces. For her background, you need enough to create a 4" border or deeper depending on what you will do with the finished piece.

• 3 patterned fabrics (scraps to accommodate pieces of LUV)
• 1 fabric for face and arm (enough to accommodate the pattern)
• 1 fabric for background - 1/2 yard to full yard (depending on finished size)
• Tracing paper and pencil
• Scissors
• Thread (chocolate or other dark color)
• Sewing machine with free-motion foot

Optional:

• Interfacing for all appliqued pieces (I did not use, but it makes it easier)
• Embellishments such as ribbon, charms, beads, craft wire