Swirly and Simon are Geniuses

Crazy Patchwork by Jeannette Knake was a surprising book for me. I am a traditional knitter and hand embroiderer and will admit to being put off by the cover images and my heart sank when just a few pages in I saw that the technique required spray adhesive. Usually this would be a total no-no for me but I felt that I should swallow my purist pride and have a go. I needed to buy the water soluble stabiliser and I was really pleasantly surprised to find that it had a soft texture rather than a slippery feel and felt quite robust. I also needed to buy spray adhesive and this is where I felt I went wrong. The book called for a water soluble spray adhesive and in retrospect I think they meant the kind you might use for holding a quilt sandwich in place, I just bought a standard artists spray ad I think either I used too much or it wasn’t water soluble as my sample is still sticky!

My three year old loved helping me lay down pieces of fabric scraps, net, organza and wool. I made my sample very fine but I think you could have made quite a thick layer with more spray. We machined it and rinsed it to make our piece in about half an hour, I will use mine as a base for hand embroidery rather than clothing. I remain to be convinced about how practical a garment constructed from this made fabric would be, but I am a reluctant convert to the joys of glue in textiles. I think this book would be a really good technical guide for anyone wanting to try a new method of constructing fabric from scraps. I also think that apart from the ventilation concerns with spray adhesive it would be a good basis for a workshop with children, and at £6.99 felt like good value, especially as the additional equipment you might need if you already stitch is not expensive.