Notan Technique

I was going to post a photo of my Notan technique quiltlet but apparently theres a problem with blogspot and I can't upload them so I'll do it late.

I've had a really hard time with this Surface Design swap wondering how I was going to do it in fabric then I had a thought. Spraystarch. The Notan technique is an exercise in positive and negative design using paper mostly. It's a bit like cutting out those doilies you made at Xmas as a child. You know, fold a circle of paper and cut on the folds but leave some to hold the pattern together. With Notan you cut the design from a square and by folding out part of the design you leave a negative image behind. Anyway it gave me a headache until I thought of spraystarching the fabric so it would fold like paper and I could then cut the design out. I cut out a template from card and scanned it into the PC and manipulated it to create an all over design showing positive and negative patterning. I then printed it out onto cotton using different coloured backgrouns. I was quite pleased with the effort and finally raw edge appliqued the original sized design on top and quilted the whole thing.

I received a Notan swap from Cindy which shows the negative and positive design in paper very well indeed. I'll post that later too.

Finally caught up with my mountain of ironing today thank goodness. Ironing and washing windows are my pet hate but unlike the windows where I can just put the lights on earlier if they get too grubby, there is a limit to the amount of unironed clothing I can bear lying around.

Feeling really tired today, think it's a result of all that driving around we did at the weekend. I really am not used to moving too far. Talk of travelling we booked a few days in Valkenburg but got to know this morning that it's been cancelled due to lack of interest. Darn I was really looking forward to seeing the Christmas Caves. There's another one we can book going just before Xmas and if Keith can get the time off work (holiday) we'll go then. Might even be a better time to go.