What has cheesecloth and crazy quilting have in common?? Read more to find out.
Growing up cheesecloth was a staple in our home. It was used for straining stocks, custards and lemon curd. BUT most of my memories are wrapping the Christmas pudding with it prior to wrapping with foil. I don’t make Christmas pudding every year but when I do I use a steamer now.
The primary use of cheesecloth is in some styles of cheesemaking, where it is used to remove whey from cheese curds and to help hold the curds together as the cheese is formed.
So, how can it be used in crazy quilting?
I first started experimenting with dyeing cheesecloth when I did surface design techniques on fabric for my “traditional” quilting. It absorbs the dye beautifully and is often used in machine needle felting. You would layer whatever you were felting with a layer of cheesecloth on top. While my chosen colour scheme did not require any dyed cheesecloth, I just happened to have some very loosely woven cheesecloth I had picked up in grey for Halloween decorations years ago. I decided to bring it to the class one day so students could get an idea of how it could be used.
I have used it above as an extension of the button cluster. I wanted to give the illusion of a fine veined leaf. I was also thinking about the appearance of a spider web coated with a fine mist or dew. While this particular cheesecloth was loosely woven, I did pull it apart even more to give it a web like look. Once it was in place I added some flower charms and beads.
I think it turned out quite well, what do you think?
Lesson learned, never underestimate cheesecloth! AND if you need some threads to embellish your crazy quilting, check out the SHOP.
