Monday, February 28, 2011

And now, a pink biohazard pillow, in progress

To me, the biohazard symbol is thing of great elegance.


How can something that warns us against such menace as medical waste be so lovely, with its graceful circles and arcs?  Oh, Dow Chemicals, you employed a talented designer back in the 1960s.  (I’m sure he smoked and drank scotch in his office to get through his days.)

I’m trying to stitch it up in pink on a simple quilted pillow top that I made in colors that cheer me. 


My first attempt to transfer the biohazard symbol onto the dark fabric center, using a white, washable transfer pencil on my light box, failed. I just couldn’t make out the image well enough to use it as a guide to stitch.



So I traced the image onto Sulky Solvy, and taped that onto the fabric. I’m stitching the outline through the Sulky Solvy, which isn’t as pleasant as stitching through fabric alone.


Stitching is a visceral experience for me and It just feels slightly naughty to force the needle through the plastic film… but it is kind of fun, too. I love the little pop sound that the Sulky Solvy makes with each stitch.  Delightfully strange, kind of like the biohazard symbol.

3 comments:

  1. *I love the little pop sound that the Sulky Solvy makes with each stitch.*

    Reminds me of being a little kid and popping packing bubbles. Except I just ended up with a sheet of limp plastic, and you'll end up with something beautiful!

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  2. I'm not a huge fan of Solvy, but it does the trick when needed. I like the foundation fabric you chose!

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  3. Gretchen-I can't say that I loved the Solvy, either. It did the trick, like you said. I've been working on an crazy collaborative gnome project and I can't wait to get back to stitching! Thanks! I really like the foundation fabric, too. xoox, O

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