Here it is (on the left):

second leaf prototype

You’ll have to click in for the details.

And here is an annotated version:

second prototype leaf, annotated

The green section is blanket stitch done in a contrasting thread (thanks Lara for the suggestion!).  The turquoise section is blanket stitch done in matching thread.  The royal blue section has the top edge turned under and appliqued down (thanks Lynda), and the magenta is blanket stitch but with much closer spacing.

Oddly, I think I still prefer the overcast stitch from the first prototype, as wobbly as it is.  Second place goes to the machine zigzag, also from the first prototype.

Here is my thinking:

• Blanket stitch produces a nice neat edge.  But the stitches are perpendicular to the edge, which is unnatural in a leaf.  Using a matching thread decreases the effect, but when you look closely at it, it is still somewhat disruptive.
• Applique looks really good – the best, in fact – up until you hit the tips of the leaves.  Then it looks awful.  I’m sure this could be fixed with skilled work, but I don’t have the skills now and am not going to develop them in the next 24 hours.  So applique, much as I like it, is out.
• Machine zigzag produces a nice neat edge, but it feels harsh and stiff.  And looks cheap, according to my admittedly biased opinion.
• Hand overcasting, while irregular, expresses the crinkly, diagonal “feel” of the tiny veins in a leaf.

So I think I have decided to do hand overcasting, either in a matching or slight contrast thread.  Rayon embroidery thread is probably a better choice than polyester or silk sewing thread – the first is too springy and the second doesn’t come in an appropriate color set.  A third option is embroidery floss, but I think it’s a little thicker than I would like.  I will have to experiment, of course.

I also think I like the more complex, articulated leaf (the second prototype) better than the simplified version.  It’s more interesting up close, and looks fine at a distance, too.

prototype leaf, closeup

• Turquoise: hand overcast with the same rayon embroidery thread used for the veins
• Magenta: hand overcast with a matching sewing thread (i.e. matte, not glossy)
• Green: machine zigzagged in matching sewing thread, and then trimmed back to the stitching
• Royal blue: machine zigzag over a cut edge with matching sewing thread
• Orange: machine zigzag in a matching rayon embroidery thread, then trimmed back to the stitching.

And since the look against a green background is irrelevant, here is what it looks like in situ:

And a view from further back:

leaf, medium distance

This is getting closer to what I want.  Close up, the leaf has delicate veining which rewards the close-up viewer, but further away, the leaf becomes a single block of color, strong enough to stand on its own against the rest of the garment.  I am pleased with this construction and will likely use it for the final leaves (which I will start sewing up tomorrow).

What I have not yet decided is how to handle the edges.  The machine zigzagged edge definitely produces a neater edge, but it is also harder-looking, and – to be quite honest – I am prejudiced against machine zigzagged edges.  They remind me of Girl Scout badges or sew-on patches commemorating a visit to some touristy location.  I just don’t like the look, and I think it’s too “hard” for this application.  I’d rather not use it unless I have to.

At the same time, however, I think my hand overcasting needs help, being uneven and somewhat messy-looking.  It does provide a softer, more handmade look, which I like, but it also looks amateurish.  If I could get neat, even stitches, I would totally go for it; as it is, I’m ambivalent.  I think I will probably use it, in the end, if only to  get the specter of Girl Scout badges out of my head.  But I will try to practice some more before doing the “real” leaves.

The only thing I haven’t tried yet is adding fine wire to the edges to make the leaves more three-dimensional.  I will play with that in the morning.

After that I took a two-hour nap (the aftermath of being up far too late the night before), and when I woke up, I rearranged the swatches, layering the transparent fabrics over the opaque ones until I had some color combinations I liked.

And here we are:

color swatches for leaves

And a close-up, that shows some of the color variation:

closeup of swatches

I’ve also bought a bunch of rayon embroidery thread, both to zigzag the edges if I go that route and to hand-embroider the veins onto the leaves:

lots of rayon embroidery thread!

I bought some holographic thread for fun, but I really doubt I’m going to use it – the sparkle doesn’t go with the rest of the piece.

Next up is to determine the construction.  I’m going to take some of the unused swatches from my dye experiments and use them to experiment with leaf construction.  I’m contemplating two options: sew up a leaf and then turn it inside-out, so the raw edges are hidden, or sew the layers together and then overcast the edges with a machine zigzag.  I’m not thrilled with either option – the first is apt to be bulky and the second involves machine-zigzagged edges, which I don’t like either.  But I don’t know of a better edge finish, particularly when dealing with a delicate, transparent fabric.  I could applique the leaf directly to the fabric, which would hide the raw edges, but then they wouldn’t be three-dimensional.

So I’m off to read up on couture edge finishes, and then do some experimenting!

two leaves with painted veins

I don’t like the veins.  They are painted in gold on purple and gold on dark red; the rightmost leaf is also outlined in gold.  (Click to see the larger version.)  The high contrast between gold and purple/red breaks up the color and is visually distracting – it’s hard to see it’s a leaf!  The lower leaves, which have much lower contrast, are visually interesting but not overwhelmingly so.

This suggests to me that I do not want a strong pattern or value contrast in the leaves, which narrows the options considerably.  I think I will wind up using chiffon over a patterned background; the chiffon will tone down the pattern, making it subtle, but hopefully still visible.  (I like to reward the close-up viewer as well as the one who sees it from 30 feet away.)  I will use embroidery in a closely related color for the veins.

Since I am not going to my guild meeting after all (was out way too late at a party last night and am too tired this morning to drive 40 miles to San Francisco), I expect to do a lot of dyeing, construction, and surface design experiments today.

Stay tuned for further developments!

There are so many options!  I am playing around with fabric combinations, dyes, paints, and some fine gold wire (for stiffening the leaves).  Questions that need to be settled include:

• What fabric(s) to use in each leaf?
• What colors of fabric?
• What surface design techniques to add detail?  (dyeing, painting, silkscreening, etc.)
• What embellishments, if any, on the leaves?
• How to finish the leaf edges?  Wired edges for a sculpted leaf, or not?
• What colors, fibers, etc. for the embroidery swirls?

At the moment I am leaning towards using iridescent chiffon over a solid colored background, but I have some lovely orange/red iridescent peau de soie that is too pretty not to use.  Of course it’s a trifle too light, but if I zigzag machine-stitch a border around the leaf and scrunch-overdye it in spots with a dark red dye, then…

…well, you get the idea.  I think I am going to try to settle the fabric first, then the colors,  then the construction of the leaf.  After that I will tackle surface design.

So far the combination I like best is a purple chiffon over dark purple china silk, painted with skeletal veins in metallic gold fabric paint.  I have a gorgeous iridescent yellow/orange chiffon which I am trying to find a use for; unfortunately, it’s very close to the garment fabric in color, so it’s not really suitable as it stands.  I also have some lovely iridescent chiffon in root beer shades (also probably not suitable, but I’m trying) and another piece of dark red chiffon.  The last one is the most promising, but I need to dye some duppioni silk or peau de soie in a compatible color to check.

My plan for Saturday afternoon (I’m already booked Friday evening and Saturday morning, unfortunately) is to dye lots of small swatches of fabric in various autumn shades – peau de soie, shantung silk, china silk, organza, and chiffon.  Since I only need a 3″x3″ swatch for a leaf, and since no two leaves will be alike, I can make lots of samples with only a little bit of fabric.  I plan to test solid colors and scrunch-dyed colors, though I think solid colors are probably best, since the rest of the garment is quite “busy”.

Once I’ve decided what fabric and color combination to use, I’ll have to figure out construction.  I think I basically have two choices: sew a leaf together in two or more layers and then turn it inside-out, or overcast the leaf edges, either zigzagging over them with a sewing machine or doing a similar edging by hand.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach – at the moment I’m leaning towards overcasting the edge, because I think it will allow more detailing on the edge and because it makes it easy to apply wire to the edges, shaping the leaf into three dimensions.

And then, after I work out construction, it will be time to figure out how to add details to the leaf.  This is where it gets really wild.  I have a HUGE collection of surface design toys, most of which I’m not really familiar with.  Do I pull out the mix-your-own-textile-paints-from-scratch kit that I’ve been dying to play with?  Or fire up the Thermofax machine for the first time?  Do I experiment with stitched shibori?  Or do I do something quick and simple with fabric paint and a brush?  What about hand-carved stamps and stencils?  Silkscreening?

Anyway, as you can see, I’m awash in options, but since I have only really got about 24 hours (Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) to work on this, I better settle things quickly.  Time to get cracking!