Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 1 original print$ 1.The original fractal design created in Ultra Fractal software.

If you are interested in exploring other fractal software programs go to Fractal Software where you can find a list with my short review.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 2$ 2. This is the fractal image printed onto silk. The silk has been treated with Bubble Jet Set; dried; then ironed onto freezer paper and printed on an Epson Stylus Photo 1280 widebed.

Once the silk print is removed from the freezer paper it is rinsed in Bubble Jet Rinse and dried.

I like to iron my silk prints onto a stabilizer such as Touch O' Gold. This is very fine and keeps the silk image squared.

For more in depth information and tutorials on how to print onto fabric go to Carol Bryer Fallert's website BryerPatch Studio.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 3$ 3. Using a ball point lightly mark the quilt top using a 12 ½ inch quilting square.

Cut 4 strips of thick fabric - I use polyester furnishing fabric.

Baste these strips onto the quilt, just inside the marking lines. This will add to the stability of the quilt and allow you to put the top onto a frame.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 4$ 4. Find a big enough embroidery hoop to get most of the quilt top contained within. Lay the top over the bottom hoop and then gently ease the outer hoop over. Tighten the wooden ends.

The quilt top is now ready for embroidery.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 5$ 5. Get all the embroidery stitched onto the silk print.

Here I have used hand dyed silk ribbon and various space dyed cotton threads to embroider the French knots.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 6$ 6. Sandwich the embroidered top with a batting and a backing. I like to use Hobbs Thermore batting as it is soooooo easy to quilt through.

Hand quilt from the center of the piece outwards so no wrinkles will form in the fabric on the back. My favourite thimble is one by Roxanne. I really like her method of quilting as it uses the side of the finger not the tip.

I tend to follow the design lines when I chose where to quilt.

There are several threads I favour. I particularly like the unmercerized cotton threads hand dyed by De Havilland in London. I also love using Stef Francis mercerized space dyed threads - from England.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 7$ 7. Join as many 2½" strips of silk cut on the bias as are needed to go all the way around the edge. Fold and iron it in half lenthwise. This is the binding for the quilt. Often I don't use a binding as I feel it contains the fractal design but in this case I chose to bind it as it is such a small piece.

Machine stitch it around the edge of the quilt, mitering at the corners.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 8$ 8. Wrap the binding over the edge of the quilt and pull it to the back. Stitch it down - mitering the corners.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 9$ 9. The exhibition this quilt was shown at required a sleeve on the back for a hanging rod.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 10$ 10. I always sign my quilts on the front with permanent marker pen, adding the copyright mark and the date.

$Construction of Neapolitan - fractal art quilt, step 11$ 11. Neapolitan - the finished fractal art quilt.

Rose Rushbrooke
Artist