Once dry, the next stage was to do the free-motion sewing. This technique is also called thread painting, as you essentially “paint” onto the fabric with the thread. The needle acts as the paint brush, and rather than moving the brush over the surface, the brush stays still and the surface is moved. It does take a bit of practise to get your head around the difference, but it's worth giving it a go as it gives some lovely effects.

To prepare for the sewing, I cut out a piece of wadding the size of the painting and a piece of spare fabric as a bottom layer. The wadding was glued to the back of the painting using fabric spray glue, and the bottom layer of fabric glued to the wadding, creating a wadding sandwich. The addition of the layers helps with free-motion sewing which is tricky to do with a single layer of fabric. The use of wadding will give a quilted effect which adds a bit of depth to the final piece.