Koi fish template

Finishing your Koi Fish Art Quilt

Make a copy of your fish and “practice” your quilting design in pencil, before stitching. Layer with batting and backing, being careful not to pin through the Tyvek. I quilt my koi fish quilts in the following order. Since the Tyvek won’t shrink up with the quilting like cotton will. Circles, followed by background then add the fish and quilt them. Some of my samples had couching (a heavier thread or small cording that I zigzag stitched over) on the circles. With or without couching: begin stitching on the circles from the outside edge using metallic thread and size 75 or 80 needle (non-stick can be helpful) go slowly turning the work and using the side of your presser foot as a guide. Use a straight stitch for metallic alone, a small zigzag for couching. Move onto quilting the background using a size 90 needle. Sometimes I quilt the entire background including where the fish will go, sometimes I trace out where the fish will go and do not quilt that area. The quilting texture will be somewhat visible through the quilted fish. Glue on your fish, allow it to dry. Stitch edges of fish in regular weight light/medium grey thread, with size 75 or 80 needle. Stitch the fins and tail extending beyond the ends for a feathery effect using multiple colors if you wish, stitch the fin on the fish’s center back, then stitch around the fish’s eye and stitch the body with a scale pattern. (think clamshell design) Block your top using water, remember NOT IRON. Stretch your quilt top out and pin into a surface or tape it in place. Spritz with water until the top layer is saturated. Allow to dry. To re-flatten a previously blocked Tyvek quilt. Lay it on a flat surface and place a flat, heavy object on top of it for a while. “Innie” lines show less than “outie” lines in the finished quilt. If you must include an envelope fold-line, use the inside of the envelope and try to place it in a natural way, like the center vein line of a leaf or the rib line of an umbrella. Don’t have the line cut across the object.

More examples of Tyvek in art quilts

Because it does not fray, Tyvek can be used without sewing the edges down. I take advantage of this for greater texture and movement in my art quits. You can see these quilts on my gallery page (LaurettaCrites.com/gallery): Cue Orchestra, Curtain Up!, Cio Cio San’s parasol is stitched only on the “ribs and rigging” giving it the look of a paper umbrella, the combs in her hair and the dimensional flowers falling from them were also Tyvek. Luther Burbank, American Botanist, I stitched only the center line of the leaves leaving the edges free to lift off the quilt. Close Encounter, the seaweed on the lower right side is also Tyvek but not mailing envelope. This Tyvek was from a paint store, coverall. This kind of Tyvek is softer and floppier. Here the seaweed vines were stitched all around each leaf and along the stem before cutting it out, then to attach it to the quilt top, I stitched again on the central veins but not the edges. Other uses of Tyvek in my gallery quilts: Bobba Fett, Lives! Tyvek was used for his armor and his weapons. On my teaching page (LaurettaCrites.com/lecturesandworkshops) The leaves on the sample for Pumpkin with Tyvek Leaves also were pre-stitched around the edges and on the vein lines before cutting out and are stitched down only on the vein lines leaving the edges free to lift and add dimension. I hope you enjoyed making your Tyvek Koi Fish Art Quilt. I would love to see photos of your quilt, reach me at LaurettaCrites@gmail.com

TTFN Lauretta