Trapunto: technique, features and master class

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

New - well-forgotten old.

The statement of Mademoiselle Bertin, milliner to Queen Marie Antoinette of France, has been relevant for almost 200 years. Indeed, fashion moves, if not in a circle, then exactly in a spiral. Bright prints are replaced by a cage, then stripes, plain canvases, shiny, embossed and again prints. New technologies, new materials, but the silhouettes are the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago. And now quilted fabric has come back into fashion. Rhombuses, stripes, squares… What if you want romance, sophistication, smooth lines, but at the same time stay in trend? That's when a technique such as trapunto comes to the rescue.

What is it - embroidery or stitch?

Essence

Trapunto technique - three-dimensional embroidery. In the classic variation, the contours of the main pattern are embroidered on a two-layer basis: as a rule, these are flowers, feathers, curls, geometric shapes. Then, on the lining layer, the fibers of the fabric are moved apart and the elements of the pattern are stuffed with cotton wool or other filler. In addition, the free space is filled with an arbitrary background line (lines, grid,spirals, waves, echoes), which, if necessary, are also filled. This process is time-consuming and requires maximum perseverance and care.

There is a second way to perform trapunto. It appeared relatively recently, but most masters choose it. The essence of the method lies in the fact that a layer of sheet filler is laid in advance between two layers of fabric, after which the lines of the main pattern and background are performed. Due to the fact that the filler is initially in the base, it is usually not necessary to additionally stuff the products. This significantly saves both time and energy. It is also worth noting that the use of a single sheet of filler allows you to achieve the same thickness for similar elements. Although the modern look of trapunto can no longer be attributed to embroidery, but to stitch.

History

This technique has very deep roots. Its homeland is the island of Sicily, where in the III century AD. e. village girls had fun creating voluminous canvases. These were mainly floral motifs or geometric figures, but there were also plot options, for example, the story of Tristan and Isolde. The girls embroidered patterns on a double canvas, after which they filled the elements with rags, cotton wool or threads, giving them volume.

At the end of the 17th century, embroidery in this technique conquered the high society of Europe. Since that time, snow-white expensive materials, such as batiste, have been chosen for the base, which, coupled with the laboriousness of the process, has led to the fact that only the very we althy could afford such things.families, and even then only on holidays. For example, a trapunto bedspread was laid on the wedding night. They gave blankets for the birth of children, and christening sets for baptism.

Due to technological progress and automation of production, products have become available to a wider range of people, but they are still associated with prosperity, luxury and sophistication.

Tools and materials

Before you start creating products using the trapunto technique, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:

1. Paper.
2. Pencil.
3. Light box (carbon paper).
4. Water soluble marker.
5. Fabric.
6. Filler.
7. Scissors.
8. Needle.
9. Threads.
10. Hoop.
11. Sewing machine.

This list may vary slightly depending on the preferences of the master. For example, instead of a marker, you can use soap or a pencil, and a light box can be replaced not only with carbon paper, but also with a well-lit window.

In addition, it is better for beginners to master the trapunto technique by hand and on small products. This will allow you to better understand the essence of such embroidery, experiment with thread tension, choose the best materials, and also understand whether a beginner will continue to engage in this type of creativity or not.

Sewing machine

The sewing machine greatly simplifies the process of working with the product, but there are several nuances here. First, it must be powerful enoughto produce a large number of lines without resetting the settings and overheating. Secondly, you need a special foot for embroidery, which does not block the view and allows you to easily move the fabric under the needle. Thirdly, the machine must have a free-wheeling function, that is, it must be possible to freely move the fabric not only back and forth, but also to the sides or at an angle. This is what will allow you to make the lines as smooth as possible, and the ability to stop in a position where the needle remains inside the product will facilitate movement along the pattern without interrupting the seam. The ideal machines in this case are specialized (for stitching) or those that have a quilting function or just the letter Q, which, in fact, is the same thing.

It is also possible to work with the trapunto technique on a classic household machine, however, it is necessary to choose simple, small patterns that can be easily rotated around the needle. You will also need to carefully monitor the thread tension settings and make several approaches so that it does not overheat.

Fabric

The appearance of the finished product directly depends on the material. In order for trapunto embroidery to look as attractive as possible, it is necessary to use a thin, but dense, plain material that has a plain weave. Usually, cotton fabrics, satin, cambric or chiffon are chosen for these purposes. Other materials can also be used, however, on a fabric that is too dense, there will be practically no volume, and on fabrics with a loose weave, for example,satin, the line will disappear, coinciding with long sections in the structure. This material, of course, can be used, however, it must be positioned so that horizontal or vertical lines do not run parallel to the shared thread.

You can choose the same lining fabric as the main one - then the product will be double-sided - or another. The main thing is that it does not stretch, otherwise the entire volume of embroidery will go down. And if the classical technique is used with subsequent filling, then the structure of the fabric should be loose enough to make it possible to push the fibers apart, fill the element with filler, and then restore the weave. You can also take a dense fabric, but in this case it will be necessary to make incisions on each element, then fill it and sew up the hole.

Filler

Today there are many fillers that are suitable for arts and crafts. Classic cotton wool and foam rubber are practically not used anymore, because both become yellow over time. In addition, it is difficult to care for a product with cotton wool, and the foam rubber begins to crumble over time. Also, the synthetic winterizer is no longer particularly used. This is due to the fact that finished products with such a filler cannot be ironed, since it sticks together and it is no longer possible to restore the volume. Therefore, the most optimal fillers at the moment are holofiber and spanbond.

Threads and needles

It is very important that the lines of this embroidery are neat and unbroken. Therefore, the choice of threads plays an important role. It is better to stay on polyester andacrylic. They, unlike cotton, do not fluff when rubbed against a needle and are more durable. As for the color, everything is individual here. The embroidery made with threads both matched to the fabric and contrasting threads looks beautiful. In addition, several threads of different colors can be used in embroidery to diversify the pattern.

The needles should be thin, long and have a large eye. It is in this case that large holes will not remain on the material, and the thread will easily slide behind the needle. It is advisable to use a new needle for each work.

Steps

When all the materials are selected and prepared, you can start creating the product. There are a lot of master classes on the trapunto technique, but they all include the following steps:

1. Developing a drawing.
2. Transfer to fabric.
3. Forming the foundation.
4. Embroidery.
5. Edge treatment.

Each stage is very important in the work and has a number of features.

Drawing development

The drawing is usually modular, consisting of many repeating elements. You can find it both in specialized magazines and on the Internet. However, there is nothing more beautiful than creating a product according to your own sketches. In order to draw a symmetrical image, it is enough to put only half of the module on the sheet, and then mirror it using a light box, a light window or carbon paper. Afterafter the module is ready, it is transferred to a plastic sheet or paper, forming a finished sketch of the product. You can also use a graphical editor and its image editing capabilities.

Transfer to fabric

After the sketch is ready, it must be applied to the fabric. It is better to do this using a light box. But if the fabric is translucent enough, just put a pattern under it and circle all the contours with a washable fabric marker. Colored soap is also suitable, but it is inconvenient for them to circle small details, moreover, part of the pattern may be erased during operation.

The second method allows you to transfer the drawing as accurately and quickly as possible. To do this, put a transparent plastic sheet on the sketch, circle the drawing, then put the blank on the fabric with ink down and gently iron it. As a result, the pattern will be printed on the material.

Shaping the foundation

This is one of the most important steps. First, the fabric must be prepared - washed and ironed. If a synthetic winterizer is used as a filler, then the finished product can no longer be subjected to active heat treatment. When buying a fabric, you need to keep in mind that in this case, not only the shrinkage after washing parameter is taken into account (usually 10% in length), but also shrinkage by volume (from 7 to 10 percent around the entire perimeter is required). It is also better to cut initially a larger size of the material than is necessary, taking into account all the shrinkage. If the dimensions of the finished embroidery match the desired size, the excess material can becut off, but if the embroidery turned out to be smaller than necessary, then it can be supplemented with background lines or arbitrary elements, bringing the size to the required size.

The base itself should be laid out as follows:

1. Bottom layer - face down.
2. Filler. If we talk about synthetic winterizer, then its density should be 100 g / sq. m. More lush material will not only give additional volume to the main elements of the pattern, but will make the canvas with background embroidery rough and thick. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the capabilities of the hoop and the height of the sewing machine foot. If the base is too thick, the machine may skip stitches, which will disrupt the integrity of the lines and the appearance of the product.
3. Top layer - lay right side up.

All layers must be fastened together with pins, and if the canvas is large, it is better to glue the edges with water-soluble glue.

Embroidery

The trapunto technique itself is quite simple: you just need to embroider the outlines of the pattern, moving from the center to the edges. In this way, unnecessary folds and creases can be avoided. The stitch length should be approximately 2 mm. After all the lines of the sketch are stitched, you should proceed to the background line. You can pre-draw its contours on the fabric with a marker or move in random order. The denser and smaller the background ornament, the better the main volumetric elements will be visible. Extra threads should be fixed and hidden inside the work.

The finished embroidery must be soaked for15-20 minutes in warm water so that the marker lines are completely dissolved, then gently squeeze through a towel (you can’t twist the product) and dry on a horizontal surface. Check the already dry workpiece for the need to impose an additional background line or add filler to the elements of the main pattern. At this stage, the embroidery itself is ready.

In addition to the classic monochrome embroidery, there are several options for adding brightness and color. The simplest is embroidery along the contours of the factory print. You can pre-embroider the elements on the top of the base with a stitch, sew on a colored fabric according to the appliqué principle, but the most interesting way is to use the shadow trapunto technique.

It lies in the shadow coloring of the work. For example, in the classical variation, volumetric elements were filled with colored knitting threads, which, translucent through the top layer, gave a “shadow” color to the product. In order to create a similar coloration in the variant with a three-layer base, it is necessary to sew a sheet of felt on the wrong side of the upper layer and embroider only those details that need to be given a given color. Then cut off the excess felt, stepping back from the line 1.5 mm, and sew on all the other colors. After the shadow coloring is sewn, you can proceed to the trapunto technique itself.

Important! In this case, the felt must be sewn with water-soluble threads so that there is no duplication of the pattern line.

Edging

No matter how beautiful the embroidery is,sloppy edges will fundamentally ruin the appearance of the product. You can close the edge with an oblique trim: for this, you must first flash the base around the perimeter, departing 0.3 cm from the edge so that it is not thick, and the layers do not shift during processing, and then sew on the braid. Double-sided products can be processed in this way.

But if you sew a pillow using the trapunto technique, you will either need to combine two embroideries, or embroidery with material for the reverse side of the product. You can also use a wide border, placing the volumetric part in a kind of frame, like a picture. This will allow you to focus on the necessary decor element.

A good trapunto master class for beginners is presented in this video:

Despite the many nuances, painstaking work and rather complex technique, even a novice master can create a unique thing with three-dimensional trapunto embroidery, whether it is a pot holder, vest, element on outerwear, a pillow or a bedspread. The main thing is not to be afraid to start something new and remember that you can make royal luxury and elegance with your own hands.