Critical Reflection

Quilting is very common in the arts and craft world where most are done by hand or sewing machines and is not common to be executed by a CNC machine. I was hoping to find a balance of creating a quilt aesthetic while also having it be created by an embroidery machine alowing for more accuracy, detailed designs and manipulation of stiches and cotton batting to create an unusual quilt product.

Having looked more into trapunto quilting which is stuffing the quilt with a cotton batting to create a raised fabric effect was my main starting point to create the 3D product. I belive the final box quilt product has potential through more varied connective designs besides the handle design at the top. These connective pieces through stuffed cotton areas and flat stiched areas could be used throughout the product in varying sizes to connect the whole embroidered piece together. The cotton batting itself could also be replaced with a more upcycling approach which is central to quilting by using either fabric similar materials such as used clothes or more unusual material such as paper and plastic waste. The metal wires used within the design could also benefit being replaced by cords simliar to the corded quilt technique and expand it by having cords and cotton with are usual support materials as a functional structure. Looking at different sandwiching fabrics is also an approach that can be explored further such as paper and cardboard, however this is where the embroidery frame has its limits in the hardness and thickness of the materials that are placed inthe embroidery hoop.

Using the embroidery machine has definitely shown me the many ways stiches, designs, materials can be manipulated. Its uses has the potential to create quilts that could be more mass produced, however a craft component always seems to be involved wehther it is cutting away batting or assembling with wire with could be eliminated if a more accurate design using the beforementioned improvements is created.