Cotton has always been the first choice for quilters, but the more I include synthetic fabrics in my landscape art, the more confident I am in promoting their addition to wall quilts. For years, I have used synthetic fabrics in the layers of my landscapes to add different finishes and textures to what would otherwise be a mainly matte and smooth cotton surface. I love the ease of stitching with cotton fabric, but there is a certain added dimension when synthetics are mixed in, that can be a powerful creative tool worth exploring in your process.

The first and most notable characteristic of synthetic fabrics is their shiny, often reflective nature. Under directional lighting, a synthetic element can become a focal point, create movement, or even add a luminous glow. Some iridescent fabrics shift colours as you move, making the wall quilts come alive as they are admired.

A good example of this was in the foreground shrub in my landscape, Glow Hard or Go Home.  

I wanted the bush to be perceived as a silhouette against the sunset reflection, but using flat fabric or cotton embroidery floss was not creating enough texture. I began cutting out leaf shapes in a mix of three different synthetic fabrics, and I could immediately see this was the dimension I was missing!

The only way to ensure the leaves cut from this delicate fabric would not fray, was to melt the edges. I enlisted the help of a pair of tweezers to slowly finish the edge of each leaf against a candle flame. I was pleasantly surprised to see how the leaves "curled" when brought up towards the flame. This added dimension was completely unexpected!

Once I began stitching these leaves in place, I could see how impactful the shrub element had become.

This highlights another benefit of having used synthetic fabric: it's willingness to hold shape. By using a synthetic fibre, the melted, distorted leaf shape would be permanent. I could handle it continuously to embroider the final branches without worrying about losing any of the sculpted shape.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons I bring synthetic fabric into my work is the simplest one: they spark creativity. Trying new fabrics often challenges me to think differently about design, color, and other  techniques to try. I look at synthetic fabrics in an entirely different way... how will they melt? tear? distort? reflect light? I still rely on painted and quilting cottons for a large part of my landscapes, but synthetics feel a bit more adventurous and full of possibility!

Adding even a small element... a metallic reflection, a sheer overlay, a sculpted detail—can take a project in a new direction and invigorate your artistic process.