Belegarth

Is there any easier way (with the exception of purchasing already checkered) Im working on making a tunic or shield cover that has my heraldry on it.

my initial thought was to do a black background then applique the yellow on and then over that do the hammer and anvil.

Bel has alot of folks with checkered heraldry and emblems so I was curious if there was a simpler way to get it done.

'quilting squares' is probably the easiest way. You just make strips of your pattern and then sew the strips together

ybybybyby
bybybybyb
ybybybyby
bybybybyb

so on and so forth.

[Edit]

Or depending on the type of stitching you are using and look you are going for you could weave the strips the the correct pattern and sew them down that way. It's a little less cutting, but make sure you do a rolled hem on the long edges of the strips else it might look a bit ragged.

Svartroxi is correct; piece the thing.

Easiest way to do that would be to cut long rectangles the width of the squares you want to end up with plus double your seam allowance, sew them together alternating colors, then cut the resulting piece of striped fabric across the strips so you end up with strips of squares of alternating colors the height of your desired finished square width plus double your seam allowance. Then, just flip or scootch the strips and realign them so that they line up in the checkerboard pattern you're looking for and sew those strips together.


Otherwise, you could buy Versatex black screenprinting ink and cut a block printing block or rig up a screenprinting setup and either block print it or screen print it onto the yellow fabric.

PS: I could do that last one for you, for money, or the first one, for more money.

A steady hand, some layout work, and a paintbrush. Most thing I paint on my stuff I cut a stencil and chalk out. Then its just a matter of keeping it in the lines.