Module 3 - Chapter One

Creating Backgrounds

Stitched Backgrounds - Page 6

 

The colours suggest working from dark to light from the depth of the door colour to the silvery pink highlights on the paintwork.  Matching the colours with the transfer paints was not completely successful, however I matched the threads as best I could.  I used a white felt for a stabiliser as it helped move the satin through the free machine embroidery process.  I used a zig zag stitch changing the width and length accordingly to help fill the space and add texture and highlights.

 

I worked from dark, through to medium and finally light tones as I had with the colouring and the painting.  As I stitched I couldn't imagine how it was going to work out, even with a plan, but gradually it began to take shape.  I found the planning process very helpful in guiding me through this exercise.  I found using colour as the plan much more helpful than drawing. 

 

Colour Inspiration Image - Creative commons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0
'Detail of a Gypsy Caravan' by Muppet K  used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

 

Pencil draft and transfer paints





Fabric with transfer paint applied. I couldn't quite replicate the colours from the coloured pencils.



Chosen threads

Dark tone stitches

Stitching the medium tones

 

Final piece after stitching highlights

 

Second Stitched Background - Page 12 

I looked through some patchwork blocks and African motifs for this exercise.  I particularly liked the Seminole pattern used in many forms of patchwork.  This design is named after the Seminole native Americans who use this patchwork design in much of their clothing and textiles.  

 

 

The final pattern came from playing around with the shapes and mirroring the layers of pattern to create a 3D effect.  Using graph paper to draw the final design helped with the accuracy of the 3D structure.

This has been stitched on black felt using chiefly cable stitch in orange and outlined with further cable stitch.  Straight stitching has been used to mark the pattern within the cable stitching.  Presser foot has been used throughout. 

 

I love the 3D effect, and turning the work to landscape gives a different effect too.

 

 

Automatic patterns - Page 13

Automatic stitches have been stitched layer upon layer on these silk velvet pieces of fabric.  I think it further enriches the appearance of the velvet.

 

 

 

 

What if - stitched backgrounds

Page13

Sinamay stitched and manipulated

 

Sisoflor with automatic stitches.  This is a lovely paper to stitch, very delicate and like gossamer.  I didn't paint it as it was already coloured a delicate lavender.

 

Some scrim with layers of automatic zig zag stitches

 

Sheers - strips

Page 14

Some colour ideas from a folk art book for inspiration for sheers below.

 

 

Sheers applied to black felt prior to applying heat.  Much nicer than the outcome below!

 

 

 

Oh dear, I think I need more practise with the heat gun, not such a successful outcome - never mind.  

 

 

Sheers - snippets

Page 15

Sheer snippets sandwiched between 2 sheer layers and fixed with Bondaweb

 

Fabric Snippets - Page 16

I think the black fabric snippets have created a very interesting background an almost ready piece of art!  I got to thinking that different photographic images could be printed on fabric and cut up and stitched in a similar way.  Examples could be buildings, faces, family, animals, plants etc.

 

 

Angelina - Page 16

Angelina fibres have been hot fixed to the black felt below.  I think this is my least favourite background although the effect reminds me of a picture of outer space!



 

Painted fusible webbing/transfer adhesive
Page 17
I think this process is very interesting and creates a beautiful subtle surface, although the lines of straight stitching below would look better a little close together.  I chose a vibrant orange batik which helped to give another dimension to the background. I used violet and gold acrylic paint applied to Bondaweb and then peeled off and applied to the material.

Printed and Stitched Background
Page 18
I looked through a book of patchwork blocks for a simple form and chose a sailboat piecing idea to create my stamp. They look like angels and it gave me an idea to create some little shapes for Christmas cards (if I've got time!)

I have used hand dyed felt and applied the print with blue, yellow and gold acrylic paint. Some images have been overprinted with another colour as I think it adds to the texture.  I have used mainly zig zag stitch varying the width and length with machine foot on throughout. 

Module 2 Chapter Ten

3D Manipulated Structure

Page 137 of Module 2

Here we are then, my final piece of work for this module.  A lot of the work is not actually down here on the blog, most of the work was done in my head by thinking about it a lot before I got started (which seemed to take ages).  One mistake I have made is to think that I could use automatic stitching as well as free embroidery (didn't read the instructions carefully enough).  So the orange seed heads have been made using entirely automatic stitching.  Of course I could achieve a close texture by using granite stitch for example, if you need me to redo the seed heads am happy to do so.  Just let me know.

• Draw shapes of flower, leaf and seed head.  I used a previous drawing of a flower and seed head, then drew a leaf shape.  These shapes were then manipulated to create different shapes that still bore a relationship to the original.

Flower Shapes



Leaf Shapes



Seed head shapes

An initial idea for design

• Make up a paper model.  I made several cardboard templates of different shapes and made up a variety of paper models to see which would work best.  I played about with these shapes a lot trying to work out which would work and look best and how they could be joined together.  My final choice was to construct a wreath by using leaf shapes as a base and then made my final choice of flower and seed head shapes. 

First idea for design layout

Second idea for design layout

• Decide whether to use paper or wire mesh.  Decided to use khadi paper as I find it easier to work with.  I also like to paint and print on it.  It has a lovely feel when a coat of acrylic wax has been used.  I painted the papers using a lime green for the leaves and violet for the flowers. I then stamped them with my original foam stamp using in Chapter 2 of this module and then applied a final coat of acrylic wax. These colours just came into my head although I had been mulling over the whole design for a while.  It took a while to work out what colour to use for the seed head.  I thought of black and then blue, black would have been OK and blue horrible. In the end I decided to work with the colour of the original but just more exaggerated and then decided on orange. 
• Threads and Colours. I wanted the work to have a harmonious feel so I used colours that blended in with the painted paper rather than using any that would clash and create a contrast.
• Add stitching to create the textures.  I used a mixture of free machine embroidery and automatic stitches to create texture on the painted and printed khadi paper.  The images I had chosen had simple shapes and the stitching was not complicated to do.   All in all I wanted to create an open and broad feel and wanted the stitching to have a loose feel and not too heavily textured for the leaves and flowers.  So I used vermicelli and feather stitch using free machine embroidery.  However I wanted a little bit of a contrast so chose to give a more heavily textured feel to the seed heads by using contracted automatic stitching on the orange paper.  Whilst I was stitching I had scraps of violet paper on the desk, and on a whim just incorporated them into the stitching.  I didn't know if it was going to work out or not, but it just felt that it would. 

Painted and stitched paper for leaf and flower

Painted and stitched paper for seed heads with scraps of flower paper

• The final piece of work. I am very pleased with this final piece of work.  I think the colours have worked really well, although they are bright it has a restful quality, maybe because of the lime green of the leaves.  I have tried to create a relationship between all the components and I feel this has been achieved.  Using wire mesh would have helped to create more interesting shapes but it is not a medium I enjoyed working with.  It does seem important to work with materials that you have an empathy with and that must help in the creative process. 

Resolved sample of wreath laid flat

Final work hanging on wall

Different angle

Close Up



Close Up



Reverse of work

 I have thoroughly enjoyed Module 2, although it has taken me longer than I anticipated to complete it.  Thank you Janet for all your kind and valuable feedback and now it is onwards and hopefully upwards to Module 3.

Chapter Nine Module 2

Stitching on Paper - Page 123
Throughout Module 2 this is the chapter that I have been looking forward to the most.  I find the idea of stitching on different surfaces and manipulating them very interesting and exciting. 

Here are some examples of painted, printed and stitched khadi paper before they have been manipulated.  I've recently been using acrylic paint mixed with pva glue as it seems to make a nice thick paint useful for creating an interesting texture.  I used the print block and stencil from Chapter Two.  I was impressed by it's longevity!



Painted and stitched khadi papers. I have used automatic stitching and cable stitches with presser foot on. I think the colours and stitching have a richness about them. 

 

Manipulated papers - page 125


Now that they have been painted what to do next?  The following are some of my results of manipulating the stitched papers. 

Bowl interior
 



Exterior ( a bit out of focus!)
 



The following construction came about because I loved the colours of the papers and stitching so much I couldn't bear to cut them up.  I also love the idea of a scroll with something beautiful or interesting that might be revealed when opened up. 

Reverse of below paper painted with  and stamped with stencil in similar colour but unfortunately it doesn't show up too well



Outside of paper rubbed with wax crayon and then painted with gouache.  This has been stamped with the print block in gold but the photo doesn't make that clear. 
 

Two pieces of painted paper stitched together to make the band for the scroll
 



Everything put together, it looks like two cigars in this picture, but it feels lovely to handle and I love opening it up to look inside.
 



Stitching Thinner Papers - Page 128
The fact that tissue paper can be stitched is truly amazing, I had no idea.  So having bought by paper napkins I made my sandwich of black tissue paper, fusible webbing, calico, fusible webbing and finally placing my carefully peeled napkin layer I began to carefully stitch.  I seem to have been in a careful frame of mind as I have not really added anything other than stitching (free machine stitching) around the outline of the napkin design.  I think the reverse is more appealing though. 

Right Side



Reverse of napkin


Acrylic Wax - Page 130
Here is my construction from a piece of khadi paper painted and printed and then acrylic wax applied.  I think it adds a lovely feel to the paper and makes the design very glossy.  However I forgot to photograph the paper before I cut it up, but here is the manipulated piece. 

I call this weird bouquet number one!
 

Wire Mesh - Page 131

I have had some difficulty getting hold of this.  I managed to get some gold coloured wire mesh on the Internet, but other colours and types of mesh seem to have been out of stock or not available.  I had no success in changing the colour of the mesh when heating it up, just a splodgey black mess.  I tried a heat tool, candle flame and hairdryer to no avail. 

Unheated mesh at top, heated mesh below

 

 
Stitch and Cut - Page 133
Never mind I just stitched over the wire mesh as follows using presser foot down and automatic stitches.

right side

Reverse side - as you can see I had a couple of bobbin/tension issues!

Decided to cut a spiral

Stitch and Cut with free machine embroidery - page 134


Another piece of stitched mesh curled over to make Weird Bouquet Number Two!

Layers with Wire Mesh - page 135
I used different colours of chiffon for both sides of the stitched piece, with various colours of chiffon with the mesh in the sandwich of chiffon and mesh.  As soon as I had finished stitching I forgot to photograph it before cutting it up.  So you cannot see the whole piece with the stitching.  I used various automatic patterns with some free machine embroidery.  I found that the automatic patterns behaved in a strange way, sometimes elongating themselves without me doing anything.  Maybe it was the reaction of the chiffon against the needle.  You can see on this first image how a yellow wavy pattern developed, when it should have been small circles.  In fact most of the stitches seemed to elongate  but that didn't matter I just ended up with some unusual stitches!



At first I really didn't know where to make my cuts in the mesh, but as I began to cut it just seemed to take on a life of it's own and rather like my piece of brown paper that looks like a cuttle fish, I think this has turned out to be a bit of an undiscovered sea creature!