Goodness! What a big chapter with lots of samples. Most enjoyable.
Building textures in fabric and stitch
Five pieces of fabric were cut to roughly 20cm sq. They were satin, calico, cotton, scrim and silk. The longest machine stitch was selected and the top tension loosened. Different directions were stitched in grids and the bottom threads puled to create texture in the grids. Each was stitched differently.
1. Cotton on calico
Page 59. Calico on cotton
The calico was stitched in a straight grid, however it was very difficult to pull into even sections so an irregular shape was formed. Bondaweb was ironed onto the back of the piece and then it was stitched in an equally irregular style. I wanted to stitch vermicelli but the fabric was too stiff and the machine really played up so I stuck to rough stitching in a pale thread.
2. Silk
Page 60 Unsupported silk
A wavy grid was stitched on unsupported silk. The machine chewed up the beginning of one row of an automatic pattern stitched on top of the grid so I started that row again having cut off the the damaged piece.
This was a tricky piece to sew, the silk being so thin. It gathered quite tightly into the grid and became quite irregular Te then removed some of the visible grid stitches.
3. Cotton on cotton
A piece of cotton was stitched using heavyish thread to hold the grid and prevent breakage when gathered. A slightly curved diagonal grid was stitched and when I was pulling the threads to create gather, it started to look like a jellyfish, so I didn't cut the threads off. The piece was then Bondawebbed to a piece of lovely Tana lawn and some metallic stitched blobs and lines were added to make it like a proper jellyfish with luminescent sparks running through the body. (The fabric is abstract woodland, but when I screw my eyes up, I see faces)
Page 60 - Cotton on lawn
4) Scrim
A piece of scrim was stitched with a diagonal grid and then Bondawebbed after gathering to a piece of variegated cotton and some random automatic pattern stitching was added with variegated and metallic threads
Page 60 Scrim on cotton
Satin on cotton
A gird of 1" squares was stitched and then gathered, but not too tightly, then Bondawebbed to a piece of pretty feather fabric using a tonal automatic stitch and stitched through the valley of the grid.
Page 60 Satin on cotton
(the back is as nice as the front)
Back of above
Gather with Grilon
Grilon was used top and bottom and a square grid stitched. The grid was gathered and Bondawebbed and the top thread taken to melt point. It was then attached to space dyed cotton.
Page 61. Gathering with Grilon
Gathering with shirring elastic
A piece of thin cotton ( an old beach wrap) was stitched with a grid with shirring elastic in the bobbin
The piece was then stitched with straight lines in a variegated thread.
Page 61. Gathering with shirring elastic
Scrunched gathering
A piece of space dyed cotton was scrunched and the Bondawebbed to another piece of the same fabric. The shape was then manipulated (it looks like a rose) and the shape stabilised with an automatic stitch.
Page 61 Scrunched up gathering
Shrink polyester gathering
A piece of cotton fabric was stitched to a piece of shrink polyester with an automatic pattern. Heat was applied to the backing to create the gathered effect in the fabric.
Page 61 Shrink polyester
Gridded fabric gathering
A piece of fabric was pushed through a piece of 1cm sq mesh grid and held with pins. It was then Bondawebbed to hold in position and the pins removed as bonded. Once cooled, the fabric was removed - this is a pleasing effect
Page 61 Gridded fabric
I must admit that these pieces were less simple than I first envisaged
Ruching
All the following pieces were created without supporting fabrics. I don't have a rushing attachment for my machine so all the pieces were manipulated by hand.
Page 62 Simple ruffles metallic silver and black sheers
Page 62. Fine pleat on green sheer
Page 62. Spaced pleat on green sheer
Page 62. Layers of ruched sheers
Page 62 - Linked ruched sheers
Pintucks
I don't have a pin tuck foot for my machine so I used twin needles and altered the tension, tightening the bottom tension in my spare bobbin race and slightly loosening the top tension.
Page 63. Pintucks on cotton
Page 63. Pintucks on silk
Page 63. Pintucks on sheer
Page 63. Pintucks on cotton
Page 63. Pintucks on Tana lawn (the faces look more obvious on this piece)
Pleats and tucks
A large piece of space dyed fabric was stitched over with an automatic pattern in a tonal thread. The fabric was then halved and one half developed with tucks and one with pleats
Page 64. Tucks
Page 64. Pleats
Holes
A piece of scrim was stitched all over using the widest zigzag stitch foot on and a second piece foot off free embroidery
Page 64. Scrim zigzagged all over - foot on
Page 64. Free embroidered
Open grids - now this was a lot more fiddly than it looked!
Page 65. Open grid foot on zigzag
Page 65 Open grid free embroidered with made cord headed through.
I left the edges of scrim in pace as I think that they add to the piece
Slit fabrics
I have a length of beautiful jewel coloured fabric and some lovely space dyed velvets. The fabric was given to me by a very close friend. It was bought for her by her husband now dead for 15 years. This sample therefore was a little bit special. I love the Tudor and Elizabethan periods and their clothing so slit fabrics appealed to me. I found three matching velvets and slit the silk, the central slit as a lozenge shape and the two sides as diamonds with the edges folded in on one and out on the other. The velvet was secured with automatic patterned threads. Yummy - very simple to do, but nice effect.
Page 65. Slit silk with velvet insets
Detail of an inset
Cable stitch
I found one of the bird images - the suggestion was something a bit quirky - I have always wanted to stitch a magpie, so whilst not too quirky, I thought that I would give it a go.
Layers of colour were stitched, each colour underpinned by a colour that would support the top layer. I loosened the bottom tension in my spare bobbin race and stitched from the back. The result was probably not as loose as it might have been as I used fairly thin threads. The top layer black thread was quite thick. I am very pleased with the result even though it is not really very representative of cable stitch as such.
Page 66.
Whip stitch
A nest with eggs were used for this piece of whip stitch sampling
Page 66. Whip stitch
Utility patterns to create textures
A range of utility stitches were used to create textures - I don't have their names!
Page 66. Utility patterns for texture
Bottom image is the reverse of the one above. I often like reverses
Couching Page 67
This was fun! Six ten centimetre squares were stitched with
Layers of thick yarn
Layers of thick yarn looped and stitched down
Layers of knotted yarn
High twist coils
Couched string
Couched threads
Collated sample
The six couched samples
Couched bird
Page 68 - The wacky humming bird!
So, an image of a humming bird from an Indian print block based the design. The tail feathers were chenille couched down with thread and then a second layer added with looping of chenille.
The body was silk threads couched with an automatic pattern in a metallic thread
The head was couched gold threads with tiny bobbles - the eye with free embroidered black thread. The outline and fancy head piece were couched gold cord
Tailor's tacks
I have a foot that creates a sort of tailor's tack but I had never used it! It is meant to be a fringing foot.
Page 68 Tailor's tacks
I tried the foot and then different zigzag widths and lengths. The bottom sample is short close zigzags and alternate inches were cut to create a pleasing effect
A very interesting chapter. I look forward to the next and have started the design for my next resolved sample.
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