Soft edges
A large square of black cotton fabric was Bondawebbed to pelmet Vilene to provide a firm support for the paper feathers
The first layer was torn black cartridge paper, the second some sepia newsprint with images and then black and white images. Then a layer of feathers was added from a gauzy paper but it was made of a randomised weave and difficult to tear so had to be cut.
On top of this a Bengali daily newspaper and page from a text book were torn into feather shapes covered with torn tissue paper saved from purchases. Then two layers of feathers were torn from handmade papers containing seed parts, then a lovely soft Indian handmade paper and finally some fine tissue.
All these layers were stitched separately to the supporting fabric and Vilene to look like a bird's wing. I love the result.
Page 68 Torn paper bird wing
Torn Fabric
This layered white fabric feather is gorgeous. I love the effect and started to imagine a wedding dress made from feathers in robust white fabrics rather the the delicates that I used.
Again layers were individually stitched to a support of calico on pelmet Vilene.
The following were used as follows from the back to the front of the sample;
Bumf or natural quilt wadding
Egyptian cotton
Muslin - ivory and white
Net
Scrim
Organza with silver sparkles
Tulle
A gauzy fabric
Fine soft net
Most of these could be torn, some started with scissors then torn and some had to be cut to get the feather shapes.
Page 70. Torn fabric feather
Torn fabric nest
Small pieces of scrim and muslin were laid over each other and individually stitched down with an automatic pattern to a piece of random dyed cotton back with pelmet Vilene. The edges were left unstitched
Page 71 Torn fabric nest
Torn fabric background
I used the back to back method stitching torn strips of frayable fabrics to a piece of cotton
Page 71 Torn fabric background
Frayed silk carrier rods
Several silk rods were peeled to fine layers. The top layers were useable but the lower layers were not penetrated with dye so they have been kept for future use. I had a range of beautiful colours and also a lovely piece of space dyed silk which would make the perfect base. I backed the silk to give it support and using suitably coloured variegated thread and an automatic machine pattern, the rods were layered and stitched to the silk giving a lovely effect. Again a sample that would be a good start for a bigger piece in the future.
Page 71 - Frayed silk carrier rods
The resolved sample "Appliqué using soft edges"
I planned the design in my notebook although the finished sample has been changed somewhat as it developed.
Page 72. Initial notebook plan
Then I made a full sized sketch of the sample without the birds as I wanted to use duck feet being more interesting so changed the cranes to mallards in the actual sample. They aren't on the sketch.
Page 72. I used freezer paper to decide the size and shapes for the background.
The background work
I should have stitched the hill first and the tree afterwards - but I didn't so, the tree was first drawn onto space dyed fabric and and used space-dyed scrim held loosely with zigzag - loose threads were left to hang and look like twigs. Some mulberry bark was layered over the scrim and frayed at it's end again to represent twigs and roots.
Then the hill was made using silk waste threads unsupported and stitched over and over to hold it together. Some automatic stitch was used to cover the area more quickly. The finished piece was cut to shape using the freezer paper as a template. The piece was then stitched in rows of zigzag around the trunk and branches of the tree and within the couched thread piece the stitching down was done with narrow rows at the top and wider rows towards the bottom to add perspective. Ridges were crumpled into the piece as it was stitched to create contours.
A metal grid was used to distort the pebbles made in lawn at the foot and roots of the tree. The fabric was pushed through the grid, help with pins and Bondawebbed to hold the piece in shape when it was removed from the grid. The pebble sample was then cut to shape using a freezer paper template and stitched to the base.
The pond was made using wavy lines stitched onto space dyed cotton and backed with shrink polyester which was heated after stitched to create ripples and then stitched down to the main piece having been cut to shape.
These steps created the basis of the sample.
It still needed birds, footprints, feet, feathers and eggs to be added.
Page 73. Resolved sample completed
Reeds of grass were made from a striped pin-tucked organza which was cut to soften the edges of the pebbles and the pond.
A diving mallard, exposing her rear end was made by stitching the initial white shape from cotton with the edges left free. The gaps in the edges were stuffed with some polyester filling and then stitched down giving the duck some shape. Her webbed feet were added using a piece of orange cotton. The webbed footprints show where she entered the water at the roots of the tree. They aren't very visible but they are small triangles of brown velvet loosely stitched to the base.
I then moved on to the drake flying in from the west to check on the duck and potential family. I stitched much of his detail and then added some detail to the wing using frayed muslin.
The nest was made from free embroidered muslin and a made cord threaded through some of the gaps and stitched to the main piece very much in 3D. Eggs were made from padded felt and free embroidery stitched into tiny ovals which were cut very close to the stitching and then squeezed into shape with my fingers and all placed in the nest. They were held in place using hand-stitching with invisible thread.
The feathers were made from lawn cotton freezer paper templates - fiddly and held in with a few stitches along their quill, the higher two could represent feather 'leaves' - the lower one fell from the drake's back on his last egg inspection!
On reflection, I started with a basic plan and then changed bits and pieces as I went along. I like to work as the piece develops making changes as I move forward. I would think that if I was making something more structured, I would have to have made a mock-up of a piece first. I do like to be more spontaneous though.
I enjoyed making the sample as I had also enjoyed learning the techniques involved.
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