C&G Module 6 Chapter 3 Completed

Chapter 3 - Along the Tracks 

Italian Quilting

Parallel lines. So I made my first attempt at corded quilting using two parallel lines stitched individually and then corded with wool and paper string. Using the shape that I did, made cording fairly simples as I could cord from the edge and bring the needle out at the middle of the piece. Not very exciting fabric, I'm afraid but I wanted to see what effect the cording had without the distraction of patterned fabric.

Sample 1. Individually stitched parallel lines

Then a twin needle was used to stitch a simple design which was corded with linen string. The patterned fabric was backed with cotton to provide a second layer.

Sample 2

The next sample was stitched with non-parallel lines and using the river path from the Inca Trail as an inspiration, some walnut ink dyed cotton was used, backed with cotton. Areas were granite stitched outside of the lines and the path was corded with silk tops and 2 thicknesses of curtain cord as the wider areas were more difficult to fill.

Sample 3

I had a go at 'Bridget Reilly' stitching parallel lines and cording with four thicknesses of DMC which makes a good cord.

Sample 4

I followed the suggestions of using sheer as the top layer and stitched a 'sort of' palm tree using two layers of organza and based with cotton to provide stability.The fronds of the tree were inter stitched with granite stitch. The cording was silk tops.

Sample 5

Using a photo of a ceiling boss at Salisbury Museum for the shape, I used net as the top layer and black cotton as the base and corded with 4 lengths of DMC. Not my favourite piece for this chapter, but it did show me how tricky it is to cord net.

Sample 6

Line and texture

A wall in Peru was used as the reference for this corded and stitched piece. Parallel lines were used to delineate the stones in the wall. These were corded with DMC and then areas were free embroidered. 

Sample 1 Creative use of free embroidery with Italian Quilting

A statue in Peru was the inspiration for some of the shapes in the next piece. Space dyed cotton was used and the piece was pin-tucked on the diagonal. Then backed with cotton, the piece was stitched with parallel lines and corded with string

Sample 2 . Italian quilting combined with stitch techniques

The next sample was to show Italian quilting focusing on line and colour. I decided to use the Union Flag as the source design an changed the red, white and blue for their opposites on the colour wheel, so green, yellow and black. A piece of black cotton was used as a base and stitched with an automatic pattern in a variegated thread. 

A layer of organza was laid over the piece and the design of the flag stitched to this using silver thread to work with the silver organza. I thought then to burn away the organza between the arms of the crosses in the flag, but the corded areas were affected, so a second layer of organza was stitched over the top and held with an automatic stitch the same as the base layer. The arms of the crosses were corded with wool tops and DMC.

Sample 3. Italian quilting focusing on line and colour

Trapunto Quilting

Using pattern with Trapunto quilting

I used the Paris Eye as the inspiration for a sample of English Quilting and thought that this would be a good source for trapunto quilting. I drew the elements to make a design and decided which would be padded and which left flat.

 Drawing for Pattern with trapunto quilting

Silk fabric was used throughout. Appliqués were cut and attached to to the base layer with Bondaweb and some stitching designs added - circles to reflect the 'eye' and feather automatic stitches to suggest flight. Areas were then outlined with stitch where the fabric would be stuffed. Polyester filling was used to fill the spaces. The repeated patterns of the blades and centres of the Paris Eye were stitched with contrasting colours.

A backing layer of cotton was added and the areas to be filled were cut, filled and stitched closed again. That makes it sound so simple!

Sample 1. Using pattern with trapunto quilting

Trapunto quilting, where the depth of the padded areas varies.

I used the engine of a motor bike that I was taken on for a fast ride by the British Legion Riders Branch last year who were fund-raising for the Poppy Appeal. They keep their bikes immaculately clean. 

Then I drew some of the elements of the engine and using the suggested technique, dragged it through the photocopier when copying to distort the image. 

Then I selected ares to stitch by re-drawing

I used a space dyed cotton and backed it with cotton. Appliqués were cut to highlight some of the 'engine' parts and two eyelets were stitched and cut through. Elements between the areas that were to be filled were stitched with granite stitch in my new Somac 'bomb-proof' silver thread and the surrounds were stitched using the same thread for vermicelli. 

The appliquéd areas were padded densely with polyester stuffing and the other padded areas, medium and softer. This doesn't show too well in the photograph but I think that it now looks like giant squids!

Tonal value demonstrated through the padded areas.

I used a photograph of bunch of grapes, taken on holiday in France as the image source.

Using a piece of drawing software on my iPad, I made a sketch of a few grapes and added some tones in 'virtual watercolour'. 

Software sketch of grapes.

I printed the sketch onto printable silk and used a space dyed complementary felt as a stabiliser. Then the grapes were outline stitched and a vine leaf added using an image on the internet. 

The highlights of the grapes were either stitched or filled with wool top colours reflecting their lightness. Then the grapes were filled with wool tops using relevant colours. The leaf was stitched and again padded with wool tops to give the leaf shape. the silk and felt layers were cut away close to the edge of the stitching and an automatic stitch was used to stop the piece from fraying.

Sample 3. Tonal value demonstrated through the padded area. 

I enjoyed trapunto most from the three variations in this and the previous chapters. 

I look forward to researching three designers for the next chapter. I had thought to use some of my favourite designers, but reading the instructions more attentively, realise that they were not known for machine embroidery in particular, so I will have to re-think my original proposals of Alexander McQueen, Grayson Perry and Kaffe Fassett.