C&G level 2 Module 2, Chapter 8 completed

Paper Manipulation

I looked through photographs which might inspire my imagination for crinkled, folded and curved leaves and flowers. I have put the images of these at the end of this chapter and suggested which of the folded and curved papers might be used to re-create the feeling for the their textures.

Paper folding

Using the exercises from the chapter, I made all the suggested folded 3D pieces.

Page 51. The folded paper envelope

Page 51. The folded flap bag

Page 51. The triangular bag.

Notes for the method of constructing these shapes are in my book 

More adventurous paper folding.

Page 51. Concertina'd sample side view

Page 51. Concertina'd sample from top

This sample was made using a small rectangular piece of paper left over from the squares taken from the A4 sheet used for samples before. The rectangle was concertina'd across its length with 8 folds and then each folded back on itself to form a star shaped if observed from the top.

I made more shapes later in the chapter but moved on to curling shapes

Curling paper

The paper loop, mobeus loop and interlinked curled loops were created and photographed for my notebook. 

Page 52. Loop and mobeus loop and interlinked loops

I used doubled sided taped to join the torn loops but it didn't hold, so used a micro-stitch to hold them together more firmly. The shapes formed together became interesting 

Cut and curl

Page 52. Cut and curled strips

The effect was interesting and details of construction as with all pieces are in my notebook. These shapes could be used in many ways, certainly for the unfolding elements of plant leaves and some petals. It also has a relaxing element if draped forms, music and a flowing quality to it. Rather lovely. I look forward to stitching these shapes in the next chapter. 

a

b

c

d

e

Page 51. "lantern shape"

The details of construction were added to my notebook and the form when completed stretched and squashed and photographed to show the shapes created. Images a and b may prove useful for flower shapes 

Page 52. Strips curled backwards and forwards

The A4 paper folded lengthways and different widths and shapes were cut from open edge to fold leaving a small area attached. The shaped were then taking forward and back joining the ends together. Another sample was made using a newspaper which has been previously used for some block printing.

Other folded samples. 

I made some other folded samples and these are photographed and details of construction are in my notebook

Extending the ideas

I used newspaper and block printed papers and folded them in the same methods as used for the first samples.

 These could be used as fronds or developed as dried leaves

 These might be useful as hidden pockets in fabric

This sample may work with wire and stitch to create opening doors to hidden secrets

Some of these samples will prove useful in stitch 

This sample was specifically developed as I have considered using the form when I move on to using wire mesh as a structural foundation for the work in the next chapter. It is cut in one piece from an A4 sheet of paper. Using a fern as the inspiration I wanted to use folds and curls to suggest the shapes of the emerging fronds. I cut leaf shapes and roots shapes into the paper as a continuous sheet and then scored and folded the leaves to shape them inwards. I then curled the tops of the leaves. and rolled the shapes around themselves to imagine the whole plant form. I think that it works and will try this again with wire mesh. 

My plant inspiration for the sample above

Plant inspirations (below)

The paper curled back and forward and joined could be used to create the feeling of these lotus flowers. 

My notebook seems rather less disjointed that this blog! I am really looking forward to translating some of this into stitch in the next chapter

C&G Module 2 Chapter 7 completed

Developing Stitched Textures

I collected together a range of yarns that I thought would work for this exercise. They were ribbon, wool, silk tops and sari silk in a range of colours and textures.

I was really excited at the thought of putting these together and using a wide zigzag stitch, they were attached to a piece of black felt supported by pelmet Vilene. I left a fringe at the bottom and the threads at that top, which  I tied together to hang them until I put them in my book

Page 47. Couching the Yarn to the background

Again using black felt and Vilene as the background and support, yarns were stitched using zigzag and automatic patterns, some horizontal, some vertical, woven into each other, knotted and with a gathered ribbon, stitched centrally. In the main, contrasting colours were used to create vibrancy. The yarns used were sari waste, sari silk, gathered ribbon, wool tops and differently textured wools. The various automatic stitches used were an automatic vermicelli, a round pattern and star pattern which works very well. I like the effect of this piece. 

Page 48. Ideas to try, presser foot on

In the style of Bridget Riley

Using white calico supported on white felt, black thick cotton based wool was stitched in the style of Bridget Riley with black thread using a zigzag stitch. The wool was guided into the stitch as corners were turned. 

I don't think that the same optical effect was achieved and on reflection should probably have made a smaller sample and stitched the lines closer together. 

Page 49. Black wool couched onto calico using zigzag stitch

Layers and stitch

As I had used weaving in the previous couching piece with horizontals and verticals, I felt that the brief for this sample had been met. 

Ideas to try with 'free embroidery' 

Bits and bobs

I found a picture of a meadow that I liked and felt would transfer well into stitch as a source. I used a random dyed felt as the background and supported this with pelmet Vilene. 

Page 49. The source photograph

Choosing wools, ribbons, silk and other yarns, I cut them into little pieces and in little bundles of colours. I used a temporary spray glue on the felt and using fingers and tweezers, put the snippets in place. For flower stalks, I use a longer piece of yarn. 

Page 50. Snippets of yarn on felt

In general, a random 'vermicelli' type stitch was used to hold pieces down. The little snippets tried to escape and needed to be pushed into place with scissor tips. Turning the piece over, I drew on the back the approximate placement of the more visible flower stalks and used a DMC 8 to cable stitch the stems. 

Snippets stitched in place

This was a pleasurable piece to make and I am pleased with the result. The feeling of a meadow has been captured.

Using design source to inspire texture

As my design source I chose an image of a poppy as it had a variety of textures

Plan

Image - red poppy

Fabric - Random dyed felt backed with felt and red and green velvet to create a base for the poppy and pod.

Colours - Red, green. black, purple, cream, pink

Stitches - cable in purple on seed pod, with whip stitch to create the circular feel to the top of the pod. Feather stitch for petal edges; chenille cabled for the raised lines on the seed pod and tops of stamens.  Free zigzag for spiky hairy bits on pods and leaf.

Order of work - Draw elements of the flower and leaf; use random dyed felt on white felt; collect threads; stitch velvet onto felt creating folds and curves; add stitching to make texture

Quick sketch of the poppy

I liked the poppy as it is so didn't deconstruct it. I decided to allow the velvet to create some of the texture and see how it looked. 

The first stitched sample

I stitched this first sample nd whilst I was really pleased with the outcome an it is heavily stitched in the central area and lightly stitched on the petals, I felt that there was insufficient stitched so used the contours of the velvet and deeper reds to stitch the deep contours; lighter red to stitch the external contours of the petals; whip stitch in a pale cream to bring the seed pod out a bit more and the same pale thread to give the green bottom left, which is the flower case falling away, more texture and a feeling of bristliness. 

Page 50. The completed sample

Evaluation

Image  

Plan - to use an image of a red poppy. Evaluation - I used the poppy image as it was hoping that the petals, pod and leaf would cease a textured image

Textures

Plan - Soft, smooth, hard, sharp, spiky. Evaluation - I think that these textures have been achieved

Fabric

Plan - Felt to ground the piece and velvet to create the smooth basis for the flower. Evaluation - The felt worked as it made the flower sit in an appropriate background that reflected a garden. The velvet worked although it was too dominant as the texture in the first sample and but created lovely contours under the stitching.

Colours

Plan - red, green, black and purple. Evaluation - I added pale green/yellow, pink and yellow to bring out the highlights on the flower.

Stitches 

Plan - cable on the seed podhead and possible whip stitch for the pod; cabled chenille for the stamens; feather and whip stitches for the seed pod and details. Evaluation - The cable stitch with chenille didn't work as the chenille was too thick and close together, so a thinner yarn was used Most other stitches worked as I had planned. 

Order of work 

Draw the shapes before I made the sample. Evaluation - This enabled me to get to know the work before I stitched

Find background background. Evaluation - The background fabric came from Winifred Cottage and the velvet little pieces from my fabrics 

Collect selection of threads. Evaluation - I used about nine different threads

Stitch outline of plant shapes. Evaluation - I used the velvet stitched loosely to the felt to create my outlines. On reflection, perhaps I should have only used stitch and not a fabric to create some of the texture

Add stitching to create texture. Evaluation - I really enjoyed making decisions as to which stitch would work to create depth, shadow, sharpness, softness and shape. I used straight, whip, feather, granite and zigzag

A most enjoyable chapter

C& G level 2, Module 2, Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Complete

Texture

Photos of plants (and other textural things).

Pages 41, 42, 43

My bank of texture words;

Rough, bumpy, smooth, soft, rutted, bouncy, coarse, uneven, silky, shiny, knobbly, gnarled, crumpled and wrinkled.

I looked at Bridget Riley's work, which I found disturbing as it made my eyes go funny, but as suggested, I stitched an element of the piece "waterfall" 

Experiments with stitching textures.

I decided to free embroider with the feed dogs down, the textures I was going to create. I stitched a cactus,  moss, thistle leaves, a rose and an allium and described them.

Mark making to create visual texture

Page 44

I drew with black pen "the whisper of a morning wind through trees" and imagine the wind gentling swishing through leaves and twigs making a soft noise. The using the edge of a sponge and black ink, I made marks that made me think of an aroma drifting from a flower to depict, "the fragrance of a red rose on a hot day"; it wafted like a mirage in the heat. The next mark-making is in white chalk on paper painted with black ink to depict the grass and little spikes of frost, with slippy footprints crunching and slipping, not so easy to think of the stitching here. Then charcoal was used to create a spiky bush to depict, 'Struggling through a thorn bush" and finally, using black pen I entangled the stem and leaves and tendrils to show, wrapping myself in a cocoon of vine leaves. 

and to stitch; 

Page 45

I used a pastel standard thread to make my marks of a morning wind and in the stitching added, 'shh' through the breeze to feel the sound of the movement. 

For the rose, this is a heady strong scented rose, I stitched the aroma wafting away carrying the scent in DMC 8 cable stitch to show the power of the scent.

The cocoon of vine leaves were sweeps of intertwining green DMC 8 with leaves and tendrils that give the impression of softness, whereas the image of 'struggling through a thorn bush, is sharp and spiky and uncomfortable. 

Creating texture with paper and glue

I found an image of bark that I would use to try and re-create the texture seen using stitch. 

 Page 45. Source photo above, PVA/Tissue below

Using thinned PVA glue I shaped and moulded tissue paper to re-create the texture of the bark. This was left to dry and then painted to find the heights and depths in the photo. The tissue/PVA image is t the bottom of the three images below.

Page 46

Creating texture with fabrics and stitch

A piece of black felt was cut to the size of the image which was A5 approximately and a line drawn then stitched around the margin to be stitched within. 

I selected the colours that I thought best matched those in the photo, but I didn't have everything so my final image is not as close a match as it might have been.

I stitched the lower profile lines into the black felt having placed Stitch and Tear beneath as a stabiliser and found my line by stitching rough placements from the front side. 

The pieces that were left of the brown and green once I had stitched my textures and cut them out!

Then using two other pieces of felt, both kunin felt, one green for the lichen and brown for the bark, I used a variety of stitches both from the back with cable stitch and the from, granite stitch, whip stitch and straight free embroidery to develop the items which would be stitched onto the base fabric as depth, profile and texture to the piece. 

Top left quarter of sample

The brown felt was added over the black and stitched in place, the piece of brown felt was cut wider that the area it was to occupy and when stitched down was pushed up to create a sense of height. This probably shows best at the top of this section. I use a heat gun to distress elements of the sample as can be seen top left under which can be seen stitching on the base layer

Top right section

This section contained small spidery lichens and I used a silver standard thread and whip stitch to create this texture. The yellow lichen is a bit brighter that on the original bark but was the closest colour that I had. These little dots of lichen were all stitched onto a mid green piece of kunin felt with granite stitch and then using the silver thread, stitched down using granite stitch.  

 Bottom right section of sample

Using the mid green kunin felt, and stitched separately then added to the main piece, silver standard thread was stitched using granite stitch and pushing the sides in to create height in the texture of the lichen on bark. Smaller pieces were created in the same way and added separately 

Bottom left section

The left hand area was stitched using a spiky free embroidery stitch to try to depict the spidery lichen but for other areas, the green felt was not used and whips stitch was used, which I think created a better result. 

All over the brown felt and on top of the sample, lines of black standard thread was free stitched to depict the small cracked areas of bark which would have been difficult to show any other way

Page 46

The final sample

The sample did not not call for lines of stitching as for the example in the chapter therefore I made an attempt to create an end result that met the brief of texture in stitch. The height of the texture can be seen by the depth of shadow on the bottom central lichen.

Whilst I didn't have the colours I would have liked to best match the original image, I am pleased with the outcome as a stitched piece. I had not used the heat gun before so was interested to see how that affected the work. It was a bit risky as I had finished stitching but I like the effect it made.