Linings and hangings, tassels and rods.
For these elements of the chapter, I have made a sample to include all four. My inspiration came from a long flight to Africa. I seldom manage sleep on flights and having my sketch book and pen in my bag I doodled the backs of the seats ahead of me. The flight was with Ethiopian Airways and the seat backs reminded me of windows in old buildings that I had seen on previous visits to the country. I decided that these seats would be useful for tabs.
Sketch of backs of plane seats - in the middle of the night
Quick sketch of how a panel might look
Page 24 Plan for panel
Hanging rod.
A piece of dowelling was carefully and evenly wrapped in a silky yarn bought from Myfannwy Hart and I intended to use this same yarn to make my tassel that would be at the bottom of the panel.
The wrapped rod
The fringe
I used a tassel frame kindly lent to me by one of the MEG members and using the silky yarn, carefully wrapped the frame, secured the yarn with three rows of straight stitch in a matching variegated thread and made sure that the fringe would be the correct width for the panel. The fine was then stitched with two rows of automatic pattern, slightly oriental as seen in the image above beneath the rod. The fringe was cut along the bottom edge and removed from the frame.
The tassel
Tabs
5 Tabs were made to hang the panel from the rod and to compliment the work. I had frame the sides of the panel with a space dyed cotton and used this fabric to make the tabs in the shape of the backs of the seats that inspired the work. When these were applied to the work, only three were used, two at the side and one in the middle. The side tabs were shaped to match the straight edge of the panel. 'Buttons' were made of heat changed aluminium used in the main piece and attached through to the back of the work with a variegated metallic thread.
The central tab
Lining
I used a piece of calico to back the work, turned in and stitched
Back of panel
The panel
From my original idea and plan, I cut the 'building from' yellow silk and to support it, ironed to Bondaweb. This changed the appearance of the silk but I could accept this as it actually enhanced and aged the look. But I have learnt that this is not necessarily how I would want it to change my fabric again. Using blue silk as a base background and heat changed aluminium as 'windows', the pieces were formed together. The blue silk was supported with heavyweight Vilene.
I used machine satin stitch to attach the building and windows but this looked heavy so a variegated picot edge in automatic pattern also used on the tassel and below the top of the panel, was added and to each picot top a small bead was stitched. The supporting fabric was visible, so I made a cord from the variegated thread and stitched this behind the beads.
To the interior of each 'window' a half-brick automatic stitch was added and enhanced the work. The same stitch was used on top of the border fabric where it joined the silk.
Small squares of aluminium as used for the windows were added in a regular pattern down each side of the panel and attached with the same variegated metallic thread used elsewhere with a small automatic pattern. This was not without challenges. Using metallic thread top and bottom on metal, made the threads break frequently but I persevered!
Th aluminium edging
Page 26. The completed panel incorporating rod, tassels, tabs and lining
To hang the piece, I made a twisted cord from the yarn used for the rod and tassels. I am very pleased with the result.
Fringes and tassels
Thick black cotton was used with a large tassel frame and stitched down to secure with rows of black stitching covered with a metallic variegated thread in a pretty automatic pattern.
Page 27. Black fringe
Then green narrow ribbon was used again on the large frame to create a fringe with securing rows of stitch covered with a variegated atomic patterned thread to compliment the ribbon.
Page 27. Green ribbon fringe
Variegated hemp cord was wound around a small tassel frame and stitched to secure then and automatic pattern added in a metallic thread which on reflection does not work well with the hemp. The bottom edge of the tassel was cut.
Page 27. Hemp fringe
Pink yarn was used or the final fringe. It was made up of cords and ribbons so would look good as a fringe. I used the larger frame and wound the yarn round it, securing with rows of matching thread then with a blending variegated thread. The result is pretty if not a bit fluffy for my taste.
Page 27. Pink fluffy fringe
And finally for the practical element of this chapter, I used the tassel frame side on to made long tiny tassels. I have some thread used by the local famous glove-makers Dents where I can get strong surplus to their requirement threads and pieces of glove leather.
Tassels on the frame.
The threads were overstitched with zigzagged variegated threads and then cut from the frame. The two tiny red tassels were tightly wound together and the two tiny blue tassels knotted. They are very pretty and would be a useful process to add to a future piece.
The blue and red tiny tassels
Chapter 5 Designers
Designer 1. Someone whose work is interesting and inspiring
Designer 2. One whose work does not appeal and why
Designer 3. One whose work has influenced my own work and why
Designer 1.
The designer who to date I have found one of the most
interesting, amongst many I must add, so a difficult choice to make, is Alysn
Midgelow-Marsden and her use of metal in stitch. I have found the use of metal
in my work and interesting prospect and her book, "This Lustr'ed
cloth" was both interesting as it helped me to understand how to work with
metals and which to choose and inspiring as her resulting work is so beautiful.
Alysn lives and works in New Zealand sadly having left the UK.
Alysn Midgelow-Martin
My Distant Stitch learning enabled me to work with metal and I
thoroughly enjoyed developing my piece, 'Growth and Decay' as part of the
module gaining confidence to burn, use chemicals and stitch on different
metals. I was lucky enough to be able to buy a 'job lot' of metal meshes from a
manufacturer who classed it as waste. So very cost-effectively I was able to
purchase several metres of copper, brass and aluminium 'cloth' which I used for
'Growth and Decay' and still have a large quantity left over for future use.
Alysn's work is mainly abstract and allegorical although she
does make some loosely figurative pieces, a place I would like to go and am
gradually learning to do so throughout the course. Her design and risk-taking
with metal is inspiring using burnishing, chemical alteration and fabric with
her work to create texture and form that is quite beautiful.
Alysn's wonderful work with metal
The messages she conveys through the work I have seen is of the
subdued risk of the glare of metal by enhancing with stitch and fabric, paint and
manipulation to create works of art that remind me of medieval work whilst at
the same time being contemporary and of our time.
Designer 2.
A difficult choice as I don't like to offend other people's work.
Work that appeals to some, doesn't to others. I admire the quality of Linda
Miller's work but not the images.
The naive figures which she creates are not to my taste and they
lack the abstraction which I find interesting in others' work. Simplicity can
be beautiful for instance just using a few lines of stitch and some sparse
colour, a portrait can be made; also simple, but different.
Linda Miller's work
Linda Miller works from her studio in Winchester, Hampshire and
has been creating machine embroidery figurative pictures since graduating from
Winchester School of Art in 1988. Linda’s work is exhibited throughout the UK,
Europe and the USA and she has pieces in the South-East Arts Council
collection, The Brighton and Hove Museum services, the Chandler Arts
collection, Arizona and within the permanent textile and dress collection at
the V&A.
Her work is mainly figurative including using animals. She uses
colour well, with dense stitching to create a picture. The images are ‘cute’
but not to my taste as they are rather simplistic.
Designer 3.
The choices were difficult as I have one designer/maker who fits
two of the criteria. My first 'formal' attempt at machine embroidery having
been to a few day workshops and dabbling at home which got me hooked, was when
I went to a three day workshop with Alison Holt, to stitch and autumn scene in
free machine embroidery having prepared a silk under-painting. I loved it and
was hooked. So she fits the first and third criteria for my designer/make
choices. But I have to fit her into one category and so I have chosen her as my
third designer, one whose work has influenced my own.
Alison Holt
Why, because without her detailed and patient tuition of a class
of ten over three days, her insistence on painterly rules, given that my
background is in art, I would perhaps not have started this course. After that
weekend, I wanted more and searched for something that would fulfil my desire
to go back and learn the basics rather than starting at the refined conclusion
without fully understanding the basic steps underpinning design and craft.
Distant Stitch was the answer.
Her work in stitch has influenced me inasmuch as an artist my
work has always been representative and figurative, finely detailed, much as
Alison's. So the first steps to stitching freely were made and Distant Stitch
has taken me further and loosened my style in art as well as stitch. So I can't
speak highly enough of her influence on my work. I will be stitching with her
again in October for three days.
Alison's superb stitching
Alison studied Fine Art, textiles and embroidery at Goldsmith's
College, London where she experimented with many textile techniques before
choosing machine embroidery as a medium, She started to explore her love of
gardens and the countryside through embroidery finding it the perfect vehicle
to express the various textures and forms she finds so fascinating.
She teaches machine embroidery, silk painting and surface
decoration and runs various courses at her studio, She also works to commission
and exhibits in Britain and America. Her work is sold to private collections al
over the world.
Alison's style is detailed is detailed, layered tonal free
embroidery and from a short distance her stitching looks like a painting. It is
the astonishment when looking more closely that it is in fact stitched, that
shows her skill so well as an embroidery artist.
Her work is representative, mostly of flowers and landscapes
using colour and tone to depict almost exactly, the natural world. The shapes
represent botanical accuracy and line and texture give depth to her work. The
messages conveyed in Alison's work are of calm and beauty achieved by the fine
use of colour and the intensity and depth of the image created. Her work is
created in hooped free embroidery with silk under-painting which adds to the
depth of the work.
