Starting Module 2

Sometimes I don't know where the time goes; September seems to slipped by unnoticed. I didn't make it to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the NEC as I was taking part in Sing For Water in London, but the good news is I have booked my train ticket for Ally Pally in October.

Work continues on the animation as I am still tidying it. I have tried creating in different formats so I can try different ways of projecting, for example using Powerpoint. It is a bit academic at the moment as I don't have access to a data projector but I have used a stills as slides to get an idea of scale. I think this will be my large-scale piece as it doesn't fit any other category so I need now to plan the background for the projection.

I have also started on module 2, reading up about the Bayeux Tapestry and drawing some of the wonderful trees and animals from it.

Work in Progress

Now the children are back at school, I have been able to think seriously about the first assessment piece. I am experimenting with the idea of using the animation I created some months ago, replacing the digital image with stitching. I have started working stitched samples which I will scan into the computer.

My first idea was to use free machining with cable stitch to reproduce the uneven lines. I soon realised that the detail would become fiddly and that the thick thread looked too untidy. As I have an A4 scanner, I am restricted to this size for samples. When scanned, there were a lot of uneven shadows. The photos at the end of this post show the back and front of this sample (sorry, I am having trouble getting photos in the place I want them).

My second sample is handstitching on white cotton (photo at top of post). At first I used running stitch but then changed to long straight stitches. I used shades of black and grey to add variety to the lines and left it in the hoop for scanning. It will be interesting to see if the scanned image has shadows from where threads have been carried across the back and how effective this is - or will it just look messy.

As I am planning to lose the background before animating, I am making a further sample on white card, again with long stitches and shades of black and grey. The photo of the partially stitched sample shows shadows on the card which would be good to keep. I shall have to see whether a photograph or a direct scan looks better.

Metal Samples

I have put together some of the loose pieces made at summer school to make a book of samples using metal effects. The one above is a piece of tomato puree tube embossed and coloured with alcohol inks. I have put it on a background of painted puff paint and covered with silk paper and wire stitching, It hasn't photographed very well - even without a flash I was getting a lot of glare.

Below is a strip of crimped shim on top of fabrics coloured with transfer crayons and transfoil.



The cover for the book is small pieces of stitched metal underneath water soluble paper, stitched and partially dissolved, coloured with walnut ink and applied to a background of crumpled tissue on pelmet vilene. A little colour added with Moon glow sprays and joined with wrapped pipecleaners ( this is Maggie's influence!).