Module 4 Chapters 4 to 6 Part 1

For chapter 4, here is my worksheet of ideas for making slips based on the decorated papers and flower shape from chapter 3.  I realised afterwards that as I have written in pencil, it is very hard to read, so below I have clarified the notes starting from the top and working clockwise around the paper flowers:

• Build up colour using optical mixing. Try some of the trellis stitches or battlement couching.
• Experiment with digitising - surface patterns (add hand stitch), colour changes,light stitching repeated and offset, try woolly thread and brushing afterwards.
• Bold handstitches - threads or string loosely strung over solid edge (wire?)
• Soft fluffy stitching - velvet stitch, victorian tufting, tailor tack on machine.
• Carrier bags - collect colours; fuse and cut with soldering iron.
• Layers of sheers plus soldering iron - solid colour layers or scraps; stitch on each layer to give colour changes.
• Lace effects - lutradur or felt burnt through, solubles.
• Metal backed with pelmet vilene, paint and stitch.
• Couched thread on fabric, cut from fabric made from scattered threads on soluble, satin stitch lines.
• Transfer image from decorated papers to fabric - TAP, other methods, direct printing - stitch on top.
• Solubles - create slip from stitch alone machine or lots of handstitch.

Notes by the drawings:

•  imitate the rose petal effect - could be lines of stitch
• raised padded areas
• layers of light fabric secured in centre so edges flap freely
• scrumpled fabric (or paper) built up in layers.

Thoughts on textures

• momigami
• scrumple paper on pelmet vilene and cut out
• shrinking thread
• shrinking fabric

Thoughts on edges

• turned
• burnt
• frayed
• hanging threads
• continue stitch into background
• corded
• satin stitch
• stitch around and nibble into slip.

Here are the sample slips so far, the 10p coin in the picture gives scale and the slips are described by number underneath.  Click on the photo to enlarge.

1. Bayeux stitch on cotton
2. Digitised stitch - drawn directly into the software
3. As 2 using fast pen strokes
4. Digitised stitch - open filling repeated three times in different colours and slightly offset.
5. Digitised stitch - solid filling with contrasting top layer
6. Digitised stitch - solid spiralling filling (will do something else with this)
7. As 4 making each layer smaller than the last
8. Threads captured in layers of soluble fabric, digitised openwork pattern.
9. As 8 but just stitching outline which was then whipped by hand.
10. As 8 but just stitching outline then filling with layers of sorbello stitch.

As Christmas intervened, I packed away the sewing machine but I jumped ahead and tried one of the exercises from chapter 6.

 This is made from layers of crystal organza and chiffon in honey, gold, pink and blue (the photo looks a bit washed out).  I used a stencil cutter to cut out the flower shapes.  At the bottom, one has been left attached by one edge, cut into layers and folded back.  The flowers were then distressed with a heat gun.  The fabrics reacted by shrinking different amounts, sticking together and curling up.  I really like these, they look and feel like dried up petals.  I have mounted the fabric with the negative shapes onto a piece from the 'failed samples' pile which has similar blue/green colours and some stitching of a pylon drawing.  I thought this would stop the pastel colours from being too pretty and add to the grungy worn-out look.  I have flipped over the petals and attached them with just one or two stitches as if they had been blown by the wind (around a desolate industrial site perhaps).