Diploma Module 5 Chapter 8

This chapter is all about making lace with wrapped frames dipped into paper pulp.  I hadn’t made paper before (it wasn’t in the syllabus when I did C&G Part 1), so Sian sent me some notes to get me started.  First, I had a play making up some pulp from old sketchbook pages (I always seem to have a collection of odd sheets removed when the books get too fat or where something unwanted has soaked through) and made a few trial sheets.  I only wanted small pieces, about 6” square, so I used plastic canvas as a mesh and a foil baking tray for the water and pulp.
Photo 1 Trial sheets of paper.  I added lots of snippets of dyed scrim and threads and tried getting different thicknesses of paper and making holes.

Photo 1

Now moving onto the real work of the chapter.  I had been wondering what to use for frames that wouldn’t be too big  - I have one small square wooden frame and of course lots of hoops, but wrapping circular objects sounds fiddly – and then had a eureka moment when I remembered there is a big wooden chest of Meccano in my bedroom.  It is one of those things that is too big and heavy to carry up to the loft and it has been sitting there so long it has become invisible.  As well as being convenient it fits in nicely with my theme.

Photo 2 This is buttonhole filling worked very loosely and dipped in the pulp – this is the only sample I cut off the frame.  You can see there must have been a bit of colour in the pulp, I think this came off one of the fabric scraps you will see further down.  I like the scrunchy feel of the paper on this.

Photo 2

Photo 3 This is the one that didn’t work very well – scrim stretched across a wooden frame and holes cut before being dipped in the pulp.  The pulp didn’t want to stick at all in the middle and now it is dry, the edges are coming away too.

Photo 3

Photo 4 The first Meccano frame, this is just 4 flat bars braced with corner pieces.  I wrapped threads and fabric around the frame and then stitched over to make a grid relating to the needlelace designs from the research.  The centre is wrapped with a scrap of silk.  All the fabric scraps used in this chapter are leftovers from the module 1 colour study.

Photo 4

I originally intended to cut the samples off the frames, but I like them as they are.  The back of this one is interesting too and gives a different mood, Photo 5 below.  I like the embossed effect of the threads.

Photo 5

Photo 6 Circles are easy when there are holes in the edge.  I added a few random bits to this one, a broken chain link and rusty washers, and some buttonhole fillings when the paper had dried.

Photo 6

Photo 7 Again, the back is interesting.  The depth of the frame means there is a space between the layers and the pulp stretches across adding extra patterns.

Photo 7

Photos 8 and 9 – Front and Back This is my favourite one. It is about 15cm tall. The frame is made from bars with right angled ends so there is a gap of about a centimetre between the front and the back; in places, the pulp has joined across the void.  As before, wrapped with fabric and threads and buttonhole fillings added afterwards on both sides.  On one side, I have draped a buttonhole bar – I was thinking of referencing the contrast in needllaces of the trailing designs over a rigid grid.  I am not sure if it looks quite right at the moment with just one, so I may add some more.

Photo 8

Photo 9

I had all the samples grouped standing on edge on a windowsill to dry and thought it looked a lot like my photos of the old Sevalco plant (see this post from chapter 2), and also made me think of the pictures I found of lace in architecture.  So for my resolved samples, I would like to use the idea of making a set of these frames using paper, silk paper and solubles to create the layers.  I can experiment with the Meccano shapes to include additional layers, make them deeper (eg a cube or other 3d form) and set layers at an angle. I am mindful of not wanting to repeat what I did in module 1, so will be aiming for the layers to be more lacelike (and less like girders).
 
I started chapter 9 while waiting for these samples to dry, but I will post that next time when there is more to show.

Module 5 Chapter 4

Exploring ways of creating lacy designs by making holes.  First, cut paper to show positive and negative shapes based on the same motif as I used for chapter 3.

Sample 1 Grid stitched on layers of synthetic fabrics and then shapes burnt away with a stencil cutter.

Sample 2 This time the shape was stitched onto white satin and burnt away before the grid was stitched.

Sample 3 organza backed with an adhesive stabiliser, which was left in place, freely stitched and the area around the motif partly burnt away.  Leaving the stabiliser in makes it firm enough to keep its shape and I rather like the papery, slightly singed look.

Sample 4 creating shapes with holes, two layers of organza bonded together with threads trapped between them.  On the left, punched holes, on the right burnt with a woodburning tool and stencil cuttter, which gives more variety.

Sample 5 Slashing - 10 layers of scrim stitched together with a grid, slashed and rubbed to create texture.

Sample 6 slashing around a shape on five layers of muslin.

Module 5 Chapter 3

Creating suspended shapes using sheer/transparent fabrics and stitch  I started this chapter back at the end of January, then put it to one side to concentrate on the dress.  You can see the influence of that design process on the first sample which is backstitch on clear PVC. I photographed it against a window and you can see both sides of the stitching.  To make it easier to work on PVC, I pricked out the design from my drawing and then just stitched in those holes. 

Sample 2 – back to my main theme, folding and ironing cotton organdie into pylon shapes.

Sample 3 – referring back to photos used in chapter 2 (see this post) long stitches in different thicknesses of thread on silk organza.

Sample 4 – similar to sample 3.

Samples 3 and 4 layered in front of a window.

Two more samples based on the same theme with added curves.  Left sample 5 organza bonded onto heat resistant acetate and stitched.  Right sample 6, loose threads bonded to organza, shapes cut, bonded to background and stitched.
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For the remaining samples, I returned to the 16th century needlelace designs and made a string print block of one of the motifs, then printed with white acrylic paint onto organza.
sample 7 – I added a variety of hand stitches in different weights to the front and back following the lines of the print and filling the spaces with loops of detached chain stitch, creating shadows.

sample 8 – a freer interpretation – overlapping prints with a few areas picked out in stitch and added beads. (Sorry, these don’t really show up in photographs).

Module 5 Chapter 2

Creating lace effects by removing the background and by joining small shapes.  I have grouped the samples here by inspiration rather than the order of making, (with a 2p coin for scale) and I decided to stay mainly working with white.  The photographs are ones I gathered as part of module 1 work and have referred to before, some converted to black and white to emphasis the patterns of lines.

Photo 1

Clockwise from top left – the photograph is the old Sevalco plant in Severnside

• trails from hot glue gun forming a grid, coloured with gold and black acrylic paint.
• stitching on dissolvable background using built-in stitches (some layered on top of each other) combining the grid with arcs taken from the bell movements in photo 3.  To be honest, the arcs have lost their curves. they could have done with more anchoring.
• Grid stitched on zeelon (a new one to me, a non-woven material from the makers of lutradur etc but much thinner and softer, it drapes like fabric) with some filled in areas, cut out with a stencil cutter.

Photo 2

 

From left

• trails from a hot glue gun join up spare clock hands (left over from making Cogitation).
• snippets of thread were trapped between layers of zeelon, then shapes outlined by machine, cut out and rejoined with machine stitching.

lines of machine stitching using built in patterns on soluble paper – a few areas filled in with patterns of stitching.

Photo 3

• left – machine stitching on soluble paper
• right – three layers stitched separately on solusheet dissolvable using different thicknesses of thread and layers of built-in patterns on top of each other.

Photo 4

Patterns taken directly from the needlace design drawn in chapter 1 – clockwise from top left

• heavy free machining on vanishing muslin.  This should have burnt off with an iron (and has before) but proved very stubborn this time.  the scorch marks are where I was a bit heavy handed with the heat gun.
• same again on zeelon cut out with a stencil cutter – much lighter stitching supported by the outer border.
• glue gun trails.

Photo 5

Three samples that don’t really fit with the others

• left -   joining scraps of paper with machine stitching across the gaps.  The scraps are from the setting up instructions for a computer.  I have just thought that I ought to have made more of the content – eg turning it into a flowchart, making a line to follow – so I will have another look at this one.
• right – trailing glue onto greaseproof paper leaves a definite right and wrong side as the back is flat, so to get around this I tried drawing with the hot glue gun into a dish of cold water.  It solidifies as soon as it hits the water and makes more delicate, rounded lines.  However, it tends to swirl and rotate so I couldn’t control it enough to make a planned pattern, but I like the random creations.

Lost in Lace– Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

I spent the day visiting this way back in November – so another very late blog post.  It is a marvellous bit of luck that this exhibition is on (it runs until 19th February) just as I am starting module 5 which is all about  lace and transparency .  One of the features I really appreciated about this exhibition is that each artist has supplied a small handling sample with a brief note on materials, and the accompanying book includes exchanges of emails between the curator and the artists, which gives a real insight into the technical challenges of mounting the exhibition.   Here are a few of my personal highlights, but there is much more – I have included links to images on the artists’ pages.

 Piper Shepard  Lacing Space – a remarkable piece of work hanging from floor to ceiling between  pillars, inspired by a piece of point de gaze lace in BMAG’s collection. the holes have been hand cut from the cloth.  The edges have been shaped around the pillars so that if it is shown elsewhere, they will appear as negative spaces. I was awed by the sheer amount of work as well as the beauty of this piece.

Liz Nilsson The Latticed Eye of Memory – a group of rectangular panels cut with a regular grid of circular holes hanging in layers, appearing to float.  The grids and shadows line up in different patterns as you walk around; the central layer is more colourful and can only be partially glimpsed.

Suzumi Noda Juxtaposition – constructed from jacquard punch cards, lacquered and knitted together.  these cards were used to control looms to weave cloth in a given pattern, and as such were the forerunners of computer programs. It all comes down to ones and zeroes, holes and solid areas, on and off.   Standing next to this piece, I had the odd feeling that it was trying to tell me something and I wanted to be able to read the code.  This is another piece that casts interesting shadows, this time across the floor as the daylight changes.

Tamar Frank A thin line between space and matter.  A deceptively simple concept, a 3d mathematical drawing in threads which is stunning on a large scale (do you remember drawings curves in school maths lessons by joining grid points with straight lines like this?

it is the same idea).  You walk into a small room lit from below by coloured LEDs then as the light fades, the phospherescent threads glow and the effect is  disconcerting, like falling into a tunnel.

Visiting the exhibition prompted me to look up other ways in which lace is being more generally used in design, contrasting the softness and delicacy of lace with hard materials .  Dutch design house Demakersvan  make lace industrial fencing and Cal Lane cuts into, among other things, steel beams.  Architects are also making use of lace-like facings such as the recent John Lewis shop in Leicester and the new central library in Birmingham (under construction).

Module 5 Chapter 1–Researching Stitched Laces

When I said that this would be my next post, I meant in the next day or so – still what’s six weeks between friends?  I have gathered images and notes onto  four A3 sheets – the photos are not clear enough to read the notes (despite several attempts) so I have cut and pasted them underneath.

Sheet 1 - Punto In Aria

Reticella
Made in buttonhole stitch supported by a grid of threads left after cutting squares out of the linen ground (about 1/4 to 1/2 “ apart). You can see the grid in photo 2 giving a tiled effect. This developed into punto in aria in two ways 1) by replacing the cutwork grid with threads laid on parchment, which frees the lace from the grid structure and 2) by using raised work. This example of Venetian gros point has padded borders made by laying down thick threads and working buttonhole stitch over them – this type of lace has a right and a wrong side.
Captions for  photos clockwise from top right 
1) Venetian needle lace, 17^th century, linen thread. Probably a border for eg a tablecloth. Note the edges are different – the footside is bobbin lace.
2) Italian early 17^th century, cutwork and needlelace across the spaces of the linen ground. This type of work was used especially for collars and cuffs, so this may be part of a collar.
3) Venetian gros point.
4) Italian early 17^th century, linen thread, border for fine furnishing.

Sheet 2 – Needlelace Designs by Federico Vinciolo 1587

 

A selection of designs from the 16th century (see references for full details) and my drawings of some of the details.

Sheet 3 – Stitches for Needlelace

The most common stitch in needlelaces is detached buttonhole with a straight return. Loops are made in one direction and the thread returns in a straight line underneath to become the support for the next row. It makes no difference to the final result if the loops are worked left to right or right to left, or if the motif is worked from the top or the bottom. The stitches may be left with gaps or worked tight together.
For a firmer texture, a knotted stitch is used – this is seen on lace from the 17th and 18th century. The return can be straight or whipped, in which case it twists over each loop.

Captions clockwise from top right -
Needlelace in tudor fashions. Portraits of Elizabeth I and Lady Mary Sidney show how collars and cuffs were worn.
Worked sample of variations of buttonhole stitch supported on black felt and to the left, diagrams of these same stitches.

Sheet 4 – Lace effect from punched or stamped patterns.

 

Decorating fabrics using these techniques is considerably quicker than making bobbin or needle lace and so relatively cheaper. 
Captions from left to right -
1) Detail of silk waistcoat stamped and embroidered, English 1785-1790.  Compare the pattern with this pricking of a traditional Bucks point bobbin lace design. 
Holes made by stamping, probably using a wheel to get the repeats. The fabric would be starched before stamping so that the holes keep their shape. The stamp pushes aside the threads without breaking them.
2) A large scale, contemporary use of punching by Piper Shepard for Lost in Lace at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.  Based on a piece of point de gaze lace in the BMAG collection.
3) Top right -  Detail of yellow silk gown, English 1760s. This shows pinking – making decorative holes with a metal punch. To do this, the folded fabric would be put on a block of lead and the punch struck with a hammer to make a pattern of holes.  Below -  My sample of pinking using a hole punch on folded calico, trying different size punches  - hard on the hands.


References
Historical Fashion in Detail 17^th and 18^th Centuries, Avril Hart and Susan North.
A Dictionary of Lace, Pat Earnshaw, Shire Publications 1984.
Bobbin and Needlelace Identification and Care, Pat Earnshaw, Batsford 1983.
Lace pricking taken from Bucks Point Pattern Pack, Pamela Nottingham, Batsford.
Lost in Lace Transparent Boundaries, Lesley Millar , BMAG 2011.
A Walk Through the Beginnings of Lace, copyright Robin L Berry 2004, www.bayrose.org/AandS/handouts/reticella_ rev.pdf
French National Library – I Singolari E Nuovi Disegni Di Federico Vinciolo, 1909 Italian facsimile of 1606 editions of pattern books first published in Paris 1587, available at belovedlinens.net/Patternsbooks.html
Chats on Old Lace and Needlework, Emily Lowes, London 1908 – Project Gutenberg ebook 2008, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26120.
Portrait of Elizabeth I from the National Portrait Gallery, London

Images of punto in aria from Victoria and Albert Museum, www.vam.ac.uk