Chapter 8: Complex Samples

In this section I started with some more variations based on the starfish, and then tried a couple of examples with other star shapes.

Sample 1: The background layer was pale aqua cotton patterned with darker aqua dots. This was chosen to match with the middle layer which was a hand-dyed cheesecloth (from my dyeing day described earlier) in a dark aqua. The middle layer was bonded to the background with bonding powder and then the larger starfish shape was outlined in running stitch which was then whipped with a pale blue thread to give a solid outline. Then a top layer of orange-yellow painted fabric was applied and a smaller starfish shape outlined in backstitch with variegated orange-brown thread. This was then cut away on both sides of the stitching to leave the shape outlined in a strip of fabric 2-3mm wide. The top shape was enhanced with lots of small orange-brown running stitches and then the outline of the background starfish was enhanced with more running stitches in a blue metallic thread. Finally some of the middle cheesecloth layer was trimmed to form a smaller square than the lower layer, and the edges were frayed to add to the decorative effect.Overall I was happy with this sample and liked working with the frayed fabric, so may try this again in a future piece. I liked the subtle effcets of some of the stitching, but perhaps need to improve the contrast a little.

Sample 2:In this sample the bottom layer was a solid orange and the middle a sheer tan fabric. A blue-green fabic with a wavy batik-style pattern was placed on top. The starfish design was outlined in running stitch and then the top layer of fabric was cut away inside the shape to reveal the starfish in an orange-tan colour. This was then enhanced by working around the outline in stem stitch with gold thread. Trapunto padding was added to raise the star shape above the background fabric. Sections of the star shape were repeated by working rows of threaded running stitch in blue pearl 8 thread to add further emphasis. I was pleased with the effects achieved with this sample, but found it difficult to work the padding into the narrow arms of the starfish.

Sample 3: This sample began with a piece of nuno felting that I did at a workshop I attended with my Embroiderers' Guild group in April 2008. I tried to outline crude starfish shapes with the woollen strands and then work them into a sheer apricot fabric. It turned out that this fabric was synthetic and although the wool fibres did not penetrate all the way through, they adhered sufficiently on one side. I liked the effect created on the other side of the fabric, where you could see the outline of the shape in a muted colour and the surface was all crinkly, so I decided to use this in my third sample. An orange fabric with a gold pattern applied with paint was used as the background. A starfish shape in a two toned blue fabric was bonded to this with Vlisofix. The blue nuno felted piece was placed on top and held in place with small running stitches. This was then embellished with lots of blue seed stitches and gold detached chain stitches to enhance the crinkled effect. Small beads in blue, blue green and bronze were then applied randomly to the crinkled surface. Some of the pattern in the blue underlayer was outlined in blue stem stitch on the top surface and 3 blue beads added for emphasis.Finally much of the apricot sheer fabric was cut back and the ends frayed to give a wispy edge and a single starfish bead (gift of a friend, Helen Harvey) added to the bottom left side. Again I was pleased with this sample because the basic felting was fairly ordinary but I was able to turn it into an interesting finished piece. I would also like to thank Christene Boseley, the tutor for the felting class, which was a terrific experience (I had never tried felting before but really enjoyed it and plan to do more).

Sample 4: In this sample I decided to incorporate a torn paper shape as I had not done this in an earlier module. I selected a mid-blue fabric as the background, then tore a star shape from orange tissue paper and bonded it to the blue fabric. A square of orange sheer was placed on top, lightly held with bonding powder and a double row of blue machine stitching applied between each spoke to hold it in place. This was further enhanced with hand stitching.Firstly a solid orange line was couched between the two rows of blue stitching. Then the centre was worked with two rows of running stitch to outline it, a brown cord was couched in a mis-shapen circle and a "flower" worked in chain stitch in the centre, finished with a French knot. Some large straight stitches in light blue and orange brown were added randomly to break up some of the solid orange areas and then rows of running stitches in two blues, orange and tan worked at an angle from the edge of each spoke to the edge of the fabric.

Sample 5: In this sample I decided to use the basic 8 armed star I had used in some earlier work, but to add a different star feature for the top layer. The one I chose was a section of one of my earlier cut paper shapes. I chose an apricot background fabric, then added a tan sheer on top. I then machined the outline of the 8 armed star in a copper metallic thread and cut away the inner part of the shape to reveal the apricot shape underneath.I then did 3 more rows of machine stitching along each arm on the apricot to bring up the star shape. A single row border was also added to hold everything together. A painted blue sheer was placed on top to create the second star shapes. These shapes were outlined with two rows of blue running stitch (sewing thread) and the unwanted fabric cut away. Finally, a feature was added by working three 8 armed stars in blue pearl 8 thread to mimic the one in the background. Although my machining needs improvement, this is one of the samples that I really like, mainly because the colour combination works well and the star shapes complement each other.

Chapter 7: Translating Layered Designs into Embroidery

The first 3 samples in this series were based on the starfish shape, experimenting with different fabrics, colours and stitches. The bottom shape was the basic starfish and the top layer used a second, narrower and slightly distorted starfish shape to provide additional interest.

Sample 1: Plain apricot background,painted blue middle layer outlined with irregular buttonhole and then top deeper orange layer outlined with contrasting blue running stitch were used for this sample. Whilst I liked the colour combinations in this sample, I thought the top shape was too large for the underneath layer and decided to try a smaller shape next time.

Sample 2: Compared with sample 1,a slightly smaller starfish shape was used for the top layer to see if this improved the overall composition. In this sample I used a painted mustard background, with brown fabric on orange woven paper middle layer (powder bonded. This was chosen to pick up the brown paint colour in the underlayer. The middle layer was outlined with couched gold thread and then the edges of the brown fabric were frayed to reveal glimpses of the orange underneath. A blue top layer (smaller starfish) was added and outlined with gold bars made up of two running stitches. I thought that the colour effects in this sample were pleasing and I preferred the smaller starfish shape on top.

Sample 3: The design was similar to sample 2, but worked in a totally different manner. The base fabric was a decorative bonded and layered fabric with small pieces sprinkled onto an orange background and held in place with orage net. A plain blue layer was placed on top and the shape outlined in running stitch with a single strand of variegated orange thread. The blue fabric was the same as some of the blue pieces trapped in the bottom layer. The inside fabric was cut away to reveal the negative image of a starfish shape from the bottom layer. The third (top) layer was a positive image of the second starfish shape in a lighter and more brownish orange. This was outlined with a different variegated orange couched thread (wavy line achieved by separating strands of a thicker thread) and then the border was worked in herringbone stitch using two strands of the same thread as for the middle layer.I was pleased with this sample, but found it hard to handstitch through the stiff bottom bonded layer. I think it would probably be better to use the machine for this type of approach in the future.

Sample 4: I switched to a different design for this sample to explore some other design possibilities. The bottom layer was a painted light blue "satin" type fabric. The middle brown star was made with two layers (a solid brown covered with gold painted sheer) outlined with running stitch in a variegated orange-brown thread. The top layer was a mid-blue sheer where the inner star shape was outlined with herringbone worked in a light blue thread similar to the background blue colour, and the border was held in place with brown chevron stitch in a similar colour to the middle layer.I was reasonably pleased with the overall appearance of this sample but didn't particularly like the wide points where the blue star joined the border (although I did like the border effect).

Sample 5:The design for this sample was similar to sample 4, but I experimented with moving and reducing the size of the 4 pointed star and joining the border to the 8 armed star. The bottom layer was a brown/orange patterned cotton. A painted blue sheer over a plain blue fabric was used for the middle layer, the 4 pointed star. The outline was made with a couched blue/green variegated thread and then a line of running stitch was worked in a slightly darker blue inside the couched line to emphasise the star shape. The 8 pointed star and border was made from a tan sheer which matched the tan dots on the background fabric. A single strand of a blue/orange variegated thread was used to stitch the top layer. The star shape was highlighted with cross stitch and the border with 3 rows of running stitch, with the middle sections cut away. I really liked this piece. Another time I might experiment with keeping the blue layer under the diagnonal spoke of the brown star and on top of the horizontal and vertical spokes, as this might further enhance the effect.

Sample 6: This sample had 4 layers of fabric applied separately. I tried to separate the painted blue triangular pieces in the second layer so that a bar of the orange background separated each of the blue pieces. However I did not allow enough space between the blue pieces, so this did not work out. A smaller and lighter orange piece was applied with orange backstitch on top of the painted blue pieces to give a blue border to each piece. Then a final blue fabric layer was appliqued on top in blue running stitch (thicker thread) with a different but related 5 point star shape, and the inside and outside cut away to give a final outline shape. Overall I think this design has possibilities, but more work is needed to get each element the right size to maximise the effect. I may return to this later on.

Chapter 6: Use of Bonding in Applique

In this section I generally used Vlisofix, a paper form of adhesive to bond the shapes together to create the designs. I have also used the powdered adhesive method from time to time in the past, but have found that it is only suitable to hold fabrics temporarily (e.g. until they are stitched together). The Vlisofix gives a more long-lasting bond.

Photograph 1: This shows two variations on the starfish theme as well as two other different star designs. These notes describe them starting at the top left and moving clockwise.

a) Painted golden brown background fabric with a blue asymmetric spoke pattern and a sheer border and 4 armed star outline on top. This is a pleasing effect which offers several possibilities for variation which will be explored later in the course. Note how the colour of the orange sheer is changed by the base fabric.

b) Spoke pattern in blue/gold painted Vlisofix applied to pale apricot base fabric and then orange sheer with star cut out placed on the top. Blue glitter star on sheer blue fabric attached in the centre as a highlight. I think the spoke effect has future possibilities, but I prefer samples a & c.

c) Layers of starfish shapes placed on pale apricot background. The middle sheer blue star was enhanced with a darker blue stipple applied with Inktense pencils. This effect was also very pleasing and I could see it could be enhanced with stitches in later exercises.

d) Starfish shape achieved by cut out on top layer to reveal painted fabric background. Further emphasis is achieved by adding the narrow 5-armed star in a deeper version of the base colour.

Photograph 2: This shows two more variations on the starfish theme as well as two other star designs. The samples were produced either with decorative bonded multi-layer fabrics or painted Vlisofix. These notes describe them starting at the top left and moving clockwise.

a) This shape came from the derived star shapes in Chapter 3. The main shape has been cut from the layered fabric with scraps trapped under net. The centre was cut out and another painted piece of fabric was placed underneath so that the criss-cross pattern showed through.

b) This sample used a starfish outline cut from the bonded fabric made from trapped silk tops. The glitter stars, cut from a blue sheer fabric, were scattered on the design to provide a contrast.

c) In this sample I experimented with two starfish cut from different layered fabrics plus a third cut from net, but overall I did not like the effect because there was not enough of a link between the colours and effects of the 3 shapes.

d) The base fabric in this sample had a gold star emblem printed on it. Two layers of sheer cut in the outline of an 8 pointed star were placed so that they overlapped slightly, giving a variation in intensity of the orange. Then another 8 spoked star in acqua blue/gold was placed over the top. I think that this has reasonable possibilities if it worked up further. The colour combination with the gold gave a pleasing effect.

Photograph 3: This shows two other samples where I experimented with cutting out star shapes and then trapping them with a sheer over the top of the entire square. However on the whole I did not like the slightly dull and "grubby" effect that this produced. I prefer more selective use of sheers which do not entirely cover the background.

Chapter 5: Fabric Selection & Decoration

a) Decorated Fabrics
This picture shows some of the fabrics decorated with paint that were produced either using the cut out stamp from Chapter 2 or the other methods that were tested on paper, such as dabbing paint on with bubble wrap, applying through a kitchen strainer (small dots)or through a plastic slide (criss cross pattern). In general I tended to prefer decorations that were not too distinct and were a deeper shade of the base fabric (e.g. the blue on blue, silver on blue, bronze on yellow-orange, gold on bright orange. Some of the fabrics were sheer e.g. the blue stamped fabric on the left, the orange stamped fabric on the right and the criss cross fabric in the middle.

The positioning of the sheers over different background fabrics in the photo illustrates how different effects can be produced depending on whether the base fabric is light or dark. In general, the stamped patterns stand out more if the base fabric is a similar or darker colour than the sheer and a washed out effect is obtained if the base fabric is lighter or a contrasting colour.

b) Dyed fabrics & threads
I had the opportunity to participate in an introductory dyeing day run by two friends from the NSW Embroiderers' Guild. I used this day to produce some other patterned orange and blue fabrics and threads to extend the range of materials I would have available for later exercises in the module. The attached pictures show some of the activities on the dyeing day.

Method
The dyes used were Drimarine K Fibre Reactive dyes, colours Turquoise, Blue 2R, Golden Yellow and Scarlet. The dye mixture consisted of 30 ml dye, 65 ml urea & 250 ml water. Intermediate shades, oranges & browns were produced by experimental mixing of the individual dye solutions. A low immersion method was used, where materials were spread in shallow trays and the dyes were dropped on to the fabrics or threads with a syringe. These were left for 30-60 minutes before the application of soda ash solution (45 mL soda ash to 1 litre very hot water), and then left overnight and treated the next day with hot water and then rinsed in cold water. As shown in the pictures below, I managed to achieve my goal of having some extra fabrics and dyed threads to use for my samples.



Photo 1: Matching dye mixes to some of my sample fabrics
Photo 2: Mixing the dye. Note use of gloves and mask while handling the dye powder.



Photo 3: Some items ready for dyeing - folded fabric with pegs placed at intervals, fabric twisted around rope, fabric scrunched and tied into a bundle
Photo 4: An item after dye was applied - see top right in photo 5 for the result.


Photo 5: Final dyed fabrics, clockwise from top left: blue fabric twisted around rope,blue fabric with rubber bands placed at intervals as in photo 4, orange-yellow scrunch, orange yellow fabric bunched over stones.


Photo 6: Two fabrics dyed by folding & placing pegs at intervals


Photo 7: Bunches of hand-dyed mixed threads
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Annette Glare and Robin Kaltenbach for their expert tutoring and for taking these photos. Thanks also to Deb Kennedy for some of the fabrics and materials used in the dyeing process.

Chapter 4: Cut & Fold Design Shapes

Using Black Paper
Design Sheet 4


Examples (i) to (iii) started with the same outline of an 8 pointed star. The paper was folded into 4 and then the outline was cut. The inside detail was then varied in the 3 examples.

In example (i) the outline of the outer line was mirrored for the inner line.
In example (ii), after cutting the outer shape, the paper was changed so that it was folded in half. The inside detail was then cut to give 4 diamonds around the edge and a diamond with a star superimposed in the centre.
Example (iii) was cut in a similar manner to example (ii), then extra V shapes were cut into the solid areas to open up the star a bit more.
A radiating 8 armed star (spoke design) formed the basis of examples (iv) and (v). The centre detail was varied in each version and the lengths of the arms were varied more in example (v).

Design Sheet 5


This sheet shows variations based on the 4 pointed star.
In example (i) the paper was folded into 4 and a symmetrical star pattern cut into each quarter.
In example (ii) the paper was folded in 4 different ways and only 1 symmetrical, 4 pointed star cut each time, so that the size & orientation of the stars was varied.
Example (iii) was created without folding. It shows an asymmetrical star (with cut out) positioned over a symmetrical star.
Example (iv) shows an outline pattern of an asymmetrical star with an asymmetric cross, also cut without folding.

Design Sheet 6



This sheet shows variations on a 5 armed star.

In example (i) the paper was folded diagonally and part of the star shape and the spokes were cut into the 2 layers - this resulted in a star with 6 arms, due to an error in the way it was cut. Nevertheless it is quite a pleasing design.
Example (ii) was cut without folding, as was example (v).
Example (iii) was started by folding the paper to give a symmetrical 5-armed shape, but then due to the small size of the cut-outs it was found that it was easier to cut the rest out in the desired shape without folding the paper.
Example (iv) combined some of the shapes from samples (i) and (iii). The paper was folded in 3 separate ways to cut out certain sections and shapes.

Using Coloured Paper
Design Sheet 7



This sheet shows designs with 3 layers of coloured paper, using several cut out shapes from sheets 4,5 & 6.
I was more pleased with designs (i) and (iii) because of the greater colour contrast between the layers compared with design (ii). In design (i) the blue-green layer had similarities to the blue background but had sufficient contrast of colour to be distinguished from it. However in design (ii) the blues in the middle and top layers were not different enough to create a really effective contrast. I think the impact would have been better if the middle layer were a slightly lighter blue.
In design (iii) the pale yellow-orange colour of the top layer creates an effective contrast with the middle and bottom layers.

Design Sheet 8



This sheet shows more complex designs than sheet 7. In particular examples (i) and (ii) involve 4 separate pieces of painted paper.

I think design (ii) is very effective because of the 3 different variations of orange tones used in the design and the red-orange highlights in the paper forming the top layer (starfish shape). The symmetrical arrangement looked better than an asymmetrical version of this design.

Design (i), although satisfactory, is less striking and I think the central star is a bit too light.

Design (iii) is very effective because of the small quantities of dark blue and red-orange highlights in the middle layer (radiating spokes). However, again I think the top yellow-orange layer is a little stark and may have been improved if toned down a bit.

Nevertheless, I think that all of these designs have possibilities for future development.

Chapter 3: Design Development Based on the Star

In this chapter, various star shapes are used to create simple designs with the coloured papers produced earlier, using complementary colour contrasts to enhance the visual effects. For the first two sheets, plain blue and orange colours were used to emphasise the effects created by the shapes themselves. On the third sheet some of the patterned papers were used to further enhance the more complex designs.

Design Sheet 1: Simple shapes, distortion & repeat patterns

The 5 armed starfish shape was chosen for most of these exercises, except for the symmetry example, in which a 4 pointed star was used.

(i) Counterchange : positive and negative shapes side by side.

(ii) Positive and negative: 4 shapes placed side by side in a square. 2 different shades of orange/brown used to add variety. The enclosed space was a square modified with points in the middle of each side.

(iii) Symmetry: 4 pointed star illustrating a double-symmetrical shape.

(iv) Asymmetry: 4 pointed star with both lines of symmetry moved to give a distorted shape.

(v) 5 armed starfish distorted to fit into a triangle, diamond and circle.

(vi) Repeat pattern created from the starfish shape distorted to fit into the triangle. This effect was particularly interesting as the triangles had to be rotated to make the edges touch.

Design Sheet 2

(i) Design with the starfish motif, using different sized objects (scaling) together with the use of positive and negative shapes.

(ii) Edge to edge repeat pattern using positive shape and negative space created by the distorted object.

(iii) Solid distorted starfish motif used to create border with a corner. Note that the shape was rotated 90 degrees & flipped to enable the corner to be turned without disturbing the flow.

(iv) Shapes linked via the arms of the starfish - could also use to form a border.

(v) Two 5 pointed star shapes combined: the rounded starfish and a larger similar shape with pointed arms. Note that by spacing the pieces of the second shape (underneath) a third star is created by the gaps. Also the inner star is sized so that it just touches the innermost V parts of the larger star in order to link the two objects. I think this is one of my favourites so far, and has possibilities for future designs.

(vi) New shape from old: A small 5 pointed star in the middle, then a large 5 pointed star segmented and positioned so that each piece almost touches the recesses of the inner star.

Design Sheet 3

(i) Complex counterchange

(i) a: This uses the 5-armed starfish cut across the middle , with half of the main body orange on blue and the other half blue on orange. As I felt this shape was a bit limiting for the later parts of this section, I decided to experiment with a more complex version [see (i) b below].

(i) b: This is a more complex image, with a smaller patterned 5-armed star placed on top of a larger one. The inner star uses 4 alternating pieces of blue and orange patterns around the arms. A pointed star shape has been cut in the centre of the star so that the background orange colour shows through. One arm of the inner starfish was then selected to make a new symmetrical star image (see ii below). This design was very pleasing to me, and also has scope for development in later chapters.

(ii) a: New four-sided symmetrical star created by taking the selected segment from design (i) b, plus its mirror image and repeating them to form a new distorted star shape.

(ii) b: The new star shape with the 4 segments separated and placed on a complementary background.

(iii) Edge to edge repeat of the new segment and its mirror image with just the points touching. Note the pleasing effects of the diamonds and triangles created in the spaces between the joined segments.

(iv) A new symmetrical star design created by overlapping 9 copies of the selected segment.

(v) Overlapping, alternately coloured segments used to create an informal border.

Chapter 2: Coloured Papers

A & B: Coloured and Printed Papers

(1) Cartridge paper was coloured in orange and blue with acrylic paints, either as a single colour or mixtures of the two. Later experiments with cut shapes (Chapter 3) showed that the most effective results were obtained when there were distinct (not too small) areas of each colour rather than a very "busy" pattern with the two colours. However some interesting intermediate hues and tonal effects were also produced in areas where the two colours mixed/overlapped.

(2) After painting a background colour, some paper was over-printed with a segment of a star shape cut into a rubber, using either a darker colour in the same hue or a mixture of colours. Overall I did not find this technique appealing, particularly because of the difficulty in getting an pleasing shape due to the lack of fine control when carving the rubber.

(3) Because of my lack of enthusiasm about the effects obtained with the printed pattern, I also experimented with some other techniques for adding a pattern to the paper. These included over printing with dabbed colour painted on bubble wrap, applying paint through a kitchen strainer and colouring paper with water soluble oil pastels and drawing star shapes in a darker hue over the top.

C: Star Shapes from Coloured Papers

This sheet shows a variety of star shapes cut from the coloured papers, using the sheets from Chapter 1 as inspiration. The starfish shape was still the one which appealed most to me, although some interesting effects were achieved by combining the two colours in some of the others.