Chapter 11: Resolved Sample - Growth & Disintegration

Sheet 1: Examples of Methods to Make Paper Disintegrate

Clockwise from the top: a)cutting a fringe, b)cutting & slicing, c)making holes with a punch, d)momigami - crumpling paper softened with vegetable oil, e)poking holes with a skewer, f)tearing holes and edges in an uneven manner, g) burning the edges.








Sheet 2: Cut Paper Shapes Showing Disintegration


Series showing disintegration of the chosen starfish shape by enlarging beyond the edges of the square, distorting and echoing the shape. This approach was adapted for the final resolved sample.









Sheet 3: Different Ways of Disintegrating Fabric Starfish Shape

These samples used a loosely woven fabric which could be frayed, twisted, have threads withdrawn from it or holes poked in it. In some of the samples, threads were withdrawn or holes made in a random manner. In others the threads were withdrawn to form a more orderly cross or grid shape. The sample at the bottom left was adapted for the final resolved piece.








Experimenting with Fabric & Stitching to make a Shape Disintegrate

Piece "Opal #1" started at Summer School workshop with Cas Holmes, with momigami paper, collage and stitching. The momigami technique learned at the Summer School was then applied to the resoved sample in this module.





Sample 1: Stitching: Using machine stitching on painted momigami paper, the number of rows of stitching around the edge of the starfish was varied to see how it affected the appearance. With a single row, the edge of the shape provided the contrast and gave a definite border, three or four rows gave an impression of layering of shapes, but the shape became less clear and more muddied with extra rows of stitching.I did not like these effects very much and decided not to pursue this for the resolved sample.


Sample 2: Effects of fraying and stitching over a foiled shape
In the sample on the left the background shape became indistinct due to its variation from the central shape, and the frayed eges added to the sense of disintegration.The blue shape in the centre had gold foil added by attaching Vlisofix to the shape then ironing the foil on with a slightly warm iron. Different types of stitches were added to see if they would enhance the impression of disintegration achieved with the foil. I experimented with both the blue and tan colours and the stitches used were French knots, detached chain, straight stitch and buttonhole stitch. The tan stitches were more effective than the blue because they implied that the blue fabric on top had eroded.


Sample 3: Stitching on a foiled shape combined with reverse applique
In this sample (right) a multicoloured foil was applied to the brown background with Vlisofix. Part of this shape was stitched and cut away to reveal a much stronger starfish shape represented by the fabric underneath. This was enhanced further with a couched outline. Various straight stitches were worked on the edges and surface of the foiled top layer to see if this would enhance the sense of disintegration. The stitching on the edges was the most effective because it gave a sense that the edges were being nibbled away. Another interesting effect was achieved with the flecks of gold from the foil, which gave a sense that the surface of the fabic was uneven or weathered. This gave me the idea of trying to get a more flaky effect with the foil in the resolved sample.

Combining momigami & applique
Sample 4(left): Experimenting with momigami paper applied and cut, with a second star shape layer on top. The top layer was hand-dyed open-weave cotton, which could be distorted and frayed easily. This effect was adapted for the final resolved sample.


Sample 5(right): A second experiment with momigami paper with various stitches added (running stitch, detached chain, French knots). A layer of orange fabric was appliqued on top, then the second star shape outlined with stem stitch. The fabric was cut away on both sides of the outline, with the residual edges frayed. A few starfish beads were added as a central embellishment. From this sample I concluded that the outline was mostly suited to a top layer in the final piece, whereas the orange cheesecloth layer (from sample 4) was more appropriate for fabric in an intermediate position. The stitching on the momigami had possibilities, but it was clear that careful choice of colour was necessary to add the right amount of decoration, without the effect of the stitches detracting from or getting lost in the background.

Paper compositions with the Disintegrating Shapes
For my resolved sample I was interested in exploring how the starfish shape could disintegrate by distortion so that it ultimately became almost unrecognisable. I began by drawing a few ideas based on this concept and then experimenting with paper layers to develop these. The two sketches are shown below. I decided that I preferred the one on the left.

















In the paper experiments I tried various combinations of papers and colours to simulate alternatives for the design of the resolved sample. I tried up to 5 layers of paper and also looked at options of having single or multiple starfish in the top layer, as well as how much to rotate each layer relative to the one below. In the end I concluded that I preferred the deep blue background with the painted momigami paper on top of it, followed by the golden orange and orange brown layers. I thought that a single starfish on top, but set off-centre, was more effective than two or three starfish. These conclusions aided my decisions when I began the resolved sample.







Resolved Sample
This sample was constructed from five layers of fabric. I began by preparing the aqua and deep blue background, then applying the momigami paper followed by the two orange/tan layers.I decided that a deep blue background was a bit flat on its own and therefore used a painted aqua layer as the base (with Lumiere paint applied through a strainer to give the droplet effect) and a deeper blue sheer on top.The basic deep blue shape was applied to the base layer and then extra pieces cut away to give a balanced effect. This was the most distorted shape and barely recognizable as being derived from the starfish.

In the next layer I incorporated the momigami (oiled & scrunched) paper technique with couching and stitching, then the orange layer was formed from some of the loose-weave fabric I had dyed some months ago. This layer has pulled and frayed threads as well as little starfish stitched on the surface (could be interpreted as the original shape). I experimented with various paint colours and patterns for the paper layer and selected one which matched well with the base fabrics so that colour of the the aqua paper echoed the base fabric layer and the deeper highlights echoed the deeper blue sheer. The detached chain stitches on the paper complemented the droplets on the background. Irregular lines of deeper blue silk strands were couched onto the paper to emphasise the radiating star effect.

The top starfish, which was the most defined shape, was outlined with couched Jap gold and the surface raised with Trapunto filling to emphasize its form. The stippled effect on the top starfish was achieved with copper foiling attached with sprinkled bonding powder rather than Vlisofix.

Chapter 10: Inlay Applique

Sample 1: Insertion Stitches

From top to bottom: a)Cretan stitch; b)Squared Palestrina- refer to Enthoven Fig.423,p.155; c)Beaded insertion (Cretan) stitch; d)Stitch from a Roumanian blouse-refer to Enthoven Fig.580,p.223; e)Knotted insertion stitch (also called Knotted Cretan) - refer to Enthoven Fig.587,p.226.





Sample 2: Simple Counterchange

Blue fabric was made from blue felt with painted sheer bonded to it with Vlisofix.
Peach coloured fabric was made from peach felt, then blue glitter and copper Angelina fibre trapped under a bonded pale sheer. Shapes were inserted with antique faggot stitch, then stem and running stitches added as decoration. Edges were joined with Chevron stitch and outer edge finished with buttonhole.






Sample 3: Interchange



Painted and bonded fabrics were cut in the two different outer star shapes and bonded to the indigo-blue felt background. Then the common starfish shape was cut from the centre of each one and moved in a clockwise direction to the adjoining shape. These inserts were attached with antique faggot stitch, then beads, sequins and decorative stitches such as running stitch, stem stitch and feather stitch were added. The felt squares were joined by feather stitch using the sewing machine.





Sample 4: Complex Counterchange



The piece was created with 4 squares made using painted bonded sheers or painted Vlisofix bonded to the felt and covered with a sheer. Each square was cut into 4 segments. Moving from the outside to the centre, the second shape cut from the outer colour was rotated anti-clockwise (large curved star) and the third shape (small pointed star) was rotated clockwise. This resulted in the small stars being the same colour as the large curved stars in the opposite squares. The pieces in the middle were also rotated clockwise to match the small stars. All segments were joined using antique faggot stitch and then the squares joined with zig-zag using the sewing machine. Beads and sequins were added in the centre for decoration.



Sample 5: Mock Insertion Stitch

The 5 diamond shapes were cut by dividing the star shape (with Vlisofix bonded to the back) and moving the pieces slightly apart. These were bonded to the blue felt and then stiches added to give the appearance of an insertion stitch, as well as for decoration.

Chapter 9: Reverse Applique-Traditional and Contemporary Methods

Sample 1: Traditional method - reverse applique with hand stitching. This used a simple shape, starting with the outside shape stitched, cut and turned under first and working inwards towards the centre.













Sample 2: Similar to sample one with machine outlining used for all shapes.Outside shape was stitched and cut first, then the second and third shapes moving inwards. Note that the centre layer contains trapped fabric pieces under blue net.


Sample 3: Inside shape stitched and cut first, plus the border framing the outside edge of the sample. Then the second and third shapes were stitched and cut, progressively moving outwards from the innermost shape. Machine outlining was used for all shapes.


Sample 4: Slashed method using five layers of fabric. Design was machined through all layers using double rows of stitching for strength, then fabric slashed through multiple layers of fabric. The slashed edges were rubbed to fray and distress them.











Sample 5: "Ripple" effect created by using several layers of fabric, with colour & fabric variations only extending over sections of the square, as per the photo on the left. The entire design was machine stitched from the back, then the top layer was cut away from the front to reveal the pale blue background layer. Further lines of stitching were added from the front and further layers of fabric cut away after each new row of stitching, until all the layers had been revealed. This gave a pleasing effect with interesting colour changes occurring across the piece, as shown on the right.

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.