M5, CHAPTER 12: STITCHED TRIAL SAMPLES & RESOLVED SAMPLE

Following on from Chapter 11, I have selected decorated paper samples 16A and 19A to work up further before deciding on my resolved sample. For each of these I first did a full size mock up in paper, then selected sections to  do trials with stitch and fabric manipulation. I chose a square format, 20cm X 20cm, for the final pieces. This was  chosen to fit with the requirements for some exhibition pieces that one of my local embroidery groups in working on for next year as I don’t have time to do other pieces at the moment.

A. TRIALS WITH SAMPLE 16 – ICEBERG

Here is the 20cm X 20 cm mock up, together with the smaller version and the photograph submitted previously.

Trials were done for three separate areas of the design, going from left to right.

The first and second areas are the ridged ice.

Area 1: Initially I experimented with machined pintucks/pleats and applying several silver and aqua yarns and cords onto a sheer fabric using a cording foot . However I decided that none of these was quite right, so then I tried a twin needle to machine pintucks. Again I tried several threads and finally settled on a variegated blue one, as the colour variations gave a more interesting effect and blended better with the fabrics I planned to use for the other sections.

 

After that I tried leaving some of the areas blank, or just with stitching. For this stitching I chose an angled straight stitch. I then tried adding stitching in between the machined rows. I experimented with some stitching in aqua and some in silver. The sample on the right above shows some unstitched areas and stitching with various thicknesses of thread.  I eventually  settled on a variegated blue thread and a pattern where the blue  and silver stitches alternated.

Area 2: For this area I dyed some cotton fabric with a turquoise Procion MX dye . I did this by folding the fabric into concertina pleats then spooning/painting a rough line of dye along the length of the pleat. I was very happy with this effect as it gave an uneven striped appearance with plenty of white patches alternating with the turquoise. 

The dyed fabric was then pleated with a series of closely packed narrow pleats. I decided that this area was best left without a lot of stitching, as I wanted an understated look to contrast with areas 1 and 3, so I left some pleats plain and stitched the rest with a fairly subtle running stitch.

Area 3: I wanted the triangular section at the bottom right to have a strong contrast in colour and texture with area 2. I did some dyeing experiments with silk organza. The one at the left and back was dyed by tying stones into the fabric (ne-maki shibori) and covering some of the tied areas  with plastic so that some of the areas came out completely white and others turquoise with a white squarish ring.

The idea behind this was quite good but the whitish areas seemed to be too large, so I trued again by tying much smaller soya beans  into the fabric, again with some sections wrapped in plastic.

 

This time the dyed fabric had a much more suitable turquoise and white appearance. The organza retained the shape of the tied items, giving it a “bubbly” texture which was related to the eroded area of the iceberg. I then stitched the organza to a backing fabric to retain the manipulated shape. I tried both small white cross stitches and small seed stitches. I think the seed stitches gave the better result.

This final picture in the series shows the three planned sections of the design side by side so that the contrasts in texture achieved with the colour and manipulation of the fabrics, as well as the stitching, are clearly shown.

B. TRIALS WITH SAMPLE 19 – GLACIER

Here is a 20cm X 20 cm mock up of the design, together with the smaller version and the photograph submitted previously.

In this case I decided to simplify the design a little more by discarding the top layer of manipulated paper, which did not seem to suit very well. This left two areas to experiment with.

Area 1 (top and bottom):  For this area I wanted to highlight the “cobblestone” effect in the cracked ice. This picture shows  a stitched sample on the left and a manipulated sample with/without stitching on the right. The sample on the left was worked on some polyester satin I had on hand.  I  made some cardboard templates in two different sizes, stitched the shape using backstitch, then highlighted area of each patch with close straight stitches, similar to satin stitch.

For the sample on the right I chose some blue shibori-dyed fabric  with a roughly striped appearance. The colour was not quite right, as this was before I had done more dyeing with turquoise. However it was OK for the sample. I put a sheer layer over the top to give it a bit of sheen like the ice. I cut some of the cobblestone shapes out of felt using two layers of padding for each shape. These were stitched in place between the striped fabric and a backing using backstitch. Some padded shapes were left plain and others had  highlights added with close straight stitches. To give more texture I added a series of running stitches between the shapes, a bit like kantha work.

Area 2 (middle): For this section I tried to dye a synthetic satin fabric to a turquoise colour. I had used a polyester dye but it did not pick up the colour very well. However the back I was a reasonable hue and had quite a nice texture for stitching so I decided to use it.

The first sample shows some trials with various types of stitches  - mainly cretan and herringbone – in a variety of threads and colours.

I then experimented with randomly pleating the fabric, so it did not have a very formal look. At the bottom of the picture you can see an area left unstitched. Further up are experiments with cretan and herringbone stitch. I decided that the cretan stitches that looked like a honeycomb pattern were probably the most suitable for the resolve d sample.

For the final piece I would use a different set of fabrics for the top and bottom sections. I dyed some cotton fabric with a pale turquoise , after twisting it and wrapping it with string. This gave a pattern reminiscent of the cobblestones. I also liked the idea of adding a whitish semi-transparent sheer over the top to give more of a feel of the ice. The photo below shows the background fabric with and without the sheer , with the centre area stitch sample overlaid to show how the colour combination would work.

CONCLUSION: I think either of the selected designs would work well as a resolved sample. I will probably finish both of them for the exhibition for my embroidery group next year. However to complete this module I will start with Design 16B – Iceberg.

M5, CHAPTER 11: DESIGN FROM LANDSCAPE

1. MAKING DECORATED PAPERS FOR DESIGN WORK
I decided to work with a blue/aqua/white/silver colour palette for this section as the colours were reminiscent of some of the colours seen in icebergs and glaciers.
A: Use of Texture
Flat textures: The following pictures show some papers with flat textures that were made to use later in this section.   The marks were generally intended to echo shapes seen in the ice and glacier photos, e.g. eroded icebergs, pointy and rough ice, a cracked glacier surface.The top two pictures show several samples where shapes were drawn with crayon and then either an ink wash or a layer of paint was added using a monoprint type of technique.

The picture below shows some samples where shapes were stamped (middle) or made by dragging a grouting tool which had been dipped in paint, across the paper.

The final picture in this section shows an experiment in drawing with candle wax. A couple of years ago in Bali I had purchased canting tool for applying wax to fabric to make batik. So I melted some candle wax and then tried to use the tool to apply the wax in thin lines. The result was fair as I did get some lines, but also some blobs of wax. This obviously needs more practice to get a good result. I think it might also have been better to use bees wax but I didn’t have any on hand. After the wax dried I applied a pale blue ink wash to the paper.

Relief textures: The next set of papers were produced with relief textures.
A & B:
This pair was made by crushing kitchen paper towel and gluing it to background cartridge paper. Ink was brushed onto the one on the left and paint rubbed on roughly with a brayer to the one on the right.
C:
The background for Sample C was a  fairly thick crushed brown paper bag. The aqua paint was applied roughly with a brayer, then silver encaustic wax was added to some of the raised sections with a hot iron.
D:
Sample D was made by gluing shredded paper to a background sheet and then roughly applying some paint with a brayer.
E:
To make Sample E, I painted some Vliesofix with splodges of aqua and white paint. I then laid down pieces of a turquoise on white tissue paper and adhered the Vliesofix over the top with a warm dry iron.
F:
Sample F was produced by scattering rice over a sheet spread with glue, then roughly painting over it using a brush.
G:
To make Sample G, I painted a thick layer of Glossy Modge Podge over the paper and then pressed a circular shape from a  kitchen gadget into it to give the indentations. When dry, I then roughly brushed over it with paint. This was only partly successful as I think the Modge Podge was not quite thick enough to hold the shape very well. I have since sourced some other moulding paste to try another time.
H:
For this sample I tried to create some wavy textured lines by trapping string between two layers of tissue paper, glued together. I then applied a layer of paint to the top layer with a brush, and some silver highlights using encaustic wax. I thought the effect was quite good but in hindsight it needed more contrast with the paint, perhaps by applying some darker patches.
2: USE OF SHAPE
In this next series, I chose 6 photographs  as my starting point. For each one  I will show some experiments in cutting the photograph in various ways, followed by some pictures produced with the decorated papers.
Samples 1 to 4 & 14: Iceberg dome
  
In this series I thought cut picture  2 was the most interesting to consider progressing. Three examples with different decorated papers are shown below, as well as one example for sample 1. Sample 2A was quite appealing but I think sample 2C also showed possibilities if the paint/string paper had had more contrast.
 
Picture 14 shows another way of cutting this photo and 2 ways of producing a more abstract design using textured papers. I think these examples are particularly interesting and I plan to develop them further in the work up for the final resolved sample.

Sample 5: End of glacier 1

I tried cutting this photo with jagged lines to try to echo the rough surface of the ice. I also cut out some areas to create interest with negative space. Sample 5A shows how these shapes would translate in a  decorated paper. I think the shapes are interesting but they appealed to me less than some of the other samples, so at this stage I have not progressed this one further.
Samples 6 & 7: End of glacier 2

   
Two ways of cutting the picture are shown in samples 6 & 7. The shapes in 6 appealed more, so I made two samples in decorated papers – one flat and one textured. I think the shapes are interesting but will probably not progress this one at present.
Samples 8 & 9: Brash Ice

Sample 8 - I tried cutting this picture in straight lines of varied widths, like a Fibonnacci sequence, plus a diagonal slash.  I quite liked this effect so also reproduced it in a decorated paper. I think it may have some possibilities for a fabric design, but have decided to leave it for now.
Sample 9 - I did not progress this as the curved cut shapes did not appeal as much.
Samples 10 to 13 & 18: Cracked glacier surface
This photo was very appealing and had yielded some good manipulated fabric samples previously, so I was keen to work with it  further in this section. I tried 5 different ways to cut the photo, then experimented with flat and textured papers for nos. 10, 11 & 18.



On reflection I felt that some of these samples did not capture the essence of the cracked ice, so I went back  and tried a few more (samples 17 to 19). The ones that worked best were nos 17 & 19 (unlabelled)because the cuts followed the patterns in the cracked ice. Sample 17B was an abstract interpretation which I thought looked quite good. Sample 18 was less appealing.


The final one also worked very well and translated nicely into a sample with the decorated papers. I decided to try to develop this one a bit more in the work up for the final resolved sample.

Samples 15 & 16: Section of iceberg

I had liked the contrast between the rippled erosion pattern and the  more irregular ice in one of my iceberg photos, so decided to enlarge this area and experiment with cuts and textures. Photos 15 & 16 represent two slightly different close up views. I preferred  sample 16A in the decorated paper samples. I think this could translate into an interesting resolved piece so will do some fabric samples in the next chapter.
Summary: After trying lots of ways of cutting the photos and interpreting them in decorated papers, I have narrowed the possibilities down to three I would like to carry forward for further experimentation with stitching and manipulated fabric before finalising my resolved sample. These are numbers 14, 16 and 19

CHAPTER 10: STITCH TO TRANSLATE

In this section I experimented with various stitches to translate rubbed marks, confining the stitching to white/cream on black fabric. I chose examples where the pieces used for the rubbing had been produced with a variety of techniques so I could experiment with a range of stitches.
Sample A: Tissue paper rubbing from a paper relief

The first rubbing I chose was number 1 in section 9.7, Chapter 9 – taken from a cluster of gathered and bunched strips of tissue paper. The pattern was a swirly oval shape. I chose a combination of herringbone and fly stitch for this pattern, using threads of different thickness to produce some heavier and lighter areas.
Sample B: Tissue paper rubbing from a machine stitched sample

The second rubbing I chose was produced from  machine stitched sample D, section 9.7, Chapter 9 . This was made from pleated silk organza, with added rows of twin needle pintucks. I tried to reproduce the machined marks using backstitch, stem stitch, running stitch and French knots. I thought the result was quite pleasing and interesting.
Rubbing directly onto fabric
I then produced 3 samples using the other suggested method of stitching over  a rubbing which had been transferred directly onto the fabric. I used a white Shiva Paint Stick to do these rubbings  as Markal Paint Sticks were not available in Sydney.
Sample C: Rubbing onto fabric (1)

The rubbing was taken from sample 3, Chapter 8, where strips of cotton homespun were knotted and couched into  grooves of  gathered chenille. I chose a combination of knotted stitches to translate the marks using  a range of thick and thin threads – French knots, Palestrina knots, coral knots. I selected these stiches because they enabled me to produce some individual lumpy areas as well as “lumpy lines”. I think this was quite successful.
Sample D: Rubbing onto fabric (2)

This rubbing was taken from Sample 4, Chapter 8, produced from  flattened tubes of silk satin which had been pleated irregularly, then stitched to a base of calico. The challenge with this one was to give the impression of the rows of pleats. I did this by using groups of straight stitches worked in blocks of varying sizes at right angles to each other. Again, the selection of threads of different thickness helped to give the impression of some heavy marks and some lighter ones in between the pleats. 
Sample E: Rubbing onto fabric (3)

This sample was produced from a rubbing of Sample 7, Chapter 8, formed from cut and fringed fabric stitched in circles over pipe cleaners covered in homespun cotton. I used a combination of Cretan and fly stitch for this, so I could create dense areas and lighter areas by using thick and thin threads and bunching up or spreading out the stitches. I tried to convey the idea of a series of patches. This sample looked good, but I thought the diagonal lines in the rubbing seemed to get a bit lost with the stitching. I think this may have been because I did not follow the rhythm of the slanting lines as well as I could have as I stitched.

CHAPTER 9: THREADS AND STITCHERY

I worked a panel with some examples of stitches from each of the five stitch families. I used this as an opportunity to try out some stitches that I had never done before. A variety of threads was used including Perle 5 and Perle 8, quilting thread, polyester machine thread, white wool, composite wool/synthetic yarn, stranded cotton.

Here is a view of the entire panel:

Now let’s look at each individual stitch family.

9.1 Flat Stitches

Top Row, left: pattern darning (running stitch); right: double cross stitch (Smyrna cross)

Second row, left: triple back stitch (Hungarian stitch); right: Chevron stitch combined with double back stitch

Bottom, left: leaf outlined with stem stitch, then filled with leaf stitch; right: fern stitch

9.2 Looped Stitches

Top row: buttonhole stitch variation

Row 2, left: spiral  stitch (two rows of feather stitch facing each other), right: variation of closed buttonhole stitch

Row 3, left: Cretan stitch; right Vandyke stitch

Row 4, left: scroll stitch; right: fly stitch

9.3 Chained Stitches

Top row, left: long stemmed zigzag chain; right: Basque stitch

Centre: Rosette chain

Bottom row: square chain

9.4 Knotted Stitches

Top left:combination of  French and bullion knots.

Right, row 1: coral knot; row 2: Palestrina knots with beads inserted between stitches; row 3: long armed and long legged Palestrina knot; row 4: knotted cable chain; row 5:  Sorbello stitch

Bottom left (vertical line): knotted cable chain variation with “tails” giving buttonhole effect

9.5 Composite Stitches

These are formed by working one layer of stitches first, then working a second layer into the first layer.

Row 1: Pekinese stitch

Row 2: Laced Cretan (over running stitch), also known as Interlaced Band Stitch

Row 3 (vertical, left): Twisted zigzag chain

Row 4 (right): Raised chain band

Row 5: Threaded herringbone

Row 6: Guilloche stitch

9.5 Stitch Effects – Formal Rhythm

This sampler shows variations of Cretan stitch worked with a formal stitching rhythm. The examples illustrate the wide range of effects that can be achieved with this versatile stitch. It has  a nice, easy rhythm which makes it appealing to the user.

The top row shows examples of working in a linear pattern, varying the spacing of the stitch, making marks with individual stitches and changing the size of the stitch from medium to very small to very large.

The second row shows examples of varying the direction of the stitch, dovetailing the stitches to form a pattern, building up blocks of stitches by overlaying them in different directions.

The third row shows an example of varying the stitch direction to form a circular pattern, then several combinations of thick and thin yarns overlaid to form textured blocks.

Next (row 4) are two examples of using Cretan stitch to couch other items - left is a silver cord  and right a strip of chenillle fabric couched with a variegated yarn. On the far right of this row is Cretan stitch worked in Perle 8 thread and then some of the arms wrapped in wool.

The bottom row shows on the left, the effect of working the stitches very loosely, and on the right the row of stitching has buttons threaded onto the arms of several stitches in an irregular fashion.

9.6 Informal Stitch Effects with Cretan Stitch

In this sampler a more relaxed approach was used for the stitching, with different types of threads overlaid in different directions. This produced some interesting and pleasing effects, stretching my thinking in terms of the ways Cretan stitch could be used.

Top left: stitches worked with kitchen string, then partially wrapped with gauze strips and overlaid with additional stitches worked with twisted gauze strips.

Centre: combination of rows of informal stitches made with 3 types of thread – Perle 12, white wool and synthetic yarn

Top right: Two rows of different sizes of curved Cretan stitch which crossed over. These were worked with white quilting thread, with two types of beads (bugle beads and multi-sized imitation pearls) threaded onto the stitch arms.

Bottom left: Curved stitches of different sizes and spacing worked with 3 types of threads  dovetailed together (Perle 8, stranded cotton, polyester machine  thread).

Bottom right: Individual stitches (Perle 12 and 8) worked in an irregular fashion, partly overlapping, and with different tensions.

9.7 Rubbings from Relief Surfaces

From my experiments I found the best combination to give reasonable rubbings was a white Reeves pastel on black tissue paper. I also tried wax crayons and chalk, but decided not to pursue these because the marks they made were less clear.

The following pictures show  the rubbings and the source reliefs. Four rubbings were taken from the paper reliefs and six from the fabric reliefs.

Rubbings from paper reliefs

 

 

These rubbings  differed considerably in the marks and textures they conveyed. I thought number 1 would not be very successful because the starting surface was fairly diffuse. However I think it gave an interesting pattern. Number 2A was  a mixture of two different materials, one stiffer than the other. This showed up in the rubbing as darker and lighter patches.

Rubbings from fabric reliefs

 

     

Most of these rubbings worked fairly well because the surfaces they were taken from had well defined textures, especially A, B D and F. The marks in samples C and E were more diffuse as the surfaces were less well defined. Overall I felt that I developed some good samples that would be useful sources of stitching ideas for Chapter 10.

References

Enthoven J: “The Stitches of Creative Embroidery”, Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Atglen PA,USA, 1996.

Beaney, J: “Stitches: New Approaches”, BT Batsfod Ltd, London, UK, 1987.

Christie, Mrs A: “Samplers & Stitches”, BT Batsford Ltd , London, UK, 1985 (paperback edition). First published in 1920.