stitching in the sun

Module Five – Chapter Eight – PAPER RELIEF INTO FABRIC RELIEF – PART ONE

2011-12-27T17:42:00.000+01:00

Chapter Eight requires that five paper relief surfaces made for Chapter 3 are each translated into two different ways in fabric. For an easy reference I have placed both the photographic record from Chapter 1 (on the left) and its related paper relief surface from Chapter 3 (on the right) before the picture of each fabric sample.

Fabric sample 1 – First translation into fabric

The background is a layer of stitch and tear support irregularly wrinkled and sewn to a sheet of paper. On it fragments of different fabrics torn and shredded in imitation of rust “pebbles” (grey organza, cheesecloth, tulle net, cream-coloured jersey). Technique: appliqué.

Detail

Fabric sample 2 – Second translation into fabric

For this second interpretation in fabric I made a sandwich of a printed cotton, grey lining, curtain fabric and tarlatan, stitched them all together with randomly wavy lines and cut irregular diamond areas to reveal the background layer in different ways. Technique: wadded quilting.

Detail

Fabric sample 3 – First translation into fabric

For the background I burnt an old linen sheet with a candle in different areas and fixed it on a layer of soft kunin felt distressed along its edges. This background was then ripped and partially mended. Melted strips of synthetic net were stitched on it. Through the main gush at the centre different materials flourish from the bottom. Techniques: burnt and melted edges, appliqué, wadded quilting.

Detail

Fabric sample 4 – Second translation into fabric

For this second interpretation I wanted to obtain a less textured surface with a shallow relief. Techniques: wadded quilting, appliqué, machine embroidery.

Detail

Fabric sample 5 – First translation into fabric

For this heavily textured surface I prepared a substantial background with a sandwich of different fabrics, embroidered it, and made big tucks in all directions. I finished by padding some areas from the back. Techniques: wadded quilting, tucking, padded quilting.

Detail

Fabric sample 6 – Second translation into fabric

Techniques: shaped quilting (for the rust “pebbles”), free machine embroidery in the recessed areas.

Detail

Module Five – Chapter SEVEN – TACTILE CONTRASTS

2011-12-01T18:51:00.000+01:00

I have finally put together my group of tactile samples!
From top to bottom and from left to right:

1 Zigzag gathering over a string – Habotai silk
2 Furrowing – Synthetic velvet
3 Wadded quilting – Habotai silk
4 Darts – Woven linen
5 Hand gathering – Cotton canvas
6 Wadded quilting – Habotai silk
7 Partially seamed tucks – Habotai silk
8 Snipped tucks – Habotai silk
9 Cross-tacked tucks – Habotai silk
10 Tucks set with a stay - Cheesecloth
11 Criss-crossing pintucks – Curtain net
12 Hand-gathered fabric strips, stitched together - Muslim
13 Blind tucks – Synthetic net
14 Cording – Tulle net
15 Irregular hand gathering – Kunin felt
16 Padded quilting – Woven cotton
17 Wadded quilting – Fleece padding and tulle net
18 Wadded quilting – String lengths and tulle net
19 Hand gathering with loose wool thread, loops cut and knotted
20 Wadded quilting with rose tea blossoms
21 Padded quilting with ties
22 Blind tucks, then slashed open – Synthetic felt
23 Slashed pintucks - Cheesecloth
24 Contoured tucks – Cotton net

And a couple of more detailed views:

Module Five – Chapter SIX – GATHERS

2011-11-14T15:37:00.001+01:00

SHEET ONE

1 Gathered by hand, then set by stitching

2 Machine gathered using a gathering foot

3 Machine gathered, gathering held by zigzag

4 Single-thread machine gathering

5 Wavy hand gathering set by irregular machine-stitching

6 Vertical and horizontal hand gathering

7 Dense machine gathering

8 Two row machine gathering

9 Hand gathering, gathers held by stitching

SHEET TWO

1 Machine gathering over a length of string

2, 3 Weave threads pulled, gathers held by hand stitching

4 Gathering by binding small wooden beads into the fabric

5 Weave threads pulled, then gentle gathering

I do not have a gathering machine, at least so far, and there is nobody around from whom could borrow it, so I could not try this fascinating method. I remember those beautiful samples made on Alison’s pleater at last year Summer School …Perhaps one day!

Module Five – Chapter SIX – TUCKS AND PLEATS

2011-11-11T19:46:00.001+01:00

For working through this Chapter I used a combination of fabrics, mainly cotton muslim, habotai silk, cheesecloth and other open weaves, some natural and some man-made.

This is a fantastic subject to explore and I feel I just touched the tip of the iceberg, as usual ….

1 Pin tucks

2 Spaced tucks

3 Blind tucks

4 Vertical pin tucks plus horizontal irregular ones

5 Topstitched spaced tucks

6 Box pleats stabilized with running stitch and interlaced

SEVEN, EIGHT

7 Tucks stuffed with plastic straws

8 A doubled and centred tuck with secondary tuck stuffed and decorated

NINE, TEN (top) – ELEVEN, TWELVE (bottom)

9 Rows of contoured tucks, edges of tucks decorated with zigzag stitch

10 Irregular vertical tucks

11 Irregularly slanted tucks in two directions

12 Pin tucks alternating with rows of shell tucks

THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN

13 Pleats with undulating and frayed edges

14 Dart tucks

FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN

15 Tucks with contoured fringes set by double rows of zigzag stitch

16 Snipped tucks

SEVENTEEN, EIGHTEEN

17 Irregular tucks, snipped

18 Partially seamed tucks crossing horizontally and vertically

NINETEEN, TWENTY

19 Simply tied tucks

20 Partially seamed tucks, then joined by stitching

TWENTY-ONE, TWENTY-TWO, TWENTY-THREE

21 Horizontal pin tucks, vertical slanted tucks

22 Network of intersecting pin tucks stitched with twin needles combined with dart tucks

23 Regular tucks criss-crossing on a twin-needled treated fabric

TWENTY-FOUR, TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY-SIX

24 First layer of slanted tucks, second layer of regular tucks

25 Parallel rows of tucks joined so to form diamond shapes

26 Dart tucks criss-crossing each other then snipped

TWENTY-SEVEN, TWENTY-EIGHT

27 Random loose tucks fixed by stitching

28 Two fabrics covered with tucks, then cut into strips and joined together

Module Five – Chapter FIVE – PADDED AND CORDED QUILTING SAMPLES

2011-09-19T18:51:00.001+02:00

PADDED QUILTING SAMPLES

Top layer: habotai silk. Back layer: cotton muslim. Padded areas outlined with twin-needle machine stitching, using a white thread in the needles and a light brown thread in the bobbin. Small holes in the centre punctured with a large hand embroidery needle.

Sample ONE, front

Sample ONE, back

For this second sample the back is shown. For padding natural colour wool fleece is used, the single padded areas are cut with scissors and stitched with a mohair yarn leaving gaps through which the fleece may show.

Sample TWO

Cylinders of different sizes, sewn like tucks and stuffed.

Sample THREE

Little irregular pillows separately sewn and stuffed, then joined, decorated with pressed paper shapes.

Sample FOUR

CORDED QUILTING SAMPLES

Encasing of chenille yarn with zigzag stitch.

Sample ONE

Cording with twin-needle stitching, back and front on the same side.

Sample TWO

Module Five – Chapter FIVE – WADDED AND SHAPED QUILTING SAMPLES

2011-08-31T19:22:00.000+02:00

First post after holidays! I was finally able to put together all samples produced so far for this chapter in the weeks before leaving. Tomorrow I shall get everything ready for getting to work on the second part of Chapter 5.

WADDED QUILTING SAMPLES
General view
All my wadded samples are arranged on a A3 portfolio page

Sample ONE
Back: muslim – Padding: light wadding, one layer – Top: jersey

Sample TWO
Back: felt – Padding: shredded plastic – Top: light tulle – Stitchery: straight stitch in white and light brown

Sample THREE
Back: muslim – Padding: cut threads, fabric bits, tea bags – Top: light tulle

Sample FOUR
Back: muslim – Padding: wool fleece – Top: cheesecloth

Sample FIVE
Back: muslim – Padding: light wadding, two layers – Top: habotai silk – Appliqué: cheesecloth

Sample SIX
Back: muslim – Padding: wool threads cut short – Top: very open mesh, partially cut in areas to expose wool underneath

SHAPED QUILTING SAMPLES
This second group of samples are somewhat bigger, each measuring approximately 12 x 12 cms
Sample ONE
Padding: plastic snowflakes
Top layer: very open mesh

Sample TWO
Padding: pressed paper cylinders
Bottom/Top layer: linen net

Sample THREE
Padding: foam cardboard shapes
Top layer: net

Sample FOUR
Padding: knotted wadding
Top layer: habotai silk

Sample FIVE
Padding: candies
Top layer: silver tulle net

SAMPLES OF SHAPES USED FOR PADDING

Shapes used:
Wadding strip knotted several times
Foam cardboard
Plastic snowflake
Candies
Pressed paper

Summer Sketchbook Day 6 – Getting bigger

2011-08-02T11:52:00.000+02:00

Definitely not a pretty pear!

This is a first very rough attempt at a large marker (charcoal) . I found it very difficult to manage fine lines and everything is too dark anyway, my fingers included! Tomorrow I shall give it another try.

Sumer sketchbook Day 4 – Personalised ground and ‘learning your lines’

2011-07-25T17:25:00.000+02:00

I’m lagging behind, but task after task I’m slowly following Sian’s race!
For today I prepared a monoprinted ground with yellow and lime green thinking of my lemons and sliced these up for a change. As a marker I used a biro this time. My monoprint was an attempt to suggest lemon inner small lines.
Many slices …

And just one HUGE slice …

Summer sketchbook Day 3

2011-07-22T18:37:00.000+02:00

Today I was feeling a bit bolder, so following Sian’s new tip for day Four I used a felt pen on a wet page and let it go!

Summer sketchbook Day 2

2011-07-21T10:35:00.001+02:00

Today I changed my marker to a fine tip felt liner (0.4) and made a simple still life composition, a small raku vase and a lemon.
The greenish background was a total surprise: I sponged a bag of Hibiscus tea and got a pinkish red that dried to green !??!!? And now is a cold grey.

And for check and fun I used this photographic pencil sketch effect on my Iphone photo, I like it better than the real thing! A sketch of a sketch ….

Module Five – Chapter Four – A CLOSER LOOK AT EDGES

2011-07-19T11:46:00.000+02:00

Sheet ONE – Frayed, snipped, threads withdrawn
Fabrics: evenweave cotton, aida, linen

Sheet TWO – Snipped, twisted, sewn, knotted, frayed, threads withdrawn
Fabrics: cotton poplin, polyester, jersey, cotton blend

Sheet THREE – Melted, dragged, pinked, knotted, distressed
Fabrics: wadding, Kunin felt, poplin, tulle netting, cotton

Sheet FOUR – Cut, sewn, twisted, frayed, fused
Fabrics: synthetic net, linen, cotton, wastes

Summer sketchbook 1

2011-07-19T11:21:00.000+02:00

A first try! Background stained with Chinese tea, drawing with a soft pencil (4B)

Module Five – Chapter Four – FABRIC INVESTIGATION

2011-06-20T18:48:00.001+02:00

I started my collection of white fabric samples only to discover I will probably need to add other fabrics, especially wool and silk, but so far this is what I have at home.

I organized them in three main groups, natural fabrics (from plants and animals), man-made (acetate, acrylics, nylon, polyester, rayon and blends) and support textiles. I will have to do burn tests to determine the exact artificial fibre content. For the time being I did some research on man made fabrics and wrote notes on how the different fibres should behave. (Source: http://www.fabrics.net/ )

Acetate – is made from cellulose fibres and burns quickly producing flames that are difficult to extinguish and leave a hard ash. The smell is similar to burnt wood chips.
Acrylic – is made from natural gas and petroleum. Burns readily with hard ash letting out a harsh smell.
Nylon – is made from petroleum, it melts quickly and smells like plastic when it burns.
Polyester – is a polymer made from coal and petroleum, the ash quickly bonds to any surface it drips. It gives out a sweet smell and leaves hard ash.
Rayon – is a cellulose fibre, burns quickly and leaves a slight ash. On burning it smells like leaves.

FRAYED EDGES

Frayed edges – Natural and man made fabrics
All in all my samples frayed easily enough. I especially like the frayed effect which often looks like grass floating in the wind on the finer fabrics, both natural and man made, I shall make more fraying experiments when working with fabric strips.
When burnt, natural fabric ashes are brittle and crumble.

Natural fabrics, frayed edges and burnt samples (at the centre)

Man made fabrics (left and right)

BURNING AND MELTING EXPERIMENTS

In this first set of experiments I exposed some man made support fabrics to the flame of a candle. I particularly like the black residue left on the fabrics from burning.

Candle experiments: top – light wadding, centre – foam rubber, bottom left – conservation tissue, centre right – Lutradur medium weight

Notes
Conservation tissue behaves like paper when burnt and ashes are crumbled. A candle may be used on foam rubber to easily sculpt holes and depressions or other shapes. Edges look similar to borders on maps and are easy to manage. On the foam rubber sample at the top the longish shapes are made by a soldering iron. In this case no black residues are left and the edges are more precise.
Similar effects are obtained on the wadding and Lutradur samples, and on both of them edges become hard when burnt with a candle.

Top left – soldering iron on light wadding, other samples are more detailed views of the collection above

BURNT HOLE EXPERIMENT

This is also a first experiment in making a short YouTube movie! So bear with me please. The awful sound track is absolutely casual, I had simply forgotten to turn off the radio …
All holes are made with a soldering iron. The last sample shows also bubbles and distortions on acetate.

Module Five – Chapter Three – TEXTURE AND RELIEF IN PAPER

2011-05-17T17:45:00.000+02:00

I have chosen six images from my collection of rusted metals for translating and interpreting them in my selected papers.
Before each ‘translation’ I have added the photo that has inspired it.

For this first sample I have used finely crumpled baby-oiled tissue paper for the background and on it draught paper, Chinese mulberry paper and non oiled tissue paper.

Sample ONE (see image on the bottom right in photo above)

Sample TWO is a translation of image on the bottom left above. Its background is made up from large strips of packaging paper with the addition of fluffy Oriental papers ‘exploding’ from between the strips.

Sample TWO

Sample THREE shows patches of different papers folded into flat irregular ‘boxes’ and glued on the background of freckled Japanese paper torn at the edges.

Sample THREE (images on top, left and right)

Sample FOUR

For Sample FOUR I first rolled up thin paper cylinders and placed different types of papers on and among them.

Sample FIVE

This sample is in low relief. The little ‘worms’ are made by irregular rolls of tissue paper.

Sample SIX

Another low relief sample. For the darker area I used the inner soft layer of make-up remover pads and strengthened it by free machining loops in black on top. On the white area I used cotton bud tips.

Sample SIX - ‘Day’ view
The sample shown lying on the table.

Sample SIX - ‘Night’ view
The same sample is held up against a window to show the light coming through its small holes.

Module Five – Chapter Two – Paper Relief Investigations

2011-04-27T19:37:00.000+02:00

After collecting many kinds of paper I chose sixteen of them and scrunched them up in a first sampler. They are pasted on a squarish sheet of black paper measuring around 20 cms on each side. I have other papers in my stash but many of them give similar results when scrunched.
Sampler ONE – from top left to bottom right:
kitchen paper, heavily scrunched – tracing paper, densely scrunched – very thin drawing paper – tracing paper, loosely scrunched and partially flattened – very light Chinese writing paper – Italian hand made paper, oiled – wrapping paper – Japanese hand made paper – Thai lace paper – Vilene light – rice paper – tissue paper – heavy hand made oriental paper with fibres - kitchen paper, lightly scrunched – light oriental paper – light Japanese paper

Sampler TWO – Thai paper
My Thai paper is especially interesting for its irregularly torn edges:
Top row: small pieces torn and overlapped with fibres trailing – torn pieces densely layered – strips folded – strips spiralling downward
Middle: strips loosely gathered and overlapped
Bottom: strips in regular folds

Sampler THREE – Tracing paper
I love tracing paper for its crispness and translucency. Here is a small sampler with tracing paper irregularly torn, neatly folded, scrunched and flattened with ‘memory’ of folds left after flattening, punched and sewn without a needle

Sampler FOUR – Tissue paper
Top left: square pieces torn, overlapped and folded up at the edges – Top right: machine sewn strips – Bottom left: tissue ‘butterflies’ – Bottom right: torn strips, layered

Sampler FIVE – Strips of different papers
I particularly like the idea of torn strips overlapping and/or forming areas. In this sampler I tried different types of paper to explore their effects. An interesting experiment is ironing organic grocery bags (bottom row) to obtain holes.

Module FIVE – Chapter One – Texture in Landscape

2011-04-05T13:48:00.002+02:00

For this Module I made a collection of rusty surfaces such as can be easily found in a city landscape - old gates and metal doors, bins and containers of different kinds and sizes. I found also a very rich collection of rusty metals in Internet and in a number of books that I have.
The most interesting images were then magnified, cropped or processed using PaintShop Pro effects. Other were simply printed in black and white.
Here is a selection of images that I am going to use. Many others are put aside for future reference. As suggested by Sian all of them are still unattached to a background so as they can be moved around freely and connected to other items.

Evaluation of Completed Work

2011-02-03T17:23:00.001+01:00

The complete embroidered assessment piece for Module Four is a maze or fold book based on the design topic of line and texture in media, which is inspired by the concept of blogging.

Do you feel satisfied with the results?

Yes, I am pleased with it.

If yes, which parts in particular?

Since the beginning I tried hard to work at this piece as a whole and not at its single elements through all the designing and making steps and I feel that I was successful in this effort of being consistent with my initial idea.

Is it fit for its purpose?

In my opinion it is fit, since I believe it is a fairly adequate representation of the blogosphere.

If you were asked to make it again, what changes would you make?

1) To the way you designed it:

I would try to create a more multi-dimensional piece, perhaps by having more than one book intersecting and crossing on different planes, both vertically and horizontally, like a complex castle of cards.

2) To the way you made it:

I would strive for a visually lighter and immaterial effect by using transparent materials in a more consistent way.

COSTING OF THE EMBROIDERED SAMPLE:

Lutradur and Vilene interfacing	10 Euros
Fabrics	old and recycled fabrics (3 Euros)
Papers	recycled
Threads	5 Euros
Temporary fabric adhesive	3 Euros
Fishing monofilament	0,5 Euros
Silk paints	3 Euros

TIMING OF THE EMBROIDERED SAMPLE:

Design work was started on 25 October 2010 and completed on 12 November 2010.

Embroidery work was started on 18 November 2010 and completed on 20 January 2011.

Total hours working on design: 8 hours plus thinking time

Total hours working on embroidery: 31 hours plus thinking time

STORAGE OF WORK, MATERIALS, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Item	My storage place
Design work in progress	shoe box with lid
Completed work in progress	flat in big plastic box with lid together with all material prepared for Module Four
Papers for design work	flat in card box
Inks and paints for design work	wooden box, upright, in cool and dark conditions
Other items like glue, bleach, sprays	on my working table in my workroom
Embroidery work in progress	plastic bags in a plastic box
Fabrics	plastic containers arranged in like colours, behind a curtain that keeps light out
Threads	drawers, arranged in like colours, beside the sewing machine
Beads, metal threads etc.	Small air-tight boxes, drawers, bags
Dyes, paints etc.	closed cabinet in my workroom
Sewing machine	on small table beside a window in my workroom, in working position
Other electrical equipments	iron upright on a top shelf, small electrical appliances in their original boxes

HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES OBSERVED IN MODULE FOUR

Items and working processes that have been used in Module Four:

- inks, acrylic paints, silk paints, fabric dyes, wax crayons, oil pastels, brushes

- natural and synthetic fabrics, meshes, grids

- hand and machine threads

- wooden, metal and plastic frames

- paper-making items: recycled paper, liquidizer, rigid mesh, old towels, kitchen cloths, plastic bowl

- soldering iron and stand

- cutter and self-healing mat

- laundry iron

- sketchbook/cartridge paper, PVA glue, fabric adhesive spray

- Lutradur, Vilene interfacing.

Which working processes need special care and attention to protect yourself, your environment and your own work?

- Always lay the soldering iron on its stand and beware to not touch the tip

- Wear a fine powder mask when using powder dyes

- Always work in a well ventilated room when using sprays and bleach and melting synthetic fabrics

- When using a naked flame always tie your hair and do not wear synthetic fabrics

- Keep electrical flexes out of your way, not loose on the floor

- Always use your cutter on a self-healing mat and keep moving the blade away from you

Chapter Twelve – Study Three Artists

2011-02-03T16:37:00.001+01:00

For Module Four I had to study three artists who use paper as a medium or lettering as a design theme in their work: Lois Walpole, Cas Holmes and a third artist of my choice.
Due to copyright considerations, I am including only images that are already on the Web and for each one of them I add the photo source.

LOIS WALPOLE, British artist and basket-maker

Photo source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

Lois Walpole is a leading and influential artist in contemporary basket making. Trained as a sculptor, she uses traditional basket making techniques in very innovative and imaginative ways.
She only works with self-grown, found or recycled items like card, plastic bags, bottle tops, fruit nets, wires and many others.
She is also a well-known teacher, a lecturer, and runs workshops in her own studio in Charmé, France.
She has published several books on basketry, her latest being “Inspiration for Looping and Coiling”
Personal web site: http://www.loiswalpole.com/
Blog: http://www.loiswalpole.blogspot.com/
Photo source: http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/

CAS HOLMES, British textile and mixed media artist

This is Cas running a workshop at Distant Stitch Summer School in 2008. Behind her two DS students, Stephanie and Lesley (Photo source: http://www.stitchloop.blogspot.com/)
Cas Holmes is a renowned artist who employs old textiles, recycled papers and discarded or found items to create complex and very poetic multi-layered pieces using low-tech and sustainable techniques.
She exhibits widely and is a teacher at the West Dean College in West Sussex.
In 2010 she published a ravishingly wonderful and inspirational book “The Found Object in Textile Art” in which she explains her methods of working and suggests ways and processes to use found objects in one’s own works to create personally meaningful items.
To know more about her or see her works, please see:
Personal web sites: http://www.casholmes.textilearts.net/ and http://www.casholmestextiles.co.uk/
Blog: http://www.casholmes.blogspot.com/

Photo credits: http://www.sewheather.blogspot.com/ and http://www.kentartspace.co.uk/

PABLO LEHMANN, paper sculptor from Argentina, born in 1975
As my third artist to study I chose a very interesting paper sculptor from Buenos Aires, Pablo Lehmann, whom I discovered while surfing the Web.
Lehmann creates exquisite paper sculptures from existing books, intricate cut-outs of torn pages, and transforms words in wonderful images and three-dimensional items.
On his website I found an interesting article in Spanish about him: El texto esculpido (the sculpted text), published in “Arte al Limite” magazine.
For more images please see his personal website:
http://www.pablolehmann.com.ar/

Photo source: http://www.carlareyblogspot.com/

Photo source: http://www.beautifulpaper.typepad.com/

Photo source: http://www.thesmartestfish.blogspot.com/

Embroidered Panel Finished!!

2011-01-25T18:12:00.002+01:00

At last my embroidered panel is finished! h ere are some pics of the cover, the whole strutture seen f rom different views plus some macro pictures which took me HOURS to get fixed. Tomorrow will follow the explanatory and technical notes on the blog book (I'm writing on my husband's Ipad and I fin d it really difficult to tame this virtual keyboard ...)

Almost there …

2011-01-20T14:45:00.001+01:00

Now the structure and background of my book of blogging are almost ready: some pages have been cut out in the centre to act as frames to other ones. The frame edges are left with threads undone while the page edges are reinforced with a purpose made cord. In my intention the embroidered panel is made up by the whole structure, so the single pages are variations of the same theme. Here follow some pics of the fold book before adding the last details.

These are the elements to be added, still in the making.

On a twisted copper core threads have been machine wrapped.

I had already prepared block letters to be appliquéd but after much trying and moving about I decided they really did not fit in. I put them aside and came up with whole words in italics which seem to flow much better on the pages.

This is the fishing line I used in my mock up together with a cord. In the mock up the fishing line had been added to the cord which kept the pages together. But the cord looked visually heavy in the air, so I used it to underline and reinforce the page edges and am considering to link the pages with the fishing line instead. I would like to make a dense web of lines going in and out the pages representing the connections in the blogosphere.

But of course the most important thing now is TO GET FINISHED!!!!!!!

Still working on the background

2010-12-07T15:22:00.001+01:00

Again I’m sorry for the very bad quality of the images, but it’s still dark and rainy and I want to record what I’ve done so far before getting on.

I’ve been adding some more embroidery plus various bits and pieces to my background, like momigami treated papers and dyed cheesecloth. I left the edges still basically unstitched and ‘empty’ since I wish to be able to insert new elements at a later stage.

Now that the background is more or less developed I’m going to switch my attention from the whole to the single pages and see what becomes of them! I think at this point I have to fold up my book and consider how it looks in 3D. I will also have to decide what to do with the edges and the spines … I have a fairly clear idea of how the book is going to look in the end but I’d like to keep an open mind to new inputs.

Developing the background

2010-12-07T11:54:00.001+01:00

I had the feeling that the Lutradur in two layers was still not rigid enough, so I slipped craft Vilene squares in all the sixteen pages which were still open both at the top and the bottom. Now my book is much more stable when folded up.
I have started fixing the three layers together – the Lutradur sandwich with Vilene in between – by loosely machine stitching in a calligraphic way.
I am sorry for the bad quality of the photos but it keeps raining and the light is really poor!

Embroidered Panel – Stage 1

2010-11-22T15:58:00.002+01:00

While waiting for Sian’s feedback last week I started assembling my materials, light fabrics, handmade papers, momigami-treated papers, threads, ribbons, fibers …
Not everything is going to be used in the embroidered panel and other bits and pieces will be added to my heap as the project develops. On the bottom left there are some block letters I have been machine stitching on layers of organza, maybe they will be used maybe not.

The background is made up by two layers of heavy Lutradur (size of each 80 x 80 cms) in light shades of green - I mixed my green hues from Setacolor Transparent lemon yellow, buttercup yellow, cobalt blue and ultramarine blue and sponged them on the Lutradur. I chose these silk paints since they really look like watercolours, do not stiffen the fabric and can be easily fixed by ironing.

The two sheets were then tacked together – I left open edges all around in order to be able to add other elements in between the sheets-, marked the folds and reinforced them through a narrow and short zigzag stitching. Perhaps these fold lines are going to be covered and hidden, or perhaps something else is going to happen to them!

Strips and bits of light and transparent fabrics were then fixed with Bondaweb to create variations in colour. I feel some areas are too harsh, I would like to obtain muted and mellow changes for a start. After working on both sides I folded up my ‘book’ for a first check. Now it’s all flat again …

Chapter 11 – New ideas for the embroidered panel

2010-11-12T13:11:00.003+01:00

In her latest feedback Sian suggested some other ideas to consider and develop before starting to make the final piece for this Module.
1 - Use of lines/threads to connect all the pages of the folded “book of blogs” as a symbol of interlinking
I think this is a super idea! I like the notion of having continuous lines that hold their shape well in between the pages, so I prepared a thick machine cord using the method learnt in Module 3. I wanted quite a stiff cord that could make loops easily, so I used a string as the core and densely covered it with threads according to my colour scheme for this module (green and red). This cord is threaded through the four corners of the pages and has the added advantage of making the book structure stronger.
To suggest the multiplicity of links I decided to prepare another thin cord to make turns in and out of the main links. I used a 0,5 mm thick nylon fishing line and wrapped it sparsely with threads that don’t cover it completely since I wanted to preserve the idea of transparency and visible “lightness”.
Here are some snapshots of a folded cardboard mock-up, shown as a whole, in a partial view, almost closed and closed – when the book is closed I like how the links remain visible from all sides.

2 - All important decision to take: the embroidered panel is just a page of the book OR the embroidered panel is the whole sheet before folding it up
I prefer to think the whole piece as the embroidered panel, and not a single page for example the cover. This means as Sian said that I need to consider the overall look of the piece both opened and folded to achieve a visual unity.
With this aim in mind this is the way I think I am going to proceed:
- working contemporarily on the sheet as a whole both front and back BEFORE folding it up so as to not lose its overall appearance, and keeping a restricted range of colours mainly green shades with only touches of pink/reddish
- creating empty areas and frames in some pages cutting out parts of the sheet and reutilizing them as little folded books, small structures, grid material and so on as I did in my mock-up from my latest post. I think the reuse of these emptied areas in other ways can help in making the pages look as a whole even if they are different from each other
- threading the cords in the same way as or similarly to what shown in the previous photos in order to visually link the pages

3 - Practical decision to take: which material is to be used as a stiffening agent
My first thought was pelmet vilene. I considered both the classic weight and a new heavier version, the heavy craft plus. The heavy craft plus is absolutely too heavy and bulky and since this is after all a medium size project there is no real reason to use it.
I already had some Lutradur in the light version which could not be considered as a stiffener but since this material has a nice spunbond structure – it looks a bit like certain oriental papers, another reason why I like it - I decided to order the heaviest type and have a go at it.
I sponge coloured it with light washes of green – I used Setacolor Transparent – and I must say that I like it because it is reasonably rigid but also not thick, still partially transparent even in the heavy version and especially because its structure looks very nicely shaded when coloured.
Here is a photo of this new material after colouring

I think I am going to use it as a background and gradually add thin layers to it – like hand-made papers, scrim, nets, grids, lettering etc. I would like to obtain a final sheet that is not too thick and dark, with a delicate appearance since I feel the blogging theme as “ethereal” and light. I have to find a way of making crisp folds since Lutradur is rather springy and does not seem to hold folds well. Perhaps I could run the folds in the sewing machine or check if gently scoring the folds like cardboard might work.
At a later stage I might decide where to cut my windows and frames and how large they are going to be in order to not weaken the sheet too much. Perhaps some cut-out areas might be filled in with mosquito net (another suggestion by Sian) perhaps with the addition of handmade paper …
Happy weekend to everyone

Chapter 11 – Proposal for embroidered panel

2010-11-02T16:06:00.003+01:00

This is my proposal for an embroidered panel at the end of Module 4. The inspiration for it comes from the idea of blogging with its network of interlinked pages – it looks to me that the book form is very suitable to express this concept!
My proposal takes the form of a maze book with three cuts and sixteen pages from a single sheet of light cardboard. I started folding a square of green cardboard (48 x 48 cm) in quarters lengthwise and crosswise and made three parallel cuts, thus obtaining sixteen square pages of 12 cm each.
Some pages are left intact, others are cut at the centre to work as frames for the adjoining pages, still others are empty pages with grids. Threads, booklets, etc are fixed to the full pages and can be seen and protrude through the frames.
I have decorated the pages with pieces of paper and other small items just to develop first ideas of how the finished item might look. This mock-up is nothing final and the embroidered item will certainly look different.
Perhaps I could add other elements, threads or whatever, to the top edges of the final assessment pages but it is still too early to know.
For the final embroidered item I am thinking of using a somewhat larger sheet of pelmet vilene to act as support – the pages could be a bit larger, perhaps 15 or 16 cm each - and of covering it on both sides with collaged layers based on my samples for this module …

This is a general view of my mock-up from front cover backwards. In front a small sample showing how the mock-up is folded.

Flat view – front or main side
There is really no front or back side for the book since all pages are visible when the book is folded. The main view is simply the side of the flat view in which all pages are to be decorated or embroidered.

Flat view – back side
On the reverse side some pages are left empty since when the book is folded these pages are hidden from view

This is how the front cover looks when the mock-up is folded flat: the threads on page three are jotting out through page one which acts as a frame

The back cover of the mock up

Some more detailed views of single pages of the mock-up in cardboard

Chapter 10 – Investigating book structures

2010-10-15T13:20:00.000+02:00

This chapter of Module 4 opens up such an incredible realm of possibilities in book making that at first I felt overwhelmed. I have a tendency to get sidetracked all the time so I made up my mind to not indulge too much and concentrate on book structures that I feel I might use for the assessment piece at hand!
My inspiration for this piece is going to be the world of blogging, with its ever growing number of web pages interconnected by threads and links fanning out in every possible direction. This makes me think of a labyrinth so exploring the maze books comes to me as a natural choice. I find this kind of structures totally fascinating.
I used a wonderful book, COVER TO COVER by Shereen LaPlantz, to learn how to make them. I love how these books are born from a single sheet of paper folded and cut in different ways, their being complex and simple at the same time.
I used A4 sheets of cartridge paper weighing 120 grams in different colours to try out some suggested patterns, avoiding the most difficult with multiple cuts since I don’t want to end up with an impossible project!

Feeling a bit more comfortable with the folding, in the first sample underneath I stitched a booklet in the form of a B in the first fold. I used a running stitch forward and backward for four or five times leaving some loops on the outside. Of course other letters could be added. Another idea could be inserting small concertina books in the folds …
Sample 1

In this second fold book sample a used the Japanese technique of kirigami to open up areas in the folds, a bit like in pop up books. The thin strips might possibly work as “connections” jutting out of the pages. Perhaps they could be used as links to other fold books.
Sample 2

In this third sample I cut some pages as frames and used a rather thick paper yarn to make loops and connections. The small “leaves” at the end of the yarn are obtained by unrolling the yarn by wetting it. I like this paper yarn since it keeps its loops well and is also in keeping with the paper theme.
Sample 3

This fourth sample shows a maze book with the addition on top of a simple concertina book (on the right) and of folded pages (on the left). These additions are joint to the main book by means of slits and help in making the maze book “grow” in another direction. I like this idea and would like to explore it further.
Sample 4

These two little samples show other simple ways to create “connections” On the left a ribbon is laced in and out of a concertina in the way of a Venetian blind, while on the right flags are pasted on both sides of the concertina folds and so go in opposite directions when the concertina is open.
Sample 5 and 6

In this other sample I tried a double concertina (they are linked by means of slits). This concept could be used as a book in itself or as a reinforced spine for bigger books.
Sample 7

This last sample is my indulgence towards another book form, the TUNNEL BOOK. These books are very fascinating with their telescopic effect, so I wanted to see how they are made! I prepared three paper grids and pasted them one after the other between two concertina sides. I do not know yet if I am going to develop this theme. If not for this Module perhaps in some other form
Sample 8

Chapter 9 - Stitched paper edges

2010-10-01T10:43:00.001+02:00

And finally only a few samples of stitched paper edges, just to get the feeling of how they could be handled later on.

Sample 1, inspiration on the right

For this sample I sandwiched a cheesecloth strip between two paper sheets, trapping different bits within. On the very edge I have couched a crocheted chain in paper yarn. It's the first time I try paper yarn and I like it: it's rigid, so it keeps the loops well, but it can't be used for stitching since it quite easily breaks. An interesting material though!

Another simple sample. Cheesecloth wrapped around the edge, long hand stitches plus lines of machine stitching with threads left dangling and loose.

Sample 2, insp on the right

Sample 3 and its ispiration

For this sample the idea was to have a solid edge on one side and a broken one on the other. I used here a technique (momigami, I'm not sure of the name) we learnt from Cas Holmes two years ago during summer school for preparing a sheet of written computer paper. I massaged baby oil in it to make the paper more supple and fabric-like, collaged the momigamied ripped pieces, cheesecloth and a couple of big letters on my background paper, covered everything with tulle net and machine stitched the whole.

Sample 4, inspiration on the right

Another little experiment with paper. For this jagged edge I first coloured some tracing paper, trapped it in pieces between two self made papers, and machine stitched them together adding withdrawn threads.

Sample 5 and its inspiration

A loopy sample, it's only for decoration but edge is not changed

And finally a last sample ...

Sample 6 and its inspiration

Chapter 9 - Stitchery into paper - Part 1

2010-09-16T19:27:00.000+02:00

Back to work at last! I finally laid out all my media research for this Module, previous grid samples etc and looked closely to find inspiration for stitching on my paper plus fabrics from Chapter 8.

A big decision to take was which background to use to stitch on paper. I wished to preserve a light look with empty spots showing so I made up my mind for muslim as suggested by Sian and cut it back in places after sewing to reveal some areas.

For every sample I have included small pictures of the original paper plus fabric grid and one or more inspirational images from previous chapters.

In some samples I still used my first word of choice FUTURISM but in others I preferred to introduce new ones, BLOGGING and BLOGGING AWAY - like chatting away ... Some weeks ago when I was on the beach looking out at the waves I thought of those words, blogging away blogging away. And I suddenly knew this is going to be my topic for the final assessment piece of this Module!
So no work done but much thinking instead ...

Sample 1 - The paper strips that may be seen on the small picture on the bottom left fell off in most places under the heavy machine stitching

Sample 2

Sample 3 - The letters are of tissue paper

Sample 4

Sample 5

Sample 6

Sample 7

Sample 8 - The looseness of the sample at the bottom right made me think of Cretan stitch

Sample 9

Sample 10 - When I first made the paper sample at the bottom left it badly broke and I was left with three paper strips

Chapter 8 - Grids Embedded in Paper

2010-08-05T18:05:00.000+02:00

I spent a couple of hours yesterday playing with grids, water and paper pulp and getting more and more nervous since all samples looked very dark and ugly, pulp colours were absolutely dreadful and I seemed to have no control on my samples whatsoever. I laid all of them out to dry on a balcony - and to get them out of my sight - and ... SURPRISE! ... this morning colours were paler and nicer, grids and papers did look better together. So here they are before getting some stitching on them ...

For Samples 1 to 5 I used the grids shown in the first image of my latest post, for Samples 6 to 10 the grids are those from the second one.
Some samples are shown from front and back, meaning by front the side on which paper pulp is applied, others only from what I believe is their better side, but of course this could change with the addition of stitching later.

Sample 1
This is some green lining slit and slashed, with paper pulp applied to the back

Sample 2
This grid was prepared by cutting holes and withdrawing threads from a self-dyed fabric, greenish paper pulp was laid down in strips

Sample 3 - back

Sample 3 - front
These are two plastic fruit nets partially fused using an iron and then dumped in the paper vat

Sample 4 - back

Sample 4 - front
For the background grid I used a restaurant paper mat - it looks a bit like craft non woven tissues, I drew some letters with a soldering iron, coloured it with acrylic washes. After cutting it up I used paper pulp in strips to connect the three pieces

Sample 5 - back

Sample 5 - front
The grid is a cheap floor-cloth with threads displaced. I think the back looks more interesting than the front but who knows what will happen to it in due time ...

Sample 6
Lining with paper pulp peeking through holes from front to back

Sample 7 - back

Sample 7 - front
Metal mosquito net distressed and slashed in places

Sample 8
I used a combination of grids for this sample, a green papery one and a self-dyed with square holes. The paper pulp binds them together

Sample 9
Plastic mosquito net with letters cut plus a very thin paper layer

Sample 10 - front

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Sample 10 - back
Acombination of paper tissue and metal mesh with the addition of paper pulp

This is going to be my last post before summer holidays since we are leaving Rome on Sunday. I think we are practically the only Roman family left in town, all around us just tourists and tourists ...

Happy holidays to everyone!

Chapter 8 - Getting Grids Ready ...

2010-08-03T10:22:00.000+02:00

Just a couple of images before these grids take a plunge in paper pulp ...

Chapter 7 - New Grids

2010-07-29T16:17:00.002+02:00

At last a new post from me! I'm resuming work on my Module after five months of interruption and I'm still wrapped in grids ...
I tried to work quickly and freely with my new samples without thinking too much, I only wanted to experiment different methods of forming grids and make some attempts at them.

Sample 1

This grid is synthetic felt dyed and machine-washed, with rows of long holes slashed, then felt bridges were cut and let free to move. Strips of yarn and fabrics woven in and out.

Sample 2

Heavy felt with calligraphic melted holes - I used my lettering patterns from Chapter 2. The edges were cut following letter lines. Some letters of FUTUR were redrawn in red yarn wrapped in green and are echoed by machine stitching.

Sample 3

For this one I used my soldering iron to melt holes in a synthetic furnishing fabric. Interestingly enough only weft threads were burnt whereas warps are still there. Threads and fabrics stitched in some areas.

Sample 4

Another "melted" sample. This felt melt like butter! Very free threading in and out of ribbons, jute etc.

Sample 5

Melted holes in synthetic velvet. Holes have a dark halo around them which feels like plastic.

Sample 6

The background for this sample was made as for sample 1, but bridges were not cut. Background was divided into two parts which were loosely reconnected using thin yarns in two different greens.

Sample 7

A curtain like leftover was slashed with a cutter. Ripples are created by threading a copper wire in loose loops. A dyed and embroidered fabric strip is used to add further loops in a contrasting material.

Sample 8

This grid was made thinking of jewellery connections. I made some "chain elements" and "soldered" them using a stapler.

Chapter 7 - Wrapped Frames

2010-03-02T15:37:00.001+01:00

I loved making grids by wrapping frames with threads and other materials! It's such a quick and efficient method of producing "fabrics". For my frame I chose to work with a simple bent clothes hanger since it can be easily reshaped in many different ways according to one's needs. My colours for this module are basically shades of red and green with touches of pinky/violet and yellowish based on my research material. All samples measure approximately 10-15 cms on each side. This first sample is quite rude and rough with no machine stitching. Green tee shirt strips have been wrapped in one direction only and are fixed in the other direction by knotting. What I find interesting in even such a simple sample is that by binding different groups of strips it's possible to obtain holes or gaps of smaller or greater size.

In this second sample the airy thread is wrapped in both directions and bonded by machine satin stitching and strengthened by copper wire. The orange ribbon thread is wrapped to form simple letters F U T R

This sample is more substantial and strong. The red chenille and the purple synthetic threads have been wrapped in one direction only. The green ribbon is wrapped in the opposite direction and the multicolour thread is needle woven. All in all this grid is quite flexible and compact.

This one was fun! It includes only wrapping, knotting and hand stitching and is quite elastic and textured.

This is rigid, thanks to a lot of machine stitching. The pink strips form very rudimentary letters , the main "body" of the sample is made up by green chiffon strips. The wrapping follows three directions (green - purple - pink)

For this one a thin green thread was densely wrapped in two directions. The fancy thread is fragile and it's used to add interest. Heavy machining bonds everything together. As a last addition embroidery machine threads in lighter colours (green and pink) form simple F F F

Chapter 6 - Drawn Thread Work Stitchery / Part 2

2010-02-09T20:41:00.001+01:00

Three more samples. In this one I wanted a very lacy effect, so I outlined squarish shapes with light zigzag machining in different shades of green and red and dotted it in spots with knots In this one I made a central ridge with tucks held alternatively down to opposite sides by green bars in satin stitch. Under the loops thus formed I weaved a variegated colour ribbon as an accent. On the far sides I machined cords with withdrawn threads and knotted them together to make a wavy pattern

And this is my final sample for this Chapter: it includes much weaving in and out and wrapping the three main bands thus formed with further sheer fabric strips and a metallic thread in dark green. This sample is very soft and fluffy at the touch

Chapter 6 - Drawn Thread Work Stitchery / Part 1

2010-02-09T18:31:00.012+01:00

In this first sampler I tried out some stitches on groups of threads withdrawn only in one direction. Lines from top to bottom: - hem stitch in green and pink - ribbon simply woven in and out - overcast bars - herringbone stitch: on such a loosely woven cloth this stitch turns out quite irregular - three alternating woven ribbons - groups of threads wrapped and linked - irregular needleweaving effects - needleweaving in pairs - weaving in and out - buttonhole stitch This second sampler shows diagonal stitching. From left to right: - ribbon knotted - needleweaving - fabric strip torn and threaded - satin stitch - Russian stitch in two colours and in opposite directions

After these first attemps I had fun making some samples. In the first one I used only diagonal stitching of different kinds: simple irregular hand weaving, satin stitch and lines of dense machine stitching. I like the effect of distortion and puckering created by machining.

In this second sample I tried to form F and X letters (not very readable!) through stitching and used machine zigzag lines to give more strength to the fabric

This third sample was worked very freely, my aim was to obtain a rich texture. I made very loose knots with strips of the same fabric and green ribbon over a very open grid.

Chapter 5 - Drawn Thread Work / Part 2

2009-12-14T15:37:00.010+01:00

For my new experiments with drawn threadwork I chose this time a less densely woven fabric, a loose white linen cloth that I found in the curtain department which seemed to get rid of its threads by only looking at it. It also dyed very well, its only drawback being that it's a bit flimsy and easily distorted. Sample 1: threads partially withdrawn from sides, ends of threads knotted in bundles, bundles wrapped with coloured yarns, some areas reinforced by machine zigzagging

Sample 2: In this sample withdrawn threads have been rethreaded, additional fabrics and yarns darned on top, machine lines are used to strenghten the fabric

Sample 3: Threads loosely relooped, machine zigzag

Sample 4: Threads pulled from central area forming a tangle of loops

Chapter FIVE - Drawn Thread Work / Part 1

2009-11-11T15:21:00.010+01:00

This is a photo of a first collection of dyed cloth for drawn thread work. My colour scheme for this Module is green/red and the cloth was originally white and meant for Hardanger. I found this a bit unconfortable to work with, possibly there are too many threads in a cm even if they can be drawn quite easily. I think I am going to look for a less dense fabric for my next experiments! For the third sample I drew an increasing number of threads, for the last one I used the Fibonacci series from Module Two (I love it!)

Friday Five: Laminating Experiment (I know, I know it's Monday)

2009-10-12T09:46:00.017+02:00

At the end of an absolutely frantic September I finally recovered the time and nerve to get back to my attic and resume my papery attempts. I had small quantities of paper pulps in different shades left over from previous experiments still waiting for me in the freezer, so I thought, why not make use of what I already have and make a very thick laminated sheet . Easier said than done: it took me two hours to laminate sheet over sheet and two weeks to have it bone dry with the help of all the sun I could get under my Roman sky which is much. The final thickness was over two centimetres and my A5 supersheet was light and felt a lot like wood! This is how it looked like: I said it looked like because it doesn't exist any more as such. I cut it into smaller pieces of different shapes and sizes by means of a jeweller's saw and finished each of them with sandpaper. Thanks to their laminated edges they look like booklets, but funny ones since it's impossible to open them. I played with different arrangements, flat, on the edge, overlapping them, and took photos. Here follow some examples. Perhaps these small unopenable books might find a place in the final piece for this Module. I'm thinking of ways to do this ...

Friday Four: New Papers

2009-09-11T13:26:00.014+02:00

No big progress this week, only new paper samples. I feel that with paper making the learning curve is steep, it takes time to try out the different techniques and to produce decent samples (if at all). But it's fun - and messy. This is an attempt at a fringed sample. I like the idea but this first one did not come out as I wanted. Colours are dull and I peeled my threads back too soon. I shall try again. Embedding with wires and wire mesh

For this sample I embedded one of my Solufleece grids from Summer School into a newly formed sheet of paper. The glue in the Solufleece made the paper stronger, so this might be a good idea to use again.

These are rough attempts at embossing paper. Another technique to try again in the future

And finally a try at a simple collage with coloured paper pulps. I used thin strips of card to create sections on the mesh and spooned pulps into them. As you can see from the sample some areas tend to separate on the edges.

Perhaps the pulps were too dry when filled in and/or the pulps out of the liquidizer were not smooth enough. Another possibility would be to couch a first sheet of paper and pour the coloured pulps onto it. I think this might work and improve overall adherence.

Friday Three - First attempts at paper making (Module 4, Ch. 4)

2009-08-28T11:40:00.005+02:00

My vacation are over, so I thought it's now time to get back to some real work! I took out the paper pulps I had prepared from the freezer and had a first go at making paper. I had already ventured in some experiments some years ago which didn't amount to much except for a huge splashy mess in the kitchen and, more usefully, a small wooden frame I had built from scratch. I simply stretched in a new mesh cut from a plastic fly screen and was ready to go for the scary process again. After some failed attempts - too little pulp, too much pulp, paper pulp unhappily sticking to the mesh instead than to the kitchen cloth and so on - I finally had my first batch of sheets stretched out in the sun. And 40° degrees being 40° degrees they were bone dry in half an hour! Here is a sampler of simple undyed papers - white and speckled packaging papers - plus one dyed crumpled one. For dyeing I used Procion cold-water dyes and soda ash as a fixative and it worked out fine, the only problem is that it is difficult to judge the colours when wet since they get so pale once dry. Some papers were casually embossed by the kitchen cloth underneath. As to the pinky sheet I crumpled it when still wet and left out to dry. This photo and the next are the same sheet ripped and shown from the front and the back. I had formed some smallish or mishappen sheets in different colours and thought it would be better to laminate them together. I rather like this effect and wish to make more experiments with the sandwich method!

My first try at casual embedding: fabric snippets and threads

Here I used a circle stencil to apply pulp to a formed sheet. The problem is that the blue circles tend to separate from the background. Perhaps the pulp was too dry when spooned over? New experiments to come in the next weeks.

A happy week end to everyone! Here in Rome it's still so hot, I do hope in some fresh air soon ...

Friday Two: Module 4 - More Grids (Chapter 3)

2009-07-31T13:22:00.001+02:00

I have collected some grids to use for this Module on a booklet with mesh, net and grid samples glued or stitched to both sides, front and back.

I have also made some grids from scratch.

For this sample I cut a plastic bag into strips and fused them with an iron. I put the grid on some Solufleece and loosely machine stitched everything together.

For this other grid a cut a kitchen sponge cloth and weaved the strips together, then overstitched them. I dabbed acrylic colours on top to partially hide the pink.

This is another mesh made using the Solufleece method but laid flat instead of moulding it around a form.

Electric wire knitted on big needles:

In this sample I have built a very loose mesh by interlacing copper wire in a casual way. To create variations in colour I have briefly held the copper on a flame.

For these samples I used brass wire and knitted it on the round for a 3D result. This type of sample could also be flattened out and make a double grid perhaps with a third layer sandwiched in between or some wire or thread could be used to stitch/connect the two grids together (I am going to try this later on).

Friday One : Module 4 - Paper and grids

2009-07-17T12:41:00.015+02:00

A promise is a promise, so this is my first Friday Post after Summer School. These are some coloured paper pulps ready for making new sheets next week. I shall put then in the freezer and take out as needed. The dyes do look so very strong but I know from past experience that they fade a lot when dry. And these are some grids I machined using the solufleece method learnt at Summer School. I left the first too dry flat and I moulded the other ones. I am thinking of using them later on in Module 4 for combining with paper.

Module 4- Chapters 1 and 2

2009-04-22T18:01:00.002+02:00

CHAPTER ONE Media Research This is a photo of some items I have collected so far for future reference and work on Module Four. The collection is still growing and I'm using it mainly as a mental note of material that could be used. I have mostly included the following: - Papers that might be recycled - used printer paper, envelopes, different types of tissue papers/paper napkins, old grocery notes, used watercolour papers, oriental papers, used gift papers etc. - Different kinds of clips, strings, rubber bands, labels, packaging material like bubble wrap, chopped plastic and straw, an office multistamp - Electrical and computer cables as a reminder of the fact that media and communication at large are getting more and more immaterial (online newspapers, emails, internet etc.) The two following images are collages of photocopied materials that might be further used. These are only copies since the originals are too precious to be directly recycled. They include handwritten notes I am particularly fond of (my grandma's writing on the yellow paper in the second photo), collectable old envelopes/stamps, details of famous dada paintings using letters/numbers.

Lettering Research

I have organized my material in several groups.

Images in photos 1 and 2 have mostly a sort of urban/modern feeling in common.

They include neon lights, light sculptures, advertisements, graffiti, maps etc.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photos 3 and 4 show basically a collection of typographic/graphic examples Photo 3

Photo 4

Photos 5 and 6 gather old lettering styles and some calligraphies Photo 5

Photo 6

Photos 7 and 8 show some examples of different alphabets - old like Phoenician, Hebrew, Hyeroglyphic, Cuneiform and current like Arabic, Chinese, Japanese - and letters artistically combined Photo 7

Photo 8

CHAPTER TWO - LETTERING DESIGNS

Writing a letter with the computer

For this exercise I used PaintShopPro and tried its different drawing tools

I then applied some "special effects" to my scribblings

Writing a word without the computer

I chose FUTURISM - FUTUR as a word to put into repeat since 2009 celebrates the centenary from the birth of this artistic movement that is still inspiring and alive today in so many ways and under different forms.

From top to bottom:

Black ink dragged with an edge of card, drops of bleach on dry ink;

Futurism written with a Chinese brush, then rewritten with a wooden skewer and bleach;

Black ink strip, writing with a matchstick and bleach;

Word with the edge of a plastic card dragged on the flat side, then overwritten with the point of the card and bleach;

Blocks of ink with a card, then bleach dropped in a continuous line.

From top to bottom:

Serrated edge of plastic card;

Stamped using a "cuneiform" style;

Serrated edge of bristol card;

Word created by repeatedly stamping with an office stamp;

Stamping with a short edge of card.

Examples of "futurism" written dragging a black oil crayon on paper lying on different types of mesh.

From top to bottom:

White oil crayon dragged on paper lying on a metal mesh, then black ink swished across;

Careful dragging of a card to form precise "futurist" style letters;

Stamping with the botton of a plastic earplug (the type they give you on airplanes);

Free-style lettering using a Chinese brush.

Two examples of the same word repeated several times.

Black paper, letters formed in a "pointillist" style

Black ink background, overwritten in bleach, finally drippings of watery acrylics

Pattern making with lettering using the computer

Here follow some examples of patterns created on the computer when repeating the same word in different ways.

I especially like the rhythms created by enlarging small details.

Pattern-making with lettering without the use of the computer

Photo 1

Background in watered down black acrylic - PVA glue freely squeezed and let to dry - Overpainting of squeezed letters with metallic acrylic colours in different golden shades (I used Lumiere colours which are simply fantastic!)

Photo 2

Futurism written diagonally with a white oil crayon overpainted in watered down black acrylic - Strips of different writings cut in strips and applied, some folded - F repeated in geometric crossing patterns -Handwriting in ink

Photo 3

Futurism written several times with edge of card, with overlaps - Rewritten in bleach - Doodling in empty spaces with pen and ink

Photo 4

Sketch paper covered with acrylic gesso then combed with a plastic fork - Stencilling in of Japanese words with metallic Lumiere colours - Further writing crossways in pen and ink.

My intention was to reproduce a rough wall covered by different handwritings.

Photo 5

Another "piece of wall", this is more rugged and battered, I used gesso as before followed by black wax crayon and more Lumiere colours in the attempt to reproduce a graffito style wall in neon colours.

Photo 6

In making this sample I was thinking of Arabic handwriting even if the alphabet used is Latin.

Fluid writing with a Chinese brush - Further small writing in bleach within the words formed - Filling in with lettering doodling - Last layer of drops of different colours using a toothbrush to fuse words together.

Photo 7

Background obtained from dragging a black crayon on a gessoed/PVA glued surface, bleached letters cut up and pasted onto it.

Photo 8

In imitation of an urban graffito. Background is a rough gessoed surface overwritten with oil pastel and charcoal, then "sprayed" with some gold.

Photo 9

PVA dripping on a blackish background, then overpainted in metallic green after drying.

Photo 10

"Futurism" written several times over with a black oil pastel dragged on a meshed surface, empty spaces filled in with black and gold, then paper turned 90° upwards.

Photo 11

Word Futurism formed from separated letters pasted on a white background, then some letters echoed by radiating lines, empty spaces filled in by black points/golden stampings.

Photo 12

Papers first written all over and then cut into strips and glued on a newspaper background.

Resolved sample plus

2009-03-03T13:28:00.017+01:00

On looking back at all work produced for this Module my attention was caught by this low relief 3D design idea in dyed papers. After my work- and labour-intensive neckpiece I longed for something easy and relaxing to do, in a happy-go-lucky mood. I chose this variegated dyed piece of cloth and freely sew it on some muslim.

These are some cut up strips of monoprinted fabrics prepared back in Chapter 3 that have been pinned down in loose spirals in preparation for stitching:

The strips sewn on with the thread ends still showing:

I have now added some beads and hand stitching:

I inserted some simple toggle buttons under the "bridges" formed by the fabric strips and then added some acrylic painted leather scraps:

Some more leather decorations, and different types of threads stitched in loops on top. As a last thought I "wrapped" an orange and a variegated thread around a slightly off-centre leather bead and towards the four corners of the sample to create a focus.

I finally backed the sample with a soft machine-boiled blue felt. The sample measures 27 x 24 cms.

A different view

And now let's start work on Module Four!!!

The final neckpiece

2009-02-12T11:32:00.020+01:00

So at last here it is. I think I can call it off if Sian agrees. I made some additions/changes from Stage Five. Right side: I added more beads on the ridges of the wavy element because I wanted them to come out more; I also added a second copper fan to the brass one and created a beaded core between the two with the aim of improving focus in that area. And I decided to turn the point of the embroidered element upward so as to obtain a stronger spiralling effect around the neck. Left side: I thought that the pointed end was a bit dangerous for the skin/clothes and unnecessary, so I turned it on itself creating a new loop. I like it better now. On the neck: I wrapped a shining multishade embroidery thread since that area looked to me still a bit dull. I think that this thread added to the woollen one makes the neckpiece slide better and be more confortable to wear. Back part : Finally I turned the neckpiece over and sewed a self-dyed soft velvet on the back of the embroidered part since some metallic threads were scratchy on the skin. The velvet also pads this part and helps keeping it as a whole. I stitched folds and ripples on the velvet to encourage the upward movement toward the neck. Front view Right view

Left view

Back view

Details

And this is the neckpiece seen from the back with the addition of velvet on the left.

The neckpiece keeps its shape but is not rigid and can be wrapped around the neck a bit more or a bit less since the copper of its structure maintains its flexibility. It weighs 190 grams. I wouldn't say I could wear it in the supermarket but on a special evening one never knows ...

Making of final accessory for Module 3

2009-02-04T19:10:00.001+01:00

After reading Sian's comments and suggestions on the mock-up I thought it was time to go on and work on the real thing. I reconsidered my earlier drawings and as I had already done for the mock-up I formed and arranged my spirals/swirls directly on the dress-form. My first step was to create the wire structure for the neckpiece and in so doing I aimed at following Sian's first tip to aim at more focus in the overall composition. I still liked the idea of an asymmetrical structure and I wanted an initially "heavier" side like I had done in many of my preliminary drawings. The main problem was to find ways to create a balance on the "lighter" side in later stages. Stage One I decided to use the 2 mm silver plated round copper wire I had already investigated and bent it mostly using my fingers with the occasional help of a round-nose pliers. I then hammered the final structure flat to obtain an irregularly square wire and also in order to work harden the metal and so strengthen the whole thing (this is a jewelry technique which I learnt recently). Here it is. Stage Two
Since I wanted a warm and slightly golden patina on the wire, I dissolved some liver of sulphur in hot water and left the structure in it for half a minute.
Using a smaller wire I made coils and blocked with them the main joints of the structure, crimping them on and around overlapping points. At this point the loops and shapes were stronger.
Following another suggestion by Sian I started wrapping different threads on selected areas of the structure in varying thicknesses.
You may see below a general and a detailed view of how the neckpiece looked at this stage. I had the feeling that the metal and wrapped parts still looked a bit separate and needed other elements that helped to connect them.

Stage Three

The following photos show these new elements added.

I used different beads, fabric pieces, thin copper/brass wires both on the metal and wrapped areas.

Stage Four At this stage I felt I needed something more on the lighter weaker side. I thought of creating just one special big "something" instead of the several buttons/brooches of the mock-up.

After playing around with different ideas (an elaborate piece of metal, a large button, a special clasp) I thought that a fabric element might match better with the wrapped woolly areas.

I made a sandwich of a self-dyed bluish silk prepared earlier in this module, metallic and embroidery threads, sequins, pieces of other fabrics and two layers of hot-water soluble fabric on top and bottom and machine-embroidered them all together. I cut up the embroidered fabric in smaller pieces and zigzagged around all of them.

This is how they looked with the hot-water soluble still showing.

And here are the same pieces after submerging them in hot water for a brief time. The dissolvable fabric has shrunk and they have now a bumpy texture with folds and valleys.

Stage Five

The next two photos show how different embroidered pieces were sewn together to form a sort of brooch on the right side.

I have also added a piece of forged brass under the small last loop. I hammered and worked folds in it on an anvil, drilled holes and stitched it in place.

I now hope to get my neckpiece finished and make a final post about it next week. I can't bear to look at it any longer, it's been too long!

Design ideas and development for a final accessory for Module 3 (better sooner than later, but better later than never!!)

2008-10-30T19:00:00.003+01:00

Following Sian's suggestion at Summer School I started playing around with a spiral wire structure I had built for presenting my tassles and looking for ways to develop a neckpiece design from it. I love the idea of making a neckpiece that is daring, even a bit dramatic in a fun way, but still wearable, not too heavy or unconfortable to carry around. My other starting point was to use metal like I did in my structure to give it stability and a jewel-like shining appearance with the addition of fabric buttons or some other sort of fabric elements. I had already drawn a few tentative sketches of how the neckpiece might look like on a very basic bodice and on reconsidering these together with my tassle structure I started to see some things in common.

A neckpiece mock-up

I first tried to select a specific sketch from which to develop a design but after some unsuccessful attemps I soon decided it was better and much more satisfying to work directly on my dress form and shape a mock-up in a more dynamic and 3D way while looking at all my sketches lying around me as a group and moving freely from one to the other for inspiration. To find my structure I tried out several cheap wires (from gardening type - too tender - to electrical cable - too springy) and I finally used an economical hardware wire that kept its shape well but wasn't too difficult to bend. I then sprayed it with a gold car paint to obtain a warmer colour, more in keeping with my colour choice for this module.

To obtain my "buttons" or other decorative elements I combined old pieces of embroidered fabrics, padded them, added various metallic bits, threads, self-made beads etc. just to gain an idea of what the final neckpiece might look.

Here follow different views of this mock-up. It can be worn by simply passing it on the head.

I'm now thinking of modeling my neckpiece structure on the tailor's dummy in a rather free way and of adding decorative bits later, perhaps working them directly within the empty spaces obtained instead of creating them separately and attaching them afterwards as I did on the mock-up.

I believe this would help in obtaining a more organic neckpiece and would also strengthen the whole framework by creating additional joints.

So far so good, hopefully it won't take years to get finished. I know, I should definitely move on ...

A couple of more detailed views

A closer investigation of materials suitable for the neckpiece structure

Before going on my first thought has been to investigate which final metallic materials are most suitable to build a strong and pleasant structure for my spiralling neckpiece.

I wanted a more precious but not too costly wire in view also of my lack of experience in scary real jewel making, so after checking prices on the internet I left out gold, gold-plated silver, fine/sterling silver wire and opted for silver-plated copper wire which has many good qualities:

it's relatively cheap, very flexible, forgiving and easy to work with, is available in many different thicknesses and, of course, still retains a bit of magic thanks to its silver layer.

A good thickness is the 2 mm wire. I used cylinder shapes (tin cans etc.) and a pair of jewellery pliers to assist my bending. In the first photo, silver has its original colour, but in a jewellery book a found a magical product to create a warm patina, its name is liver of sulphur and is used by restorers to obtain different shades of golden to bluish to dark brown to pure black for antiquing frames and other objects (second photo).

Beads - Part One (Module 3 - Chapter 8)

2008-06-24T15:42:00.001+02:00

To my collection of traditional beads for this chapter like sequins, rocailles etc I added some beads from sundry materials and others made from scratch and coloured to match my colour scheme for this module. Here is a selection, from top to bottom and from left to right: First row: plastic hair fastener coloured and cut up - gizmoed copper wire - wiremesh - polystyrene chunks Second row: coloured leather - mosaic glass tiles - plastic straws - washers Third row: these are pieces of coloured polyester films I used for monoprinting my fabrics for chapter 3 - fire-coloured copper foils - plastic bag And here is my bead sampler. I used a self-dyed silk as a background and my idea was to sew beads in a wave pattern but I doubt these waves can still be seen. Below is a general view followed by more detailed views taken from each corner.

I'm afraid my edging and trapped bead samples will be ready only after summer school since in these last few days I'm trying to collect my ideas for an accessory and be able to discuss them with Sian, hopefully ...

Finished Tapestry

2008-05-19T16:49:00.006+02:00

And this is my finished tapestry, ready for hanging. (I posted about its beginnings on Jan 25). I mounted it on a gallery canvas painted in acrylics for the Tapestry course exhibition of end of year, but I'm thinking of making a plexiglass case later and have it somewhat suspended inside. Will think about it. Front view Side view

It was fun to make but I will think twice before embarking on a new weaving enterprise at least for the time being! It DOES take an awful lot of time ...

Buttons - Part Two (Toggles)

2008-05-19T14:09:00.016+02:00

Before tackling fibers I tried out basic toggle shapes in strips of my coloured papers. After these first attemps I gave it a try in fabric and produced some samples. Sample 1 - Felt toggle (11 cm) Self-dyed boiled felt, edged with irregular stitches and beading and one big acrylic drop hanging from the middle.

Samples 2 and 3 - Tower toggles (both 8 cm)

For the sample on the left I used strips of different dyed fabrics and a crown of bugle beads,

while the second one was edged with free scalloping stitches and has a head made by a bought Chinese knot.

Sample 4 - The wiry one (14 cm)

For this sample I wrapped some dyed paper silk I still had from Summer School in 2006 (remember?) around some spiky fibers I found in a mattress shop, which I dabbed in golden acrylic at the ends to make a sort of "beading". The copper wire has two different thicknesses and I obtained the spiralling by means of a gizmo device.

Sample 5 - The jolly sample (21 cm)

This was made for fun by wrapping and trapping fabric strips, felt, yarns and other small bits around a painted wooden skewer which I left as a core.

Buttons - Part One

2008-04-17T16:05:00.014+02:00

This an overall view of my buttons so far. It includes simple and complex shapes and Dorset buttons. Sample 1 (left): Empty oval cardboard wrapped, with pompon fitted in the central hole. Sample 2 (right): irregular shape covered with self-dyed boiled felt.

Sample 3 (left): Three hand-felted "stones" overlapped and made in a package.

Sample 4 (right): Composed shape of triangle with monoprinted fabric and hand-felted "stone" with felted ears attached.

Sample 5 (left): composed shape of flat form and small circular shape, hand-felted slice fixed on the edge

Sample 6 (right): cord sewn around self-dyed fabric

Sample 7 (left): monoprinted fabric with wrapped wire and long-neck machine tassel attached

Sample 8 (top right): wrapped tube with painted wooden wheels at the ends

Sample 9 (bottom right): monoprinted and embroidered fabric

Sample 10 (top left): square cardboard shape wrapped with hole filled in by embossed copper shim, padded underneath

Sample 11 (top right): self-dyed fabric with Christmas decorations and wire

Sample 12 (bottom): Suffolk puff with wire wastes making a central button, laid upon crimpled wiremesh

Sample 13 (left): a toy wheel with spikes woven with three different threads

Sample 14 (right): a traditional Dorset button

Sample 15 (left): a composite Dorset button with large ring in the centre surrounded by 8 smaller rings, fixed and wrapped together

Sample 16 (right): a ring made by twisted wire, crocheted wire centre, wrapped in thread

The long way from tassels to buttons

2008-04-17T15:11:00.006+02:00

More than one month went by since my last upload! But I've been working behind the scenes or more or less so. After much wondering about a way to present my tassels I came up with a structure that is light enough to travel with me on the plane to Bristol. It will have to be checked in since I don't believe I could convince airport personnel that it's not a weapon of some kind. It's made in wire, it's rather rough and basic but can be bent and folded on itself with all tassels attached. Tassels will probably come out a bit bruised from my baggage and will certainly need some attention. And here they are! The photos are really bad and I hope something can be made out of them. After making this structure I went off track for a couple of weeks and ventured into the dangerous realms of wire and made experiments with crocheted and wrapped jewelry etcetera and obviously felt terribly guilty about it. But every C&G student knows that there are temptations out there and everywhere.

I finally got down to assemble all my materials for making buttons. Beside rather obvious choices there are some improbable ones, like a couple of contact lense cases, old eye powder containers, a kitchen basin strainer, an ear plug box and caps and lids of forgotten objects.

Three new tassels

2008-03-03T16:30:00.009+01:00

For these new tassels I tried to think of materials other than threads to make tassels.

This first sample looks like a jellyfish to me. For the skirt I cut up some plastic see-through straws in pastel shades and threaded them like bugles with some real beads in between as colour accents.

For the head I rescued a Christmas decoration, dabbed it in gold here and there and added other beads to create a visual link with the skirt.

This other sample was rather fun to make. After using crochet chains for wrapped cords I thought I could use them also for tassels, but this time I wanted to try a metal wire. I chose a 0.2 mm copper wire and crocheted a very long chain with plastic beads every five or more stitches.

I then fixed the neck with strips of metal foil coloured on the gas stove and passed through a crimper, a technique learnt at last year summer school workshop with Maggie Grey.

For this third sample I made up pompons in different sizes (I used the biggest one for the head), prepared a good number of felted beads plus some small tassels and bits of dyed fabrics. It was a rather long but rewarding process.
I then threaded everything on long wool yarns and made up the tassel.

Module 3 - Chapter 6 Simple Tassels (part 1)

2008-02-11T14:20:00.001+01:00

My first attempts at tassels. I mainly worked by hand, in some cases I first formed the neck by machine and further embellished my tassel. Lacking in finger ability, I tried to make up for it by varying materials to my heart's content! Here is a first couple. On the left a simple machined tassel, neck wrapped by a cord leftover and skirt knotted here and there. On the right a head knotted several times over with fabric scraps added in between knots. Tassels 1 Two other tassels: On the left several yarns zigzagged together, forming a bow as a head and a multi-coloured thread wrapping a very long neck. On the right a fancy yarn sewn by machine, folded over to make the head, empty head stuffed with more yarn and addition of touches of colour to skirt. Tassels 2 On the left a tassel with head consisting of smaller tassels with hanging loop formed by a piece of twisted cord. On the right a tassel with beads and a cord finished off by a Turks' head knot. Tassels 3 And my last two tassels for now. On the left a skirt made from chain stitching with my overlocker, neck further embellished with pearls and lace scraps. On the right a machined tassel using rat tail and leftovers from machined cords. Tassels 4 Further tassels to come whenever they get ready!

Before getting on ...

2008-01-25T19:26:00.001+01:00

Thinking about a practical way to keep all my cords together and bring them to next Summer School, I decided to use an insertion stitch and make a long felted cord mat. This is how it looks when rolled up with some cords peeping through. Some sort of spiral perhaps? (am I a little obsessed)

And this is not Module 3-related, it's an old collaged sheet from the Foundation Module (The Wall) ...

I'm using it as a base for my first tapestry. I placed my sheet on the back of the warp threads and I'm following the design (more or less)

This is a detail .

As Sian suggested, I think I'm going to use weaving in some parts of my Module (buttons perhaps and/or the resolved sample).

Module 3 - Chapter 5 Cord Making (second part)

2008-01-22T11:54:00.001+01:00

Twisted cords Sample 1 From left to right: Two thick cotton twisted cords, laid side by side - Chiffon strip, synthetic thread, wool thread - Chenille thread Sample 2 From left to right: Wool roven, golden fabric strip - Machined cord, curtain fabric strip - Three pearl cotton twisted cords, laid side by side Sample 3 From left to right: Tulle net, fantasy thread, copper wire - Fabric strip, cotton thread - Fabric strip, cotton thread - Tulle net, wool roven, hairy thread, ribbon - Raffia, machined cord Sample 4 From left to right: Woolen, synthetic threads - Machined cord - Felt strip, fantasy thread Wrapped cords Sample 1 From left to right: Fabric strip wrapped twice with gift ribbon and loosely machined cord - Machined cord made from gift paper and thread wrapped onto itself - Felt strip wrapped with copper wire and metallic thread - Machined cord from wool roven wrapped by machine with copper wire snippets - Machine wrapped drinking straws Sample 2 From left to right: Wool roven wrapped with cotton thread - Machined cords wrapped by machine stitching with snippets blocked in between - Crocheted chains wrapped together Sample 3 From left to right: Loosely machined cord wrapped with copper wire, chiffon wastes knotted - Two crocheted chains wrapped together Sample 4 From left to right: Machined cord wrapped with crocheted chain - Woll thread wrapped with twisted cord - Machined cords wrapped together

Module 3 - Chapter 5 Cord Making (first part)

2008-01-21T11:33:00.001+01:00

Finally I had the time to assemble and scan all my cords! I must say I absolutely loved making cords and found them seriously addictive. I had a feeling you can never exhaust this subject ...

I made no photographs of single machine stitched cords since I incorporated them all in more complex ones. I thought I loved the idea of mounting them on self-dyed fabrics in my two chosen colours for this module (blue and yellow/orange), so I dyed some commercial felt and threw all of it in the washing machine in order to get a more "natural" textured look.

Knotted cords

Sample 1 - Simple knotted cords

From left to right:

twisted cords (pearl cottons) - machined cords (wrapped tulle net) - two simple machined cords side by side - loosely knotted machined cords (mousetail, tulle net, plastic string) - machined strips of scarves

Sample 2 - Half knot cords

Sample 3 - A simple half knot cord and two wrapped pipe cleaners

The pipe cleaners hark back to last summer school (Maggie's workshop)

Sample 4 - Half hitch knot cords

Sample 5 - Another set of half hitch knot cords

Sample 6 - Half hitch and Turks head knots

I think it took me a good whole day to figure out the Turks knot! I only managed when I fixed pins on a hard surface and looped my cords around them.

Plaited cords

Sample 1 - Four-strand plaits

From left to right:

A B B A (wool threads) - A B A B (wood thread, fabric, pearl cotton) - A B B A (machined cords, fantasy thread)

Sample 2 - Four-strand plaits

From left to right:

A A B B (flat ribbons, metallic thread) - Spiral braid A B B A (wool thread) - A B B A (machined cords, cotton threads)

Sample 3 - Three-strand plaits

From left to right:

A B A (twisted cords, wool thread) - A B C (cotton threads) - A B A (fabric, machined cords) - A B C (machined cords)

Sample 4 - Various plaits

From left to right:

6-strand plait, loosely braided (cotton threads) - 5-strand plait A B C D E (cotton threads) - A B C (machined cords, beaded thread) - A A A (machined cords with knotted wastes of fantasy thread)

This is not mine!

2007-11-16T23:23:00.001+01:00

This beautiful tapestry is by Annalia Ferreri and she won the first prize at an Italian exhibition. This lady lives and works in Rome and I'm proud to say that she is my teacher! I discovered her at a local Adults' University organization and signed up for her tapestry course. She uses a very basic frame as a loom and she simply wraps it up many times to form a warp yarn. She then weaves in and out whatever weft material she fancies by simply using her hands or a mattress needle and voilà!

I had two lessons so far (once a week) and I'm enthused. Here is my frame to practice the different stitches, with a detail of sampler. We are told that before Christmas we'll start working on individual projects ... I'm starting to think of ways to integrate weaving into my Distant Stitch course and the other way round.

Module 3 - Chapter 4 Decorate with Stitchery (second part)

2007-10-29T20:00:00.002+01:00

Monday morning, staying at home and waiting for a worker to come and repair my dishwasher. He was supposed to come at nine but in Rome appointments are rather a vague thing and there is not much you can do about it (call them? answer: we're almost there; call them again? answer: sorry madam there is a demostration going on in front of Parliament, we do what we can; call them again after an hour? answer: we just got an accident with a motorcycle and are waiting for the police to come ... yell? not possible, their mobile phone is now switched off).

So here goes the second batch of samples for chapter 4, the machine stitched ones.

SAMPLE 6 (22 x 24 cms)

In this first free machining sample I tried out several stitching possibilities:

free straight stitch telephone wire like in orange as a background, whipstich in orange, cable stitch in yellow/blue and finally free zig zag stitch to fill in spaces and underline whipstitch/cable stitch shapes.

SAMPLE 7 (18 x 22 cms)

Background of this sample is random-dyed cotton cloth.I first applied an orange dyed light cotton on top using reverse appliqué by free machining and then couched a woollen variegated yarn also by free machining obtaining two layers of spirals. I finally distressed the orange margins somewhat.

This other sample combines machine and hand stitching. I use free machined whip and straight stitch and added spirals in hand running stitch and irregular satin stitch, plus a appliquéd spiral.

SAMPLE 8 (20 x 22 cms)

And finally a first experiment in wet felt making. It was less messy than I thought and it didn't take all that long. I prepared a background felt with three layers of wool rovens and placed some knitting yarn on top, poured hot soapy water on this sandwich and massaged through a sheet of bubble wrap for ten minutes. I rinsed it well, massaged some more on a washboard and dried my piece of felt. How proud!

When dry I put some coloured accents and needle felted them, finally I drew on the whole surface by free machining spirals in zig zag stitch.

SAMPLE 9 (23 x 25 cms)

Module 3 (Spirals) - Chapter 4 Decorate with Stitchery (first part)

2007-10-09T10:28:00.001+02:00

Today I'm uploading the hand-stitched samples I prepared during the summer. I scanned them all so hopefully they are clear enough, photos do somehow seem to come out better but I'm far from proficient in that area too (sometimes I think I should take a basic course in digital photography ... )

This is a first hand-stitched sample on dyed muslim. I darned multicolour pearl cotton, stranded cotton and metallic thread and then couched some orange and blue ribbon to give more definition.

SAMPLE ONE (18 x 16 cms)

This is another one. I used one of my monoprinted fabrics and simply back-stitched big spirals in pearl cotton. SAMPLE TWO (13 x 20 cms)

The background of the third sample was obtained by hand needle felting together two layers of cheesecloth dyed bright orange (bottom) and burgundy (top), with the orange threads becoming enmeshed into the top layer. When I did this I was obviously thinking of the fantastic effects we obtained during last summer school with the embellisher. I don't have one yet so I used felting needles but it's a totally different story ... Then I couched spirals in knitting variegated yarn and within these spirals other chain stitch ones in variegated pearl cotton No. 8.

SAMPLE THREE (20 x 25 cms)

Since I had the felting needles at hand I made another background. The bottom layer is blue self-dyed cotton with a yellow scarf applied on top and distressed.

Spirals in golden knitting yarn and tubular blue/light blue cotton.

SAMPLE FOUR (25 x 25 cms)

And finally a small sample to try my hand at machine stitching.

I whipstitched and zigzagged small spirals without a frame (I avoid using frames whenever I can) and finished by hand/machine couching two different knitting yarns.

SAMPLE FIVE (18 x 18 cms)

Module 3 (Spirals) - Chapter 3 Monoprinting on Fabrics

2007-10-08T17:28:00.001+02:00

I was finally able to assemble my monoprinted fabric samples in a few collaged computer images using Paint Shop Pro. The background is not monoprinted, is a computer image.

In most cases I created monoprints in two to four successive layers on self-dyed fabrics waiting every time for each layer to dry. Samples vary in sizes but are on average 20-25 cm on each side. My colour choice for this Module is blue-orange with variations.

I used Liquitex acrylics slightly thinned with an acrylic painting medium to improve brilliance and flexibility and brushed them freely on polyester films, then scraped them with everything at hand (scrapers, pens, feathers, fingers, spoons , forks etc.). The dry films are quite nice in themselves so I've put them apart for later use (beads perhaps?).

And here are two more fabric collages

Please come in!

2007-09-14T09:52:00.003+02:00

Hallo! Finally I'm taking my first swim out in the vast ocean of blogging after all the idle talking done about it at Urchfont. But now vacations are over, friends have left home, kids are on their way back to university and there are no more excuses ... In the next few days I'm going to upload the work I've being doing on my Module 3 (Spirals) but for today I would like to show some glimpses of my very special room under the roof.

How are you all? I would love to have you here in Rome for a chat and a cup of tea or better still for a glass of wine before dinner (remember?) ... but missing that would you like to have a look around? This is the area where I like to spend my time whenever I can. Here I keep all the odd bits and pieces of my old and new passions - dangerous and less dangerous, messy and less messy, dry and wet, bulky and so tiny that you keep losing them, you all know what I mean. I painted all my furniture in light blue and yellow thinking of winter days when light falls early.

But please come closer ... This is the area where I keep my Distant Stitch things, there are the books I'm using (on the little table on the right) and boxes full of fabrics and threads under the other tables. And of course Sian's module open at left ... This is my thinking/sketching/trying out/assembling area, with samples hanging around or in boxes and folders.

And here on the right is the stitching area with my Bernina and my Pfaff overlocker (this is a new animal and I'm still learning how to cope with it). My dear Barbie and Midge are sitting patiently beside and keep a friendly eye on me. They are still wearing their Sixties cocktail dresses and high-heeled plastic pumps from the old days. There is also a wet (and quite dirty) area with a basin where I can use dyes or dare other scary operations without too much trouble. So long for this time. I shall take another swim soon, promised!