STITCH TRIAL SAMPLES FOR MY FACE DESIGN

My cardboard design of a face or mask shows three areas that need to be translated into fabric using manipulation and hand stitchery methods or a combination of them.

These areas in paper have different textures and are respectively light (Area 1) medium (Area 3) and dark (Area 2) in colour, moving from a creamy white to a warm dark grey.

Area 1 – Light colour

Area 1 includes the front and the bigger part of the face. They are going to be worked in the same way but shall be placed on different levels.

Sample 1 – Manipulated technique: wadded quilting on habotai silk with the addition of a few patches of hand stitched fabrics (tulle net, jersey, cheesecloth) and wool yarn




Sample 2 – Hand stitching: manipulation by needle-formed pleating plus embroidery



Sample 3 – Needle-formed pleating, snipped tucks, hand embroidery




Area 2 – Dark colour

Area 2 although smaller is important for creating a contrast. The eye and the lower half of the face are going to be dark and visually “heavy”.

Sample 1 – Manipulated technique: short tucks in all directions on a collaged background fabric, machine embroidery added



Sample 2 – Hand embroidery: Buttonhole stitch




Sample 3 – Zig zag gathering over a linen thread, wrapping over ridges with variegated thread and darning stitch all over




Area 3 – Medium colour

This area makes up the background or frame of the face. It is going to be split into three slightly offset parts and perhaps these shall be placed on different levels.

Sample 1 – Hand embroidery: Cretan stitch



Sample 2 – Manipulated method: chequered irregular tucks and hand stitching



Sample 3 – Machine wadding on muslim




After a lot of comparing and matching and considering and agonizing I have selected which samples are going to make up my face. All and every sample have their good and bad reasons for being chosen or not chosen.

I now think samples shall be used as follows:

Area 1 -  Sample 3 – This is a wide and prominent area and I want a highly textured method with a wide array of possible variations. I feel this combination technique is very flexible and I am not going to be bored!

Area 2 – Sample 2 – I love the other samples too but I feel that as a contrast to area 1 I need a much flatter, darker and more finely workable surface such as that of sample 2

Area 3 – Sample 3 – Also this choice was difficult. I must say I am attracted to atmospheric sample 1, but it seems to me rather too similar to that chosen for area 2 even if the techniques used are different. I also feel that an important background might draw attention away from the face. So I think I am going to choose sample 3 over sample 1 since it is more muted and subtle. Unless of course I change my mind in the making …. or a I find a way of combining features from both samples.

In this last photo I have placed my chosen samples on the mock-up for a first idea of how they might look. Before getting on I am going to make some experiments with the supporting structure.