Chapter 4 Decorate with stitchery

This chapter is divided into two sections

Section A. Hand stitchery

Section B. Machine Stitchery

Here are presented the samples, with just a note to accompany each.

Most of the work was stitched into hand dyed fabrics, but some samples especially in Section B included plain calico or commercial coloured fabrics, when experimenting with stitch techniques.

Health & Safety, techniques, stitches, fabrics and threads used were listed in my file.

Section A. Hand stitchery

H 1 A sampler showing hand dyed yellow cotton with darker purple mono-print, large spiral with several rows from central point,tiny continuous spirals, yellow or purple, series of overlapping spirals in shades of wool couched indicating background, middle and fore-ground, medium yellow spiral, all producing a spiralling network.

Helped by the mono-printing was pleased by the depth and movement in this piece.  Like the idea of keeping some of the mono-printing free of stitch, but could add more to it (possibly machine stitchery).

 

H 2 Using Sample 4 of the mono-prints Series of spirals in purple and different shades of yellow.

Particularly like the texture from gathering the running stitches, and the patterns from the spirals being close together.  Feel this would be ideal for making buttons.

H 3 Commercially random dyed purple and yellow cotton showing back stitch, running stitch, wide stem stitch and french knots, which I then wrapped around a cardboard core.  Inspired by the column on a harp.  (Shown as A).  When flat the pattern was depicting a spiral column in 2-D, but by wrapping around the card prefer the 3-D effect.

H 4 Stitched ribbon Back stitched continuous spirals along ribbon ( Shown as B)

Another sample: At the Summer school (Sue Dove’s workshop) using music as inspiration from part of a larger piece with text and oil pastels on orange card, I then enlarged and depicted the piece in stitch.  The dyed fabric was wet wipes used to clean off paint.  It was great trying to generate the original paper version into stitch, using different threads and stitches.  The text was duplicated using a felt tip pen on muslin from musical quotes.  The result I feel has earthy almost aboriginal elements.

The card was 5cm x 18 cm.  The finished piece 14 cm x 26 cm on calico

Section B. Machine Stitchery

The machine was set up for free machine embroidery as outlined in my file.        Initially I worked without a hoop as seen in the first three samples, but found it more effective using a hoop

The samples in this section include free running stitch, whip stitch, cable stitch and zigzag stitch.

The first on calico shows the three main stitches, without a hoop

Samples 1a and 1b on purple cotton with mono-print 1, show upper side and reverse of continual spirals, free running stitch (18cm x 18cm)

 

Samples 2a and 2b on calico show two threads in the needle, 2a without a hoop, 2b with a hoop (18cm x 18cm each)

Sample 3 on calico, same thread as 2, with a hoop (18cm x 18 cm).                                 To ensure the fabric is taut in the hoop need to use a larger size piece of fabric.     However this is quite a lively piece showing different spirals.

Sample 4 on calico, with a hoop showing whip stitch.  I hoped the variegated purple thread in the bobbin would have shown up better.  Whip stitch was achieved but this is rather a subtle coloured piece (18cm x 18 cm)

Samples 5a and 5b Whip stitch which came out as cable stitch.  Top and reverse of the piece are shown here (25cm x 25cm) Design smaller, moving the hoop to fit.

 

Sample 6 on linen Cable stitch (25cm x 25 cm)  Looks like a shell or snail!

 

Sample 7 on random dyed fabric shows a variety of stitches and mixed threads.  Plenty of overlapping giving movement and depth to the piece (20cm x 26cm).  Like this the best so far!

Sample 8 on cotton Mostly cable stitch and zigzag with different threads.  This continuing spiral could grow or be left this size.  Worked area has a diameter of 10cm.  Interesting gathered effect.

Sample 9 on purple dyed cotton with mono-print 11.  Used whip stitch, continuous small spirals in complementary colours to infill the negative space from the masks.  Feel this was effective.  (28cm x 20cm)  Later photographed a piece of chiffon with the same mono-print overlaying this sample to give another dimension.

Sample 10 on purple poly cotton.  This was made up with a series of different stitches each row starting at the same central position, finishing with a sequence of spirals.  Used running stitch, running stitch with two needle threads, whip stitch, cable stitch and zigzag stitch and complementary colours. (Diameter of 15cm)

Finally I tried to machine stitch some ribbon, the sort that has fine wire structure in order to give a 3-D effect (See C on the final hand stitched sample)

This next photograph shows the machine set up, working on Sample 10

I am conscious that I have not combined hand and machine stitching, but appreciate that this would give another dimension to the work. 

Chapter 3 Fabrics and threads

This chapter is divided into three lots of work

Fabrics and threads already available using my chosen colour scheme of purple and yellow (see above)
Cold water dyeing using acrylic paints to dye beads, dip dyeing and random dyeing
Monoprinting fabrics from existing stock and hand dyed from previous exercise

Fabrics and threads already available
Here are two images of a tonal sequence of purple then yellow fabrics
In addition I have a wide range of threads (not shown here).  Some will be seen in future chapters.

Cold water dyeing
Health & Safety and instructions are recorded in my file

Using acrylic paints to dye a selection of items, beads, buttons, silk cocoons, screws, spiral wires
A selection of items were divided into those to be yellow only, purple only, some of the yellow to also be yellow and purple. 
A drop of yellow acrylic paint was dropped into a jam jar, sealed with a lid with selected items and shaken.
This was repeated with purple and later some yellow items were added to the purple.
Dry dyes were picked up by the items giving a speckled effect.  Possibly a smoother coverage could be achieved mixing the paint with a little water or fabric medium.
After each colouring the items were left to dry on newspaper covered plastic sheeting.
It was important for as many items not to stick together.
The mixed items once dry were stored in a jam jar, shown in the following image

Cold water dyeing
Natural fabrics and threads were dyed using Dylon fabric dyes: Intense violet and Sunflower yellow
The Dylon dye was prepared using the instructions on the packets
Salt solution was prepared to allow dyes to penetrate fabrics
Soda solution (washing soda) prepared to help fix the dyes
Each of these can be safely stored separately in sealed labelled jars but once mixed will become old (can be used as inks)

A dyeing day was selected
Prior to this fabrics were washed to remove chemicals and ironed and cut into manageable sizes (A4)
Some fabrics were gathered using nylon thread into spiral as Tritik Shabori.
Some threads were gathered into small skeins for dip dyeing
Some fabrics and threads were set aside for random dyeing

A selection of baths were prepared for purple and yellow only dyeing
A black dye bath for dip dyeing of some yellow items
A tray for dip dyeing
The following day a tray for random dyeing

The last picture shows the different containers for dip dyeing, including separate pots of dye

Ordinary dyeing
After approximately one hour the purple and yellow dyed items were rinsed in cold water, washed in warm soapy water then rinsed again.  Items were left to dry on newspaper covered plastic sheeting, with some on a washing rack where it didn't matter if the dyes ran.
I was particularly pleased with the results, varying tones of colour achieved dependent on the material.

 I soon realised what I thought was silk was polyester - the dye just washed out!
I redid some dyeing later with pure silk, using dip dyeing and random dyeing techniques.

Dip dyeing
The different prepared fabrics and threads, having dipped them in salt then soda solutions, were dipped in the pots of dye and left overnight.  The next day items were washed in cold water only.  Here are two or three samples.  I particularly liked the difference between folded fabrics in squares or triangles.
The samples shown are in linen and silk.

There are areas of white on the samples, which are effective, but possibly if I'd dipped them further into the dyes or left them longer than a second or two, the purple and yellow would have merged in places into brown, and black dye where used given extra shades.

Random dyeing
A selection of fabrics were random dyed putting crunched up or folded fabric, then adding dye one at a time into plastic bags leading to more mixing of colour.  Once ready the items were rinsed in cold water only and left to dry as others.
Here are some samples: the first using the cotton Tritik Shabori was dip dyed and random dyed, others were linen and polycotton.

The first piece has a spiral effect from the stitching, the second an haphazard lively arrangement of colour and the last subtle shades (the newspaper print shows through while the fabric is still damp).

Monoprinting fabrics
Several samples of monoprinting were produced, with a musical theme and using:
Commercial dyed fabrics
Home dyed fabrics (including some previously dyed materials with coffee or tea)
Non-dyed fabrics

The monoprinting is in two sequences
The first sequence at home, consisting of at lease 42 samples, commercial and hand-dyed fabrics in cotton, chiffon, linen, wet wipes (coloured as wiped up paints), lutrador, muslin, velvet, silk, organza and polycotton
The second sequence at least 10 samples generated at the Summer School where Sue Dove was tutor, using mostly non-dyed fabrics: polycotton, muslin, linen, curtain lining, silk, calico and blanket

First sequence
A selection of fabrics were chosen with different textures and colouring.
Acrylic paints mixed with fabric medium were painted over an A4 glass screen.
Different brushes and sponge brushes were used to spread the colours or draw designs, then marked with different tools: sticks, cotton buds, serrated cut credit card, plastic fork
I also made masks from paper and plastic (for more permanency) to place on painted screen or used them to print paint from them on to fabric.
For each design a heavier fabric was followed by a lighter, such as organza, chiffon, lutrador to use up the paints. 
The lighter materials could be used for buttons or to layer on other fabrics, and lutrador can be burnt away.

The techniques used for each sample were listed in my file.
Health & Safety requirements were also recorded

Here are a few samples, showing different designs or fabrics, with or without dyed effect.
They were similar but not necessarily matching the earlier paper monoprints:

Where possible I'm trying to show movement, rhythm and rotation.  Some more effective than others.

With the last sample I tried to locate the monoprint so masks corresponded to bursts of purple.

Second sequence

Here are just a few monoprints from Sue Dove's workshop.

The fabrics were not hand-dyed first, but it was great having the opportunity to use a variety of fabrics: muslin, linen, silk, cotton, curtain lining and blanket.

The paints included an oil based paint on tiles (a new technique) and acrylic paints with fabric medium on glass.

The use of masks for both sequences of monoprints originated at Sue's workshop.