Chapter 6 Cut work

In this chapter made applique technique samples which were based on designs in Chapter 2, combining:

• different numbers of layers of machine stitched fabric
• different techniques for cutting the fabric
• using different stitches; free machining, cable stitch, whip stitch and programmed patterns

There are four samples all approximately 14cm x 20cm:

Sample 1 is using two layers based on the developed Design 1 from Chapter 2

 

Background fabric: The frottage pattern was stitched using a spiral pattern of the zigzag machine pattern on space dyed cotton calico

 

Second layer:  Two different layers were made both using a hoop:  the top sample shown below involved running stitch on chiffon following the subtle lines on the top layer of the design, the second outlining the edge of the cutouts on scrim.  Fine lines were drawn on the reverse of the fabrics to ensure stitching was limited to specific areas.

 

 

The final piece was made up of the chiffon layer stitched to the background fabric, using sufficient lines to hold the two fabrics together, then cut as the cut shapes dictated.

Both cut outs were cut with very sharp small scissors then frayed. 

However the scrim was cut as a separate layer with no attachment and could be added as a third layer.

 

Completed piece two layers and what it might look like with the third layer added.

 

 

The two-layered sample shows more clearly the light striations in the top layer as found in the design

 

 

Sample 2 is three layers using a frottage sample with a black background from Chapter 2. 

Although there was no cut out design development I thought to provide a sample with cut outs on different parts of the next two layers to reveal the dark background fabric.  I worked mostly with cable stitch using thicker threads to represent the thicker pastel crayon lines.

 

The background was worked using a dark blue polyester cotton, with multi-plyed wool, variegated grey wool and 6 strand embroidery thread.  Some threads proved quite difficult to use in the lower spool, smoother and 4-ply or less running more smoothly.  If I wanted even more texture on this layer I could use thicker threads but hand couched or machine stitched using a zigzag stitch.

 

 

Layers 2 and 3:  The middle layer I chose to use nylon and variegated nylon threads.  The top layer pale blue voile with a zig zag arrangement of running stitch using with a loopy cotton thread

 

 

The middle layer was attached using variegated sea coloured thread in free machine wavy running stitch ensuring space was left.  The fabric was cut in long sections, the nylon curling up slightly at the edges.

The top layer was attached using diagonal zig zag arranged rows within the area of existing stitch, on to the existing two layers.  These were cut to leave the four banks of stitched fabric and frayed.

The total effect represented the original design but the top layer could have been in a less opaque material, or maybe the middle and top layers could have been switched. 

 

 

 

 Sample 3: This is made up of three layers using Design 4B from Chapter 2

The difference in this sample is using organza and voile and cutting with a soldering iron.

 

 

The background fabric is mottled grey felt with lines of cable stitch mostly perle thread.  Not shown here but on the final piece I added a cable stitched diagonal shaded area across both the top and bottom areas overlying the rows using 6 stranded embroidery thread.  I chose to provide these colours to pick out the bleached areas on the design coloured paper.

 

The next layer is cable stitch variegated brown wool with upper thread in white, stitched leaving areas to be cut.  The fabric was cut where the drawn design occurred, melting the edges.  (Health & Safety required a well ventilated room, safe storage of the soldering iron and I would wear a mask to protect against the odour from the burning.  There was a glass cutting mat)

The final layer was a glittery organza with running stitch and some circular effects.  The thread in the lower spool was vanishing thread.  This picture shows the cutting once completed was turned as I felt this layer showed the design separate from the middle layer.

 

I then turned the whole piece to highlight the design pattern from the original

 

 Each layer was attached using pale brown wavy lines, first the middle layer then the upper layer.

 

Sample 4 was probably done using truer applique methods

 4 layers were added to a Dylon painted with tonal changes on calico background based on Design 6 in Chapter 2 - Sheets of equal size of grey felt, linen scrim and shiny white organza.

 

 

The different areas were drawn on the back of the calico piece

 

This side was used to guide the cable stitched areas - initially the stitch requirements on the grey felt

 

Using the lines and sharp small scissors I cut away the felt

I then cable stitched the dominant design on the linen scrim.  The choice of fabric highlighting the textured patterns of the design. The required shape was cut away using the same technique with the felt.

Finally Vermicelli free machine stitching trapped the shiny organza in place.  I worked from the back of the sample since the tensions allowed the vermicelli stitches to show up.  Finally the organza was trimmed away looking at the front of the sample with some fraying.

The previous layers were stitched into as each layer was added. 

 

 

This final piece I feel worked particularly well a good representation of the original design.

 

It wasn't until putting this chapter together that I realised some broader and more textured areas could have involved use of couching of threads with machine zigzag.  Also the cable stitches were quite tight and precise I was not able to produce freer with looser holding threads

 

It is interesting how combinations of layers work together, sometimes working to a specific image or making happy accidents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 Developments

Here are some developments of pieces presented in Chapter 5 with additional techniques

Sample 3b:  Orange and yellow lines of thread to present other drawing on this example.  Used two coloured upper threads in the one needle on most, otherwise one thread.

 

 

Sample 4a was revisited and a new piece made using both whip stitch and cable stitched running stitch, the former for finer lines parallel to one another for the fine felt tip drawings, the other using purple 6-strand embroidery for crayon lines thread to give more effect and dimension

 

Samples 5a and 5b:  Single fine lines have been accentuated using whip stitch and cable stitch, adding parallel lines alongside the original using variegated wool, metallic threads and 6 strand embroidery thread, above and below.  The thicker lines where thicker felt tips or pastel crayons were used.  These were very much developments from the simple original line drawings

 





 

Sample 5d The wavy lines were enhanced with whip stitched variegated thread and cable stitch in a shiny nylon variegated turquoise thread.  In addition further texture was added by slitting and stressing between some of the waves.

 

Sample 7a In revealing the background fabric using finely cut slits gives more depth and texture to the piece, shadows to the wavy lines in addition to the machine programmed pattern

 

 

 

Sample 8a:  A new version of this was made, double the length of the other samples.  In order to produce cable stitch throughout the reverse image was drawn on the back of the grey Dylon dip dyed white velvet fabric.  Using a selection of different threads in-keeping with the original drawing, capturing the rhythm and colours of the design.

 

Sample 9a For this a chenille approach was given to the spiral stitching , cutting with scissors between the lines of stitch, sometimes only the top scrim layer, sometimes also the layer beneath.  The fabric was then stressed by rubbing the fabric together giving a frayed effect in places.

 

Samples using wing needle:  Here are two extra samples where a wing needle was used to obtain larger holes either side rows of stitch especially in the purple scrim piece.  Delicate yellow chiffon was manipulated accompanied also with small tucks.  And three further pieces where I used linen and cotton scrim.  The top one of these has withdraw threads using zig zag stitch and wing needle to cover the bars to form a more structured grid. The other two grids of which the back of one gives a raised effect.

 

 

 

Samples using Vermicelli stitch:  These two extra samples represent different ways of using this stitch.  The first involved a background infill using blue thread within a quilted piece.  The non-stitched areas are slightly raised.

The second piece is using an haphazard vermicelli using a variegated sea coloured thread on net overlaying some running stitch.  Although not obvious on these examples vermicelli can be used to shade and provide a tonal variation.

 

Finally a sample attempting to produce a series of satin stitch areas using a variegated thread.  The top area has lines of running stitch, the lower area the machine zigzag altering the width of the stitch to give a wave type effect.  The reverse of the fabric was interesting in that the white thread used in the lower spool showed tighter tension, consequently I turned the fabric over and did some short sections between some lines on the reverse to give a glimpse of white threads on the main side of the fabric.

 

It is interesting how using a mixture of threads and stitch techniques alongside one another can enhance an area of stitch and give it more character and texture.



Free machine stitchery to interpret different textures from drawings

This chapter shows some machine stitching where drawings captured in Chapters 1 and 2 from photographs of water and sky are interpreted into stitch. 
Each sample was drawn within a 10cm by 10cm frame.  This was drawn on the fabric to help limit the area covered.

Needles:  100 and twin needle
Threads: colours were those related to drawings some textured especially for the cable stitching

Just some of the machine threads from which I could select

Fabrics: mostly those coloured in chapter 4, extending into commercially produced materials where applicable
It was interesting to see how different fabrics affect the stitch
Fabrics were chosen from different types:

• Felt or padded layers - quilting gives bulges between stitching, including fabrics with sheen if using fabric and wadding
• Flimsy or stretchy:  Loose in a ring or out of a ring, or tight in a ring
• Transparent fabric (Dissolvable see Chapter 7):  using 100 needle or twin needle
• Open weave: scrim or muslin:  consider direction of stitch and production of holes resulting from the technique

Stitch: Look at the mark in the drawing and select appropriate one from the following:
Types

• straight stitch
• zigzag stitch
• wavy stitch
• pattern on the machine

Not types

• whip stitch
• cable stitch

Rhythms of stitchery:  showing movement in the drawing
Layers: of thread or fabric with changes in colour.

In this chapter I tried to get away from using the photographs, the samples representing the marks or drawings.
However in order to get a bit of structure in the sequence of samples I used drawings related to clouds in Samples 1 to 4 and to water in Samples 5 to 9.  Samples 10 and 11 show use of loose weave fabrics in a hoop without background fabric and use of  twin needle without a hoop respectively.

Samples 1a to 1c quilting using wadding or felt and straight stitch

Bottom image was used for this sample

 

 

 

The looser muslin and voile with wadding gave a plumped up effect a better texture for the images.
These fabrics were laid over the wadding in the hoop only loosely attached with pins in each corner
The felt gave a flattened image where stitched left raised a little where not stitched.

Samples 2a and 2b were on felt varying the direction of zig zag stitch to capture the lines.  Image 2b was the best to show this.  Not only was the direction of stitch not as effective in 2a but also the use of a metallic thread was not as appropriate to capture the darkness and dullness.

Top image was used for each of these samples

 Samples 3a to 3c were using transparent fabric, voile and scrim with a spiralling effect stitch on the first two and straight stitch on the third

 

Reversed the colours on this using blue thread on white and changing the tones from darker blue at the top to paler blue at the bottom


 

Samples 4a to 4d using mostly dyed cotton and calico with whip stitch in the first two samples and cable stitch in the last two

 

 

Whilst doing this I realised I'd not increased the tension on the upper thread, although I had changed the lower bobbin to a looser one.  The upper lines had the tension altered 

 



Samples 5a to 5d Mostly wavy lines in straight although also tried zigzag on 5c.  Matt and sheen organza fabrics were used. Also wanted to a quilted effect for the water theme so all samples were either with wadding or felt.

 

 

 



The first two I feel were simple but effective, I don't know what went wrong with the third just could not get the zig zag to work properly, and because the colours of the dyed fabric in the fourth was so vivid it worked alongside waving and interlinking lines of stitch.

 

 

Sample 6a Used organza over a space dyed cotton varying the zigzags to reflect the drawing

 

 

 



 



Samples 7a and 7b. 7a was Pattern 1 on the machine using muslin on felt and a frottage image and 7b was a mix of cable stitch and straight stitch with nylon on cotton.  The tensions in both could be improved.

 



Sample 8  Used an open weave cotton muslin with straight cable stitch

 



In using the reverse of the fabric I managed to alter the curve of the stitch, so need to remember to reverse the image accordingly to get the direction correct when using the back.  The glitter in the wool adds the effect of the shine linked to a waterfall effect.

 

Samples 9a and 9b.  Used scrim on different fabric backgrounds

 

 

 

 

This image is from an ink coloured paper where the ripples on a shore are depicted using fine lines of bleach

Samples 10a to 10e Using different coloured scrim in a hoop - drawings are highlighted in my notebook

 

Samples 10 d and 10 e using narrow zig zag.  10e was the least relevant to any drawings

Samples 10b and 10c using narrow zig zag in waves with different effects dependent whether followed creases or crossed them

Sample 10 c

Sample 10 a using straight stitch

 

None of these samples have distinct shaped holes as in the Distant Stitch notes and am unsure how to do this.  Zig zag stitch captures threads together and using a lighter lower thread gives highlights to the rows.

 

 

 

Samples 11a to 11d:  Using flimsy fabric and twin needles

Reference was made to the book 'Machine embroidery: stitch techniques' by Valerie Campbell-Harding and Pamela Watts, Batsford 1989(2000).

Really like the twin needle effect of stitch, raised fabric and added shading from the fabric and can imagine them working well as layers

Sample 11a used pale blue voile, Sample 11b pale yellow silk

Sample 11c used shiny grey organza and 11d white polyester silk

 



In Samples 10 and 11 I noted each alongside drawings in my notebook.  Those for the twin needle were easier to manipulate to follow the drawings.