This of itself raises an interesting question about viewing one's own work. Often I am finding that I get can evaluate a project much more objectively if I put it to one side periodically and let it "rest" for a couple of days. I see things differently when the work has been out of sight for a little while. Perhaps this is because I see it more as a third party would and it becomes divorced from the work that went into it? I also find that photographing my work and viewing it from photographs gives me another perspective. The camera sometimes picks up aspects in a way that the eye does not. I think that this may be to do with light and shade as our eyes are very efficient at adjusting to light and shade whereas a camera is much more limited so seeks to balance out nuances in lighting. It may simply be that a photograph further distances me from the work, giving me the opportunity to view it more impartially and critically.
Onto the specifics:
Project 6 - Stage 3
Cut back applique - a good point here about the cut-back areas. I was struggling with the available area for cutting so I think if I were to repeat this exercise (which would be interesting), I would need to work on a much larger scale. I do struggle with working on larger pieces but am appreciating the value of the smaller piece as a sample/test for a larger work.
Blue and Pink Swiggles - I had a lot of fun with this piece, experimenting with free machine embroidery was really quite liberating.
Project 6 - Stage 4
The expanding print medium was quite unexpected - more difficult to use than I thought but very useful for texturing. Something to play with further.
I agree with the tutor about the interlaced green and yellow weave. It was infuriatingly difficult to get the fabric to disintegrate with the devore paste, perhaps because it was a furnishing fabric so intended to withstand a lot of punishment. A useful lesson in selecting the right technique for the right fabric.
Final piece
I had done drawn samples for this project and had played around extensively with the layout (there is lots more to explain this here and here). As I only had limited quantities of certain materials I was limited as to the amount of stitched sampling I could do (the downside of using reclaimed materials!).
Looking at it again, I can see that the gold mesh is quite dominant. The intention was to capture the idea of the machinery being seen through a metal grille but perhaps this didn't work as well as I had hoped.
Although the tutor makes reference to the use of found images, often I start from a sketch but take a photograph of the same setting for future reference. As I often don't have a lot of time to sit and do detailed sketching or use paints etc. I frequently do quick sketches and then take a photograph so that I can contextualise the sketch, pick up colour and textural detail etc. as required. So my work is based on a combination of sketches, some photography and some found images.
