Assignment 5 - Project 10 - What Have You Achieved?

Can you see a clear line of progression from source material through to finished piece? Was there enough information in your source material to stimulate your imagination and sustain your enthusiasm?
When I selected the original theme of the Ocean this seemed like a very broad topic (a thought echoed by my tutor!). However, using the mind maps was a really useful way to "download" ideas and images as they came to me without the pressure of analysing or refining them. Once I'd done this it was easier to sift through the random assortment of ideas and thoughts and to rationalise them into the areas that were most interesting.

Having narrowed down the wider theme to just Waves this quickly led to a whole series of further ideas which again I captured using a mind map. The beauty of this approach for me is that it is a repository for all my initial ideas that I can come back to and work on in future. It is also a good way of forcing me to think freely without a pre-determined plan.

Going from the mind map to actual images was quite natural and exploring the symbolic nature of wave imagery made it relatively straightforward to simplify and refine my waves into a workable design.

I have many more ideas just around the basic wave motif that I would like to explore further and if anything it became quite difficult to know where to stop!

Do you feel you made the right choices and decisions when selecting at each stage of the project? If not, what would you change and how would it alter the outcome?
I did decide on the idea of a garment quite early in the process so this influenced the nature of the materials I chose to work with (see, for example, the reasons for rejecting the felted sample). It also had an impact on the scale of the image and the nature of any repeating pattern. It would be interesting to re-focus on a larger piece to see how the wave imagery could be translated into other media.

Are there more ideas you would like to pursue that have come out of this project? Are they similar in feeling to the direction you took, or different?
There are many ideas I've pencilled in for future exploration! I've noted a number of them in my learning log posts about the theme book and the experimental work. I also have additional drawings and ideas in my sketchbooks. There is also plenty of scope for future development of the mind maps.

Which stage did you find the most exciting? Which stage was most arduous and difficult to get through? 
The most exciting stage was exploring the samples, trying out different techniques and media, seeing how a simple motif could be interpreted in so many ways. The hardest part was gathering source material. I wanted to try as far as possible to source material from a range of places but it is difficult to ignore the lure of the internet! I did use my own photographs, magazines, some drawings and postcards but even with my own images I much prefer to photograph and save images to the computer so I can use them later for image manipulation, colour manipulation, printing and collage etc. I do, of course, keep found objects, fabrics etc. for textural and tactile study but even these I like to photograph and record details online.

Do you like your finished textile? Can you say what its strengths and weaknesses are? 
I do like the finished sample. The colours are perhaps more delicate than I would personally wear but I think the silk paints give lovely tonal qualities that really capture the variety of shading in waves. I like the repeating shape - it has movement and rhythm and it appeals to my passion for ancient symbols and traditional patterns in textiles, art and architecture. I also think that the beads add a nice touch.

In terms of weaknesses, I am not sure how easy it will be to repeat the pattern over a larger area and I can't be sure that the silk will be sufficiently robust for regular wear. It will also be necessary to ensure that any wadding is fine enough to allow for drape and movement so that the wearer doesn't look like a Michelin Man!

Assignment 1: Project Two - Stage Six - using thread and yarns to create textures

For this stage I chose a sketch of a cardoon plant that grows in my in-laws' garden. It is like a huge thistle and reminds me of an old-fashioned shaving brush my grandad used to use.

 I decided to focus in on the top of the plant as it has lots of interesting texture with the feathery "bristles" and thick, scale-like outer shell.

I used a range of threads, embroidery floss, wool, crewel wools. I split the embroidery floss and worked with different numbers of strands to create the feathery effects. I interspersed these with crewel wools so that the light-reflective floss stood out, adding additional texture and depth. The thicker wools reflect the tough outer casing and I added plum-coloured floss to show the colour striations in the "scales". For the background I used a dark-coloured hessian fabric to give a rustic feel.

These photographs of the plant show the key features from different angles.

Learning Log

I feel that the stitching has captured the texture in the plant. Although I used simple straight stitches I found that this was appropriate when combined with using different thicknesses and lengths of stitch. I also split the stitches to create additional texture. 

The source material worked well, having good colour, shape and texture. An alternative would have been to work with the leaves as these also had good texture.

The sketch is not particularly strong, the pencils did not give particularly rich colour. However, when combined with the compositional photos and given that I was primarily concerned with texture and shape, it gave an acceptable basis to work from. 

I enjoyed working with both yarns and stitches to create different textures and I find like both for different reasons depending on the circumstances. Stitch-selection influences the choice of yarn and vice versa. On balance I prefer the use of stitch over yarn as there is greater flexibility and it requires fewer resources!

For example, I have found that a very wide range of textures and stitches can be created with embroidery floss and crewel wool. This is due to the fineness of the thread allowing texture to be built up and many colours can be created by combining fine threads of different colours. Thicker threads can also be made by using several strands at once. This is a good method for subtle shading as in this example using embroidery floss.

Whilst yarns can be a great choice for texture, it is necessary to have a much more wide-ranging stock of source materials. Furthermore, for some textures, thick yarns require heavier fabrics to support the weight as was evident from this sample and my whirlpool galaxy piece.

Project scale also influences the relative importance of stitch vs yarns. For small-scale projects finer threads give greater flexibility. For large-scale projects there is much more scope to explore different yarns and threads and incorporate highly-textured and varied yarns, as well as other handmade "yarns" from fabric strips, plastic etc. These are more difficult to use on a small scale.

In terms of techniques I have barely scratched the surface! I have put together a small travel pack of threads and fabrics so I can practice stitching-on-the-go. I think it will help me to overcome my discomfort with drawing if I can intersperse it with stitch-sketching, starting with the stitch, taking a photo and finishing the stitching later if I don't finish whilst directly observing the source. (I will still be doing more traditional sketching, too!). I've also purchased some seondhand stitch dictionaries for more formal practice. I plan to carry on with my machine-stitch samplers on the Bernina.

A common theme so far is in relation to size. I tend to work on a small scale or lifesize. I'd like to do some larger-scale work as I think it might encourage me to interpret images more freely and less literally.

Assignment 1: Project Two - Developing your marks - Stages 4/5 - Stitches which create texture

For this exercise I chose a range of yarns in the same colour family but with different thicknesses and texture. I also looked for differences in light reflectivity. My selection included thick cotton chenille thread, couched onto the fabric,

couched shiny viscose thread with stitched finer threads, crewel and floss,

 embroidery flosses using variations of a simple straight stitch,

crewel wools and floss and dense, close stitching in satin stitch

and sparkly metallic threads with floss and crewel wool. In this sample I worked by weaving the metallic thread across a "frame" of floss to create a web-like effect. 

Here I've used chain stitch and a combination of floss, viscose and crewel wool, using different stitch sizes and stitching closer together/further apart to create different densities on the fabric.

I can see potential uses for most of these samples; couching the viscose is useful to preserve the shine. It is thick, too, so it prevents damage to the fabric if it is laid on top. Nice curves can be achieved this way and good layering effects.

The simple straight stitch creates a lovely starburst effect just by varying the number and length of stitches that form the "legs" of the star.

Satin stitch is great for dense coverage and neat curves. The dullness of the wool is in contrast with the reflections in the floss.

The webbing was fun and made good use of the sparkle by allowing it to be concentrated in one area but allowing the background to show through. There was more sparkle and less waste by keeping the all of the thread on the front of the work. Again, this could be used for layering to add highlights.

The chain stitch would be useful for landscapes. It reminds me of paths, drystone walls, stones and walkways.

Assignment 1: Project Two - Developing Your Marks - Stage 3 - A Sample

For this project I selected one of the images from an earlier exercise, the whirpool galaxy. It appealed to me because of the strong spiral shape, the interesting colours and the way the shape stands out from the dark background.

I began collecting my selection of yarns and threads and chose a combination of sparkly threads, embroidery floss and, for the main spiral, a rather bright shiny synthetic novelty yarn. The variegated shading, the sheen and the feathery nature of the novelty yarn nicely reflected what I wanted to recreate with my sample. I worked on a dark background to simulate the dark universe and to let the galaxy really stand out.

I quite like this piece. It would be fun to repeat the exercise on a larger scale, using fine threads to add featheriness and show the finer "veins" of the galaxy. A crushed velvet would be interesting to give an impression of depth but with light/shade as an alternative to the rich, but duller, non-reflective wool.

Assignment 1: Project Two - Developing your marks - Stages 1 and 2 - Exploring marks and lines through stitch techniques

I've picked a basic straight stitch for this exercise and have used a variety of different threads and yarns, including embroidery floss, wool, viscose and hand-dyed stranded embroidery cotton, all in shades of greens.

I have also dusted off the trusty Bernina (a 1090 for any Bernina buffs out there) and started working my way through all the different stitches and stitch combinations. I also (deep breath) read the instruction manual. This alone has been a revelation! Although I've used it quite a bit it only really sees the light of day for the usual household jobs like hemming, patching and (very occasionally) a bit of home-sewing - cushions and the like. (Good job I know the DH doesn't read my blog given how much it cost - oops).

I'm amazed by how much it can do that I never realized so this is going to be a great exercise. So far I'm up to stitch 4 of 28. It isn't a swanky computerised affair but has 14 decorative stitches as well as all the normal ones so I've lots still to play with. And the normal stitches are proving interesting in themselves. I'm planning to build my swatches into a nice reference collection so they'll be useful after the course too.