Module 5 - Chapter 11 - Design from Landscape

 I started to rust different fabrics ranging from synthetic ones to coton ones. As I didn't have rusty items I had to make them produce rust. As most of the metal items you find in the hardware store are treated not to rust I first had to remove this by putting the metal into hydrochloric acid, I agree it's not an eco-friendly method but a fast and efficient one.

I went back into the woods to take more  landscape pictures but also to reconnect to my subject.

The following are just simple as I'm not sure if I'm going in the right direction

Chapter 10 - Stitch to translate

With the vast amount of rubbings I made, I chose the ones that most appealed to me.

The samples were done on black linen stretched in an embroidery hoop. I only looked at the rubbing and not at the photograph for inspiration.

Sample 10a: the stitches done here were very very long fly stitches executed with a fine thread. More stitches were added by turning the sample upside down. When I took the sample out of the hoop I noticed that the stitches were quite "loose" because they were too long. Here a light interfacing ironed on the back solved the problem. 

Sample b: The stitches were done in a thicker wooly thread using a blanket stitch with variations in size and direction. The stitch was worked in both directions to form irregular squares. Filler stitches were added with fine thread in bokhara couching to reproduce the background "noise" of the rubbing.

 

 Sample 10c: who would have thought that this paper sample produced this rubbing. I only found out when I added the pictures to the blog.
I saw fly stitches here.In the fabric sample these were done with a double thread of different whites in the needle. A set of 2 stitches were done joining in the stem which was then wrapped with a blanket stitch . Filler stitches were done with a doubled fine thread and these stitches were left a bit loose.

 Sample 10d: This sample was done in the Litch Stitch which I absolutely love. Here it wasn't used to build up a lot of texture but to form little "worms". They were done with a chenille type knitting yarn and then with cotton floss. The background was covered with little straight stitches.

Sample 10e: The translation into stitch from the picture is quite obvious. The strong "V" shape was done with  irregular bullion knots to form the shape. Then fly stitches in fine thread were added. These were done in from all directions so that it is hardly visible which stitch has been used.

Chapter 9 - Thread and stitchery - rubbings

Taking rubbings from my samples proved quite difficult as a lot of them were done with tissue paper.

I tried different methods, using different papers, but obviously only the soft oil pastels on tissue paper gave good results. However the best results were achieved by using a soft dry brush and fluid acrylic paint .

I did a rubbing on nearly all my paper samples with those three mediums and then chose the ones that most appealed to me.

Chapter 9 - Threads and Stitchery

Some of my threads used in this Chapter ranging from silk to coton and rayon threads bought for dyeing at Texere Yarns, knitting and embroidery threads......

Part 2

Informal effects with a stitch

9n: two fly stitches crossing each other, done with a ribbon knitting yarn

 9o: these variations of the fly stitch  were done with a single thread

9p: fly stitches of approximately the same size with one side of the stitch being slightly longer, the whole stitch was wrapped with buttonhole stitch done with a chenille thread

 9q: fly stitches done with a ribbon yarn and a fine thread on top of each other. The tail of the stitch is very short while the V-shape is kept loose

 9r: fly stitches done with a ribbon thread. These have no "tails", instead it was wrapped around the bottom of the V-shape

9s: a little experiment with a fluffy knitting yarn I recently bought. It was couched with fly stitch in a meandering movement

9t: only the "tail" of the fly stitch was wrapped with a buttonhole stitch, executed in thick silk thread

 9u: fly stitches done quite close to each other in a circular movement

The next 3 samples are variations of the fly stitch with a similar positioning. The only thing that changes is the thread the size and in sample 9w
the V-shape is very long and the tail tiny

 9V

 9w

9x

Chapter 9 - Threads and Stitchery

Part 1

I chose the fly stitch for my stitch samples as I think that it is a very versatile stitch which offers a lot of possibilities for variations as well as in the V-shape as in the "tail" of the stitch.

The following samples were worked  on a fine black linen fabric or on plain black coton

Formal Stitching Rythm

 9a: here a fine thread was used to stitch the single stitches in rows

 9b: the stitches were done with two fine threads in the needle. I changed the direction of the stitch blocks as well as the size

 9c: the stitches were done on the diagonal with a loose tension in the V-shape and a short tail

9d: two threads in one needle, the stitches were done on the diagonal with the V-shapes touching each other to form little squares

9e: two fine threads in the needle with variation in the spacing of the stitches showing a change of tone where the stitches overlap

9f: here a knitting ribbon was used to form the fly stitch and strips of coton tulle were pulled through

 9g: these stitches were done with woolen embroidery thread, the V-shapes are nested into each other and the "tails" were stitched into the previous ones

9h: this sample was done with a a knitting ribbon with large V-shapes, the size of the stitches makes the fabric rise a bit which adds to its tactile quality.

9i: done with perle embroidery yarn, these V-shapes touch each other to form a chevron pattern

9j: stitched on the diagonal in rows, then another set of stitches were done in the other direction 

9k: in this sample the tail of the fly stitch was replaced by a single chain stitch through which a thicker thread was woven

9l: a chunky ribbon yarn was used for this sample. The holes through which the yarn had to pass through was "pre-punched"

9m: here large fly stitches were wrapped with a button hole stitch with a silk thread