Sewing the Distance!: November 2021

Distant Stitch Diploma, Module 4, Chapter 5 - Slips From Stitched Surfaces

I made several samples of fabric, including using painted Yupo paper.

I used the embellisher, combining threads, plastic net and snippets of fabric onto white felt. I left the texture quite rough. The plastic net (yellow) didn't mesh well so I had to put pieces of fabric over the top to hold it in place.

This fabric consists of black felt with an overlay of see-through mauve striped fabric. I stitched ribbon down with cable stitch and used an elongated set machine embroidery stitch for the other pattern.

I applied painted bondaweb to soften the stitching.

I used different effects to apply the slips.

Hand stitched blanket stitch.

Free machine zigzag stitch.

Embroidery stitch with feeddogs up.

Hand stitching.

Beautiful Yupo paper coloured with yellow, blue. turquoise and gold.

Snippets of organza on black felt, secured using a soldering iron. The pattern represents the petals on the passion flower, but it also looks quite like sea urchin spikes (not intentional!)

I have placed 4 overlapping, unstitched Yupo slips down the centre of the fabric and used thick black thread to stitch them in place, following the lines of the underlying design. This creates a combination of texture and smoothness which I like and the combination is very subtle.

I have machine stitched over the Yupo paper, however I don't think it enhances the over all effect. The needle broke up the gold paint slightly so I gave the bobbin case a thorough clean when I had finished.

Yupo paper, stitched and heated with a iron.

I added slips from the fabric made with the soldering iron. The colour schemes are the same, but the textures are very different and I rather like this effect.

I have been using a blue/yellow/purple colour scheme throughout the diploma so decided to try to move away from my favourite colours, out of my comfort zone. The inks used here on the Yupo paper are poppy red, coral and purple and remind me of sweet peas.

I don't have many fabric in this colour range but I found some red feathers in my stash. I used bondaweb to secure them together and then stitched along the shaft to attach them to the paper. As I stitched the feathers started to open out. I used a pin to separate the vanes. I was going to add extra stitching running from the feather to the paper but I thought this might spoil the simplicity of it.

I love the fact that you can see the pattern through the feathers, where they have been separated. I did try using transparent slips over the paper, but they were too insipid and difficult to see.

Distant Stitch Diploma, Module 4, Chapter 4 - How Can a Slip Be Re-invented?

I think this shape will work well. It is simple and symmetrical. It could be used in a variety of sizes and would be easy to distort.

Working with ideas to attach the slip to the background fabric.

I discovered alcohol inks on acetate when I was working on PAP2, although, in the end, I didn't use them. I bought some Yupo paper, which is paper coated in a fine layer of plastic. The alcohol inks glide across the surface and dry very quickly. I accidentally got the iron too close to it and the paper reacted in a similar way to Tyvek. However, Yupo paper is more stable and less likely to disintegrate. Very interesting!!

I used my embellisher to create fabric and then cut it into my slip shape.

Both samples above are painted Yupo paper. The top sample has been cut then heated to distort it and stitched down under a wheatsheaf stitch. The lower slip is painted Yupo paper that has been machine stitched and held in place with buttons.

More samples of Yupo paper, stitched to felt. The lower sample is stapled in place.

Embellished fabric, secured with rows of machine stitching. 'Overlap' cut away to reveal background.

Experimenting with different methods of attaching slips.

Top left - free machine stitching

Bottom left - hand stitched French knots in varying sizes

Right - free machine stitching following the shape of the slip.

Distant Stitch Diploma, Module 4, Chapter 3 - Create Your Own Slip Design

I have chosen the passion flower because they grow down in the fence in the back garden. I love the beautiful layers, all so different from each other.

Looking for shapes and textures.

Using Photoshop Elements to alter the flower's colours and design.

Experiments on paper with paints and bleach.

Perhaps getting too literal.

I have adapted one of the shapes from 35 to use as a slip.

Distant Stitch Diploma Module 4, Chapter 2 Traditional Stitched Samples

I chose 2 postcard sized photos on which to base the postage-sized slips.

This is an example of passion flower stump work which is featured in a kit made by Jenny Adin-Christie. The embroidery has been created in layers using many techniques.

I cut away a small section of the photo to insert my slips. This first one is stitched to fill the space as densely as possible (20).

Close Up
(21)

In this slip, I have padded the 'mushroom' with 2 layers of white felt. The petals are in raised stem stitch, however the stitching is so small as to be ineffective. As I couldn't change colour threads, I stitched the raised stem stitch in a natural thread and painted it afterwards. It just got worse!

I used canvas over the fabric to stitch 23. I didn't think it would work, but what a pleasant surprise!