PAP 3 continued - Jan 23

I have now decided on my final design, consisting of 3 hexagonal canvases.  The lowest one is the darkest in colour, painted voile, backed with grey felt, to show the deterioration of the coral over the years. The next one, positioned to the right is much lighter as the coral bleaches and disintegrates. The top one shows the renewal of soft colours as the coral slowly regenerates.

1

The colour change from grey to white backing felt need to be adjusted on the second canvas but I'll do this when I add the surface stitches.

2 - Canvas 1

The hexagons are laid randomly on top of one another to resemble a rocky surface. Any hard edges will be softened when surface stitch is applied. The surface undulates slightly as there are a couple of padded shapes beneath the hexagons on this canvas and on canvas 3.

3 - Canvas 2

This canvas will show the disintegration of the coral. The hexagon shapes will be stitched and cut to look more skeletonal.

4 - Canvas 3

The colours are softer to show the regeneration of the coral reef.

5

Stitched samples for surface stitch.

6

Coloured scrim as a potential covering as created in Module 5.

7

Coloured scrim embellished, showing the under side.

8

Tiny suffolk puffs, to look like coral.

9

Coral polyps, created by steaming (Caroline Bartlett) with the tops removed!  Experimenting with seed stitching.  The stitches are too small and the thread too pale to have any impact.

10

Stretching 2D to the limit - Tyvek pipes and coloured glue with larger stitching. (Love it!)

11 - Background samples

I plan to stitch the hexagons and then create a separate background on which to mount them. I looked at using voile or faux silk. After many experiments I have decided to wait until I have finished at least one of the canvases before I make any more decisions.

12 - More background samples

11 and 12 show some of the samples, using stitch, gutta, uneven backings, salt etc. I will probably use voile and mount the hexagons over it, but I don't feel I can make this decision yet.

Distant Stitch Diploma Module 5, Chapter 4 - Making Holes

25

Exploring paper shapes looking for positive and negative shapes.  

    

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26

                                                   Cutout recreated in fabric.              

27

Overlapping hexagon shapes, stitched on faux silk, with sections removed. This breaks down the original shapes, producing diamonds, triangles and random shapes.

28

FME on scrim using a wing needle and zigzag stitch, overlapping circles and lines.  A very pleasing lacy effect and very enjoyable to create.

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28 overlaid on 27 to create interesting 'windows' and produce a softer effect.

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30 and 31 are exploring coral reef designs with the prospect of incorporating them into the surface stitch on PAP3.

31

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I had real problems using this hole punch and could only make holes in paper so after stabbing fabric with a stiletto not very successfully, I decided to use a soldering iron to make holes and create a voided shape.

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I think you can just make out the shape of the hole punch!

34

This attempt at slashing was a little disappointing. The top layer is a devore scarf and beneath are layers of yellow and green fabric. The pattern has been effectively broken up by slashing but I was expecting to see much more yellows and greens coming through.

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Here's one I made earlier - a clutch bag made from strips of old bras! After slashing I put the fabric under the embellisher to produce a smoother finish.

36

I layered up strips of sheer polyester organza and covered them with a layer of painted opaque polyester.

37

After stitching, I used the  soldering iron to burn away the top layer to reveal the fabrics underneath. I was exceptionally pleased with the result.

38

A layer of scrim with pulled threads. I twisted the 'ends' in the centre and linked them together using bondaweb. The idea of stabilising the scrim with bondaweb is new to me. I don't think my attempt is good but it might be very useful in the future.

39

Ten layers of scrim, stitched into a grid using a twin needle and worked on the reverse.

40

I 'combed' out the scrim with a stiletto and removed a fair amount of threads. I left the spaces to form contrasts between the frayed areas and the rest.

41

I used an old T shirt that I knew would melt easily. I stitched a random grid using a wide zigzag stitch and then cut out the hexagon shape with a soldering iron. This one has grown on me. At first I didn't like it but now I think it has potential for my coral reef PAP 3.

Distant Stitch Diploma, Chapter 3 - Suspended Shapes Using Stitch Methods

 

16

Dried bougainvillea leaves, trapped using bondaweb between organza. No stitching but it looks beautiful held up to the light.

17

The background layer is Arashi Shibori, with a layer of organza partially covering it. The line of the stitching follows the pattern beneath.

 

18

Left - Broderie Anglaise free machine embroidery (FME) on tuile.

Right - Shell shape, FME on organza. Negative shapes removed with a soldering iron and hand stitched on to tuile.

19

This plastic netting is continuous in the form of a tube. I decided to 'stitch' across the centre of the tube. I glued the netting onto 2 cardboard tubes and threaded it onto an embroidery frame. I stitched 3 rows of stitch through the front and back (and across the empty space) very loosely. I then removed the netting from the frame and cardboard tubes.

20

A bit of an experiment but the stitching is floating through the netting.

21

Coral reef skeletons using 3 layers of fabric. The bottom layer is organza with shapes cut out with a soldering iron to represent the disintegration of the coral. The middle layer is black tuile. On the top layer I have appliquéd coral skeleton shapes with hand stitch. I joined the layers together by 'seaming' them down with the soldering iron. I like the result very much.

22

Threads trapped between a layer of glue (glue gun) on the front and the back.

23

Threads cut up and shaped to form wave movements. I used the glue gun again to secure the shapes to grey organza.