Module 1 Chapter 12 Towards an embroidered item

This chapter is divided into 6 stages

Stage 1 - Choosing a background
There are a number of possibilities with this to produce A4 pieces.
I chose fabric with a backing of pelmet vilene and occasionally lighter vilene, to help with machine and hand stitching without a hoop.

Stage 2 - Colour background
I used different techniques, fabrics and threads.  Where possible I used different cotton materials, in keeping with my subject.
I selected colours already in my portfolio, concentrating on different shades and hues, of complementary colours, in;

• orange
• blue
• not choosing neutrals on this occasion

Materials added included coloured fabrics, commercial or dyed, some fine fabrics such as chiffon, scrim and net.  The threads were mixed using mostly coloured cotton machine threads, and various mixed threads for hand stitching, not always in cotton. Threads were either stitched or trapped.

The samples produced included Stage 3 where I added hand and/or machine stitching 

Including Stage 3 -

Sample 1: Blue A4 on pelmet vilene background 

Used previously dyed cottons and some commercial fabrics in blue

Previously dyed material includes indigo dyed samples collected at a workshop with Katie Whitehead, through the Embroiderers' Guild in 2017.

To hold everything together pinned, tacked then machine stitched a grid using variegated blue, Gutermann Sulky Col. 4014 cotton

This technique flattened some of the fabrics and existing stitching, but still left some texture.

Sample 2: Orange A4 on pelmet vilene background
Used previously dyed cottons and some commercial fabrics in orange.
Some had been previously dyed including procion dyes and natural dyes - tea and coffee.
To hold everything together pinned, tacked then machine stitched a grid using goldy orange, Gutermann Col. 847 cotton.  This colour blended nicely in with the background, leaving some texture.

Using the grid does detract from the original organic placement of fabrics and threads.
However, it does hold the pieces together without additional surfaces.

Sample 3: Blue coloured towel fabric A4 on soft vilene
Used previously painted plain towel with acrylic paints scraped across the surface of the fabric, and added two strips top and bottom of different painted towel pieces with blues, silver, yellow and ochre, adding other commercial blue fabrics.
This piece initially had collected a few trapped threads on the rough surface.  So, removed unwanted colours and added a lot more threads from a waste collection.
All were held together between this fabric and pale grey chiffon, tacked the free machine stitched (not a grid) using variegated blue, Gutermann Sulky Col. 4014 cotton.
The advantage of a chiffon layer is that it traps loose pieces, and can hardly be seen once stitched.
This technique flattened some of the fabrics and threads.  However, left more texture than the previous samples.

Sample 4: Orange coloured towel fabric A4 on soft vilene
This sample was made by colouring a piece of plain white towel with a mix of procion dyes, using golden yellow, lemon and scarlet.  I painted the fabric using small pieces of tea towel and towel, dipped into dishes of each colour.  (The colours were painted but not fixed with soda and salt, next time will wash and dry the fabric beforehand.)

Once dry, added threads as in Sample 3 overlaid with light brown chiffon, free machining from centre outwards.
In future could add more texture to samples by using cable stitch and whip stitch.

Sample 5: Blue fabric A4 on pelmet vilene 
This sample started with a piece of A4 blue fabric with strips of colour.
It was handstitched with a variety of threads, then machine stitched over to add another layer, which also protects the hand stitching from coming undone.

Sample 6: Orange fabric A4 on pelmet vilene
Chose not to make this, as felt I would like to use samples already prepared for next stage of work.
(Could continue at later date, using techniques in Sample 5

Samples 7,8&9: Different strips machined together with zigzag stitch A4 size
I had made three A4 pieces of fabric on a separate occasion and selected them as a possible addition for further work: Sample 7 using a variety of blue fabrics, Sample 8 orange fabrics, Sample 9 a combination of blues and oranges using coloured machine thread for the zigzag.
As with Sample 6 decided not to go further with them at this stage.

Stage 4 - Cut up fabrics into separate shapes
I selected two shapes (motifs) from previous work in this module.
Shape A from Chapter 4, and Shape B from Chapter 9.
I used stencils for repeated copies in three sizes

Shape A

Shape B

I chose to use blue fabrics for the motifs, drawing on the back of the fabric with a Sharpie pen.
I forgot to turn the stencil over for Shape A, but remembered to do so for Shape B.
I preferred using the orange fabrics for the main fabrics.