Project 2 - Stage 6

Using Thread And Yarns To Create Texture
I chose this picture because I love this colour combination.  The beautiful green grass, then the yellow going into the purple.  I made a quick sketch using coloured pencils to see what kind of stitches might work.  I then chose a range of fabrics, papers and threads in the colours of the picture.

I tried a small sample using the three colours and some simple stitches.  Fly stitch for the grass, random cross stitch for the yellow, and seed stitch over pieces of different fabrics for the purple sky. 

I made a yarn wrap with different types of yarn.  I find this a very useful exercise, even if I don't end up using these particular yarns, it does make it easier to identify the colours I need.

For the final sample I used a piece of heavyweight polycotton for the background.  I then chopped up small pieces of the different fabrics in the three colours and used pieces of net over the top to keep them secure.  I then burnt into the layers with a soldering iron, which melted them together.  I then used a random fly stitch over the entire piece to hold all the pieces together.  Over the top of all of these layers, I added beads, and sequins and additional stitching.

On the right of the page is a paper collage, which I thought looked good, but having seen it in the photograph it needs less green and more purple.

I have really enjoyed working on this piece.  I love the colours and the proportions of the original picture.  I think the final piece is alright - not quite what I had in mind when I started, I think the smaller trial sample is more like the picture.

Do you feel happy with your work?

I feel happy with the work I have created so far, although some of it hasn't worked out as I had expected and would need further experiments to get the effect I thought I would get.
Do you prefer working with stitch to drawing?  Can you begin to see the relationship between the two?I think I prefer working with stitch than drawing, my drawing experience in the past has not been very successful - but I have been happier with my drawing progress on this course - so this may change.  I have recently read the book Drawn to Stitch by Gwen Hedley and found a lot of her drawing ideas really exciting and I am going to try some of these and see what this produces. I can definitely see the relationship now between drawing and stitch.

Having worked through Stage 2, were you able to choose stitches which expressed the marks and lines of your drawing?I like the small sample that I produced initially and I think the stitches used were a good choice, I am not as happy with the finished sample and feel the stitch choice could have been different and more experimental.  I could have tried one of the messier stitches on the sky area, and a straight stitch shading for the green and yellow area.

Do you feel that you chose the right source materials to work from?

I am happy with the source material, I like the layers and colours created by the many pieces of different fabrics under the net.
Do you think your sample works well irrespective of the drawing?  Or do you think the sample is just a good interpretation of your drawing and nothing more?
I think the final sample works well irrespective of the drawing.

Which of the activities did you prefer - working with stitch to create textures or working with yarns to make textures?  Which worked best for you and why?
I like all the ways of creating texture, I especially like to use fabric folds and gathers to create the texture and add to this surface with stitch.  I think this builds up a richer surface and creates hidden areas, so that the whole piece isn't revealed at once.

Make some comments on individual techniques and sample pieces.  Did you experiment enough?  Did you feel inhibited in any way?

I think I did experiment enough and I didn't feel inhibited in any way.  Having not worked in this way before, I think I have made a good start on different techniques.  I have experimented with a lot of different ideas, many of which I intend to develop further.  I like the fabric folding and gathering and the messy stitch samples.  I also like using the ribbon yarn laid flat on the fabric and couched into place.
How do you prefer to work?  From drawing or by playing with materials and yarns to create effects?  Which method produced the most interesting work?

I prefer to play around with fabric, yarns and thread, which I think have created the most interesting samples, but I intend to try out some of the ideas from Drawn to Stitch, so this may change in the future.
Are there other techniques you would like to try?  Are there any samples you would like to do in a different way?

I intend to do more machine stitching.  This will involve finding an area where my sewing machine can stay out permanently.  The sample for Project 2 - Stage 4 - from a piece of bark I had photographed - I would do differently - build up more coloured layers of fabric to start with and then build up more layers of the ribbon yarn to give a better depth.
Is there anything you would like to change in your work?  If so, try to think out why and make notes for further reference.

For Project 2 - Stage 3 - A Sample - I think I should have chosen softer, more washed out colours; greys or browns.  I chose blacks because of the sketch I had done with a black gel pen, but after looking at the actual leaf I realised it wasn't black at all.  I think that the use of soluble fabric would have created some good effects as well.  I also need to be careful when burning the fabric, not to burn the background material!