Summer School 2018

Our tutor at the distant Stitch Summer School this year was Sheila Mortlock [ Calicostitch] and member of the The Textile Study Group. Thank you Sheila!

Our workshop was entitled Edges and looked the potential of edges of paper, card or fabric. Sheila had asked us to chose a colour scheme and bring some photos of our choice. I decided on red and green as I'd recently returned from a fabulous holiday in Costa Rica rain forests which I felt represented the vegetation and the tropical flowers there.

In the work shop we started by choosing a word with which to work and use for our edges. I chose 'fold' and was intrigued by the effects once I got the hang of it!

We took 9 squares of papers / card and worked on them using our chosen word

We cut, tore, ripped, stitched, made rubbings of the surfaces with various mediums etc and then drew around them, stacked them and drew the resulting shapes again!

Charcoal rubbing:

We then experimented with larger sheets of paper to create interesting surfaces with Gesso, white emulsion, candle wax, bubble wrap, stamps, paint, oil pastels, text, photos, screen printing, stencils. All great fun!

These provided great ways of covering the papers before we folded them into beautiful and exciting concertina books.

This last was my favourite as this sheet :

was transformed into this beautiful book full of pages like this

We had to choose one page to take forward as an inspiration for a design on fabric:

I got this far before Summer School came to an end. 

Calico with white emulsion and Koh-i-dor paints, screen printing, printing with bubble wrap and natural sponges, tissue paper colograph using sprigs of leaves and stems from outside applied with acrylic wax plus chiffon fabric laid in strips across. Some beginnings of stitching!

When I got home I decided to make some edges more based on my holiday to Costa Rica. These magnificent Emperadora flowers were growing just by our cabin balcony in La Fortuna, Costa Rica and were frequently visited by Hummingbirds coming to feed on the nectar. I felt it was so humbling to see such beauty and this image has stayed with me ever since. Sadly it wasn't possible to photograph the Hummingbirds feeding as they were so swift!

My Emperadora 'edges'

I moved the papers to repeat. Interesting shapes resulted.

I used these shapes as inspiration in completion of my final piece.
I'd been experimenting and playing with how to take this work forward using a Emporadora stencil shape as a view finder and loved the patterns which were showing through so I used a sheet of Inkjetprinting with silk to reproduce an image of my work to use for making more shapes for applique and reverse applique.

Detail:

I'm very pleased with this as I feel it sums up my excitement and sense of wonder at seeing these amazing sights in Costa Rica. 

Before finishing I decided to experiment more with surfaces on paper so that I have some ideas to return to a later stage. Very pleased with these too:

 I love that this technique produces such serendipitous and evocative images, I'm very happy to have resolved my Summer School project and look forward to coming back to these in the future.

Now back to coursework and my resolved piece for Mod 5 ch 12. 

Chapter 12 Stitch trials - using extreme contrasts

This is the final chapter leading up to a resolved piece for this module.

As you can see I've chosen cow parsley as my chosen design. The design is divided into textural areas which I've numbered to link in with the samples which follow on the coming pages

 I have to take each textured area of this chosen design and work out how I can translate it in any textural way with fabric manipulated methods and hand stitching so I've uploaded my sketchbook pages with my comments about plus some close up detailed studies. I'm delighted with these and will need to choose which ones to take forward for my resolved sample.

Samples 1. Fabric manipulation, hand stitching and a combination of both

Detail 1a

Detail 1b

Detail 1c

Samples 2. Fabric manipulation, hand stitching and a combination of both

Detail 2a

Detail 2b

Detail 2c

Samples 3

As before Fabric manipulation, hand stitching and a combination of both

Detail 3a

Detail 3b

Detail 3c

Samples 4

At this point I may add some colour as these samples will represent the leafy shapes around and underneath the florets of the cow parsley. I worked it in both green and white to see the contrasting effects and then I'll need to choose between the two. The details of each are written up on my sketch book pages.

Or white:

I took these to Summer School to discuss with my Tutor Sian Martin and my fellow Distant Stitch students.

I decided to work with samples 2a, 3b and 3c to represent the florets plus the green sample [4b or c] not sure yet!! to represent the leafy shapes along with the centre / background as a base. 

Next step - my resolved sample!  

Chapter 11 continued

I have decided to add a few more experiments using textural surfaces before I proceed with the next chapter and my resolved sample.

Grasses
These are the beautiful grasses seen earlier. Sian suggested that these could be sub-divided in their own right. They certainly lend themselves to making interesting shapes.

Teasels
More wonderful teasels, I'm very pleased with these.
This time I've used bleach on Quink ink - one of my favourite techniques. I have dragged a seed head which has been dipped in Quink to give these fabulous patterns and then added the dried leaves and seeds to give added texture. I love the energy generated here. Lots of opportunities for tucks and pleats, chain and fly stitching.

Ivy clad ditch

The surround is comprised of a leaf monoprint but again the relief textures bring added energy so I'm intrigued. The texture is provided by dried garlic peelings in the centre, and dried rose petals to the left and right both of which have been painted with white acrylic paint. Lots of opportunities here for stitching and fabric manipulation; I can see Fly Stitch, gathering techniques, N American Smocking.

Ivy Stick in Undergrowth

The addition of a different patterned paper [rubbed coral reef fossil] along the top adds energy alongside the relief strips [dried rose petals and garlic peelings] and the leaf monoprint along the bottom. I can see gathering, N American smocking, Fly Stitch.

Cow parsley

I adore cow parsley but I felt this lacked energy despite the relief surface [hole puncher waste and hollyhock seeds]. The background is a simple monoprint with the addition of a rubbing using hole puncher waste.

I therefore decided to change the background and went for a different patterned paper - a leaf print to offer more contrast to the cow parsley 'florets'. Here it is! The frothiness I've been looking for. Now I'm excited!

I've experimented more with the 'florets' using printed cork and biro ends to the left, painted hollyhock seeds to the right and hole punch waste at the top.

Lots of opportunities for stitching maybe woven wheels and knots plus fabric manipulation using samples 8.4 and 5.

I took this chapter to Summer School to show to my tutor Sian and fellow students as I paused to think and decide on the way forward. 

I have now worked samples for the Cow Parsley idea as a resolved sample and will post tomorrow.

Another day!!