Revisions, Chapter 9,and metallic leaves

IMAGE 1 Reworking of flounce samples. Black and white organdie now overlaid with lacy white flounce with black net centre, replacing solid blue flounce of original Paisley print now has additional gathers in toning chiffons and sari fabric. IMAGE 2 Reworking of honey comb rolled edge sample. Red glued fabric now has grid/ smocked pattern sewn over it.

IMAGE 3

Reworking of flower pattern sample on grid. The grid is now formed from space dyed fancy boucle yarn stretched across the grid lines of the bacground black fabric and couched down. The random dued nature of the thread echos the 'hit and miss' crayoning of the origianl drawing over the mesh.

The leaf patterns are worked in stem stitch. The flowers are worked in needle lace in random dyed threads within a gold long and short buttonhole stitch petal edging. The stem is padded with piping cord and oversewn in chain and stem stitch. The centres are worked in gold metallic thread.

CHAPTER 9. DESIGNING FROM THE EDGE ; STAGES.1,2,3 and 5

IMAGE 4 SIZE 50 X 65 cms

Stage 1

Using a fragment of fabric ,the image was scanned into the computer and then used in paper form to form the 10cms x5cms central piece.

Stage 2

This was then enlarged on to an A4 sheet. The black paper was laid on to a sheet of fine mesh to represent the base weave of the fabric of the sample. Patterns were then drawn to enlarge both the solid and openwork circles within the design.

Stage 3

In further enlarging the design on to the large black sheet the background grid was formed by using oil pastel over wider garden mesh. Using acrylic and metallic paints ,different interpretations of the solid and openwork circles were worked across the surface. A few arched strokes were worked around the edge to echo the feathery nature of the original .

IMAGE 5 (SIZE 50 X 65 CMS)

This a second working of the same process but this time working on white paper and emphasizing different aspects of the original.

The central portion remains the same but on the A4 enlarged sheet the yellow background was worked in watercolour over a raised stencil. This was then worked over with water soluble pencils. The balck lines were to echo the coarser threads which joined the motifs in random fashion within the sample. The small motifs were drawn in pencil.

In the further enlargement the black lines were painted in thick acrylic. One of the resulting corner quadrants was worked in differing shades of green acrylics to represent the solid motifs. In the other three corner quadrants, acylics were used with different methods of application to give the appearance of some of the different textures within the fibres of the original. These included -:

stippling with a stiff half inch brush in the top left hand corner

Swirls with a cocktail stick in the top right

Random lines with a narrower brush in the bottom left. IMAGE 6 (SIZE A4)

A practice sheet for the enlargement of an extremely small portion.(stage 5)

IMAGE 7 ( SIZE A2)

Stage 5

An enlargement of an extremely small section in four colourways for a panel. The outlines were worked partly in thick oil pastels and then in watersoluble crayons on wet paper , spread with sponge brushes.

IMAGE 8 (SIZE A2)

A re-placing of the painted sheets above this gives a different central motif and the diagonal lines of each piece of the panel now give an elongated diamond frame around the centre section.

IMAGE 9 SIZE A2

Experiments with proposed backgrounds for Autumn leaves metallic assessment piece.

The background fabric is nautral hessian ,stretched and sewn on to a wire frame.

Top section is a selection of metallic threads and Anglelina fibres which could be couched down/ ironed on to the surface.

Bottom is a crinkled metallic fabric.

IMAGE 12 (SIZE OF FRAME 41 x 63 CMS)

Experiments in constructing metalllic assement piece ; Autumn leaves.

Some experiments in fabric and stitch for the Autumn leaves metallic piece.

Main outline drawn on to fabric and then edged with couched down fine wires.

Trunk is formed by felt over quilt wadding. This was covered with ruched layers of metallics and organzas , burned through to reveal the layers. So far just the right hand side of the trunk is sewn with ridged bark patterns through all the layers. Two metallic wire rings have been sewn in to represent knots on the trunk.

Two different leaf constructions have been added . One is formed by heat layering copper dyed organza and gold mesh. This is then stitched round the edge with buttonhole stitch to the background fabric. Copper wire has then been couched down to form the veins.

In the green sample a leaf shape has been drawn on to the background and filled in by fine threads of green wire. The leaf has then been over laid with stem stitch leaves in metallic thread and , using the same thread, attached to the background in buttonhole stitch.

Within the embroidery ring there is a experiment of creating roots, with piping cord being covered by copper thread