Part Two: Project Three – Machine Embroidery

Passed over Project Three Stage Six , exercises 2 at this stage so that I could set up the B.S.R. foot on my Bernina model 200 machine for the alternative exercise in Machine Embroidery. If I was to get hooked on this technique it would not surprise me as the electric needle works at a pace that ‘anything goes’ when manoeuvring it around a sheet of Bondaweb (Solvy) water-soluble fabric.This sample is of mixed media materials in and under the Bondaweb – and after the solvy has been dissolved in hot water. I have laid it out on white paper and glued paper punched dots as well as some paint colouring to give it texture. The original idea was to compound the surface with discarded sewing thread. I soon gave that idea up when I had a sense that I wasn’t being very successful with stitching on one sheet of solvy.

Persevered further by placing greater quantities of different coloured thread between a folded over sheet of solvy and placing the various colours in positions which appealed to my eye. From the start I gleaned that it wasn’t going to work because the bulky thread kept moulding up and stopping the presser foot from travelling freely over the surface.I learned that I needed to lengthen the stitch as for a basting stitch and securing the overall material in position and then by going back I was able to fill in the areas with a neutral stitch so that the material between the solvy would not fracture after the solvy was removed in hot water.

 

By playing around with a predetermined template I cut away portions of the finished stitching (after removing the solvy) to create some new images with the intention of using the piece at some later date as resource material.

Instead of enclosing leftover ends of sewing threads in between the solvy I drew an image of a flower and petals, stem and leaves on a piece of scrap paper and put it inside the solvy so that I could sew over the outline by freehand motion stitching. The work must be stabilised with the correct strength of stabilizer and compliment the fabric other wise the stitching will pucker and if  possible hoop the fabric backed by the stabilizer for various types of work.The most consistent stitch length can be maintained when the fabric is moved smoothly under the presser foot without abrupt changes in direction and speed. The needle can be moved under the presser foot using the needle and thread like a pencil to ‘draw’ intricate designs. Accent lines were sewn with thread colours one shade lighter or darker than the background area. Layering and trebling stitches works wonders for the texture.

I ended up having a debate with myself as to why should all the work be in the form of an abstract piece realising that by creating something recognisable visually I could then move on to something more representational. Creating a pencil design of some neutral object meant that  the outline provided areas which the thread could be held in (most of the time) and would then become possibly a two or three-dimensional object/image. The above image is at the early stage of drawing the design on to and in between solvy, with a coloured background to show off the design and the stitching of the coloured thread by way of satin and zig zag stitch. The final step was to remove the solvy and dry out the thread design. This is a photograph of it pinned to a wall. I said initially as the work started to have some meaning the excitement of the technique started to well up within.

Using the method of moving the fabric under the needle by hand has a reasonable degree of control as the needle is always operating and creating the stitching when the foot control pedal is depressed. The automatic button starts the needle stitching immediately it is switched on so this method requires more concentration than changing the control button from #1 (automatic) to #2 (non automatic) operation.

On the B.S.R. there are two stitches, straight and zig zag which can be altered for length and width except that the aperture in the presser foot and stitch plate must be wide enough to accommodate the width of the zig zag generally between 5mm and 9mm.

Worked on my own choice of colours with an introduction of other primary colours plus black and white. Worked from both back and the front to allow the bobbin thread with altered tension to show on the front of the finished piece. Ran the finished piece through hot and cold water and left overnight to dry. One of the pieces I tried sticking the threads down with 505 adhesive spray to hold them in place whist sewing. That was Ok but the residue did not come out when the solvy was removed. Not even the hot water broke it down so that when placed on any surface at all ‘it stuck to and had to be pulled away from’.

The result was quite matted and did not ease out when stretched so that the duller colours were predominantly compacted creating a confused visual experience and not all that pleasing to my eye. The textures were all there and clearly exposed as was the white thread used for the over-stitching. Using continuous lengths of pre knitted acrylic wool which is the latest trend in scarves it did help to expose the many linear markings. The answer I have now discovered is to leave the wet piece of work to soak for a few hours so that it softens up. Say overnight.

Using a more open weave fabric together with braids and lace again provided an interesting visual experience, exciting textures and another piece of resource object for later experimentation and resolution. Another time I will try variegated thread to lessen the effect of the thread used being seen on the surface. The lighter colours were highlighted more than was expected and stood out from the duller colours which became the basis on which they caught the eye. Because there was no preconceived idea of any pattern, form, shape or picture it resulted in the predominant colours being seen before any of the others.

The colours with a greater value and saturation were yellow, red and black. The piece of work required further concentration and visible interaction whilst being stitched in order to evaluate its composition and design. Will try other samples before giving up and moving on. All this work is experimental and exploratory. I have not tried to resolve any of the pieces into a particular design or feature – just simply went with the flow. It has been a case of learning what stitches and embellishing can create a particular outline, mark, feature or texture. I’m sure this will develop further over time by continuing to work more samples.

I have a sense that I have been led into working with water soluble fabric such as Bondaweb (Solvy) as a supplement to Freehand Machine Embroidery. (The title of this segment of the module) The work of Carol Naylor is more specific to what I understand to be this technique.

It is still performed with the B.S.R. foot and a hoop on to a base fabric.

For me personally this exercise/sample was more prescriptive than working with solvy. I felt I had better control of the formation of markings in its form, shape, configuration and that I could make more complete the resolution of any piece of work in this technique.

Wanting to sustain the urge to continue with sampling this technique I worked up a series of laces, braids, cord and sewing thread and after removing the solvy, secured it by ‘needle felting’ to a piece of bulk felt. Placing and sewing these  materials in some semblence of order was still not very successful. I was able to achieve some linear and continuous affects and it came alive once I started to add colour. Again the textures were easy to pick up and led me to think that I now had another sample that I could work to resolve later down the track. As this is a current piece of work I now have the urge to add more colour from other materials such as wool and yarn.Work-in-progress. Here goes.

Next stage ‘Pointillism’ well that’s what I am intending to do by way of needle felting. Taking slivers of my favourite colours – violet and yellow – and placing it under the felting needles/presser foot and punching them into little balls/dots of colour. However I have learned that needles break when I try to place the wool under the presser foot with tweezers and by using a knee lift I can use both hands to place the wool approximately where I determine I want it to go. Time again is the essence so that with more time and application applied to the task in hand I say again I may end up being another Pic………… or Mo……………..

I have chosen to experiment at this stage without any predetermined outcome in mind but I can see that this is another appropriate method to embellishing a piece of work that started under Bondaweb (Solvy).Back to the ‘drawing’ board or ‘sketchbook’ for some more practical and realistic outcome. The effort now needs to be considered along with the drawings in my sketchbook so that the Gwen Hedley idea of ‘drawn to stitch’ becomes a reality.

Just in case I give the impression that hand stitching is not my ‘cup-o-tea’

have stabilised some embellished hessian with vilene and created/stitched some

french knots with varying shades and tones of yellow yarn. To create other textures I have also used yellow cord and will continue on with this work-in-progress by using embroidery and sewing thread. The more open weave allows better penetration of the needle and passage of the thicker yarn which have a greater impact and concentrate the attention of the eyes.Introduce the colour violet and the whole image changes both under light and as the stitching is moved up and down and backwards and forwards. The background texture and colour of the hessian bring a slightly effervescent effect as well as the sequins attached to the hessian.

 

There are minimal colour changes as a result of the duller shades of violet and the dirge colour of the hessian.The silver flecks in the hessian have a bluish tinge and the brown and black warp and weft have a greyish tinge. The yellow does stand up possibly because the background colours are lumpy and looking tired. Here’s to a more open stitching of the french knots and colours with a greater sheen.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Six.

Combining textures and colour effects:

Seurat:

The module notes tell me that ‘ a technique called pointillism is a system of colour printing where dots or colours seem to merge to make new colours’. I have found when researching Georges Seurat that his large-scale work ‘A sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte’ painted in this technique was one of the icons of 19th century painting. The optical effects of this technique are more evident to me in the detail of Seurat’s ‘Circus Sideshow’ .When small distinct dots are placed together as contrasting dots of paint they look like a third colour – to me they are applied in patterns to form an image:

I have to wonder if when placing primary hues side by side if the colours are more intense and pleasing to the eye and mind than when mixed by paint – being mindful of the fact that material and optical pigments do not mix together in the same way.

As a chorister I warm to  Seurat’s belief that a painter could use colour to create harmony and emotion in art in the same way that a musician uses counterpoint and variation to create harmony in music.

 On the west coast of New Zealand we have the most natural representation of Piontillism in the skin textures of the Green Gecko (Naultinus tuberculatus)

 

 

Cezanne:

Being a Post-Impressionist Cezanne leaned more towards the Cubist tradition  demonstrating with brush strokes the images he identifies with the all-seeing eye painting the world as he saw it.

My tentative steps into watercolour images start with a clean sheet of white paper on which I pencil in a few outlines to guide me when applying various colours one at a time a bit like colouring in the pictures of a crayon ing in  book.

Apparently Cezanne layered his colours waiting until the paint dried and then added the next layer. He switched between pencil and paint and paint brush and pencil.I tend to use water to dilute the colours to arrive at the colour I want to produce. For me this is a learning process so each new effort will be another way of experimenting in keeping with the masters. Mixing paints to arrive at the required colour is going to be a story in itself – who knows I may even be the next Pic………………………….

Reinforcing what I have learned and mentioned earlier I could spend a life time exploring the possibilities of colour harmonies and I am left with the urge to return – what is the saying – ‘stop whilst you are enjoying what you are doing and come back to it again at some later stage’. The colour works I found demanding and have avoided getting into the physics of colours, concentrating on the practical aspects required of Block Two. Have become very intent on understanding the mixing of colours and the relationship between the various hues on the colour wheel.

I want to echo “Menze” when she says ‘take time to play with the colour harmonies with paints or dyes and especially with the materials of your favourite medium……………………keep going back to the drawing board and tweak the colours until they are just right’.

 

Learning Log: Part One.

Review and Reflect on work for assignment one:

Can you begin to see the relationship between stitching and drawing? – The relationship between drawing and stitching is one of interpretation of visual markings by physical manipulation evident in happy and unhappy experiments – at times exciting and at other times frustrating.Given that the tasks set are not designed to be a reproduction of the objects as such, made the exploration of mark making an incestuous start to the relationship between stitching and drawing. Gradually and with an open and enquiring mind the interrelationship between the two concepts started to become evident.

Were you able to choose stitches which expressed the marks and lines of your drawings? – The choice of stitches expressing the marks and lines was by design and by accident meaning that initially as per instructions and gradually by exploration and ongoing practice to various stages of resolution – this will be an ongoing process.The arbitary selection of stitches made the comparison between image and definition difficult for the reason that no stitch was able to be reproduced as per the marks created on the experimental samples. The marks and lines had to be interpreted according to my own observations and as a consequence will progress as my confidence starts to build and improve.

Did you choose the right source material to choose from? – Source material was by chance selection and by manipulation – in most cases my own work – so that the work was a resolving process to stages governed by time and personal evaluation. Initially I avoided prescriptive drawings and chose to work in a more abstract form of drawing. – I did not want to draw houses, figures, landscapes and seascapes (and definitely not nudes male or female) In hindsight this may have been to my detriment as many of the mark making experiments left me with the problem of jus what source material should I use to create hand stitching samples. I was left thinking that I may have created the difficulties by taking this approach, on the other hand the material I chose to work with meant that I had to let my imagination run riot os a s a previous tutor said – “be more creative”.

Do you think your sample works well irrespective of the drawing? Or is your sample merely a good interpretation of your drawing? – By using my imagination most samples were experimental and not always representative but on all occasions my best effort. Being my harshest critic I am yet to be convinced that the samples worked well when compared to the abstract drawings/images I chose to portaray.I worked away at making them a good interpretation and believe that over time and with more practice and experience I will develop this aspect further and will get better with time.

Which did you prefer – working with stitch to create textures or working with yarns to make textures? Which worked best for you and why? – Yarns were my preferred medium to make textures because I was able to manipulate the outcome by way of an embellishing tool whereas I have a longer road to travel to attain stitching textures – not impossible – but will take more effort and application to the specific tasks in future exercises. I also preferred stitches created withe sewing machine because they contain an element of predestination being available through the firmware contained in our modern machines. On a random basis they worked best for me, however I can foresee that other yarns provide a greater amount of freedom in moving through situations where the outcome needs to be rethought and reworked and is evolving.

Make some comments on individual techniques and sample pieces. Did you experiment enough? Did you feel inhibited in any way? Fix them in your sketch book if you want to or start a separate book of sample references. – Surprisingly the pieces of work that did bring me some satisfaction were the hand  embroidered samples in Project Two, stage one, four and five. This was because the images had a sense of reality about them for example when using the blanket stitch for applique work. I will never have nor will experiment enough – however again there will be occasions when the experiments will lead more quickly to a resolved piece of work than at other times. I felt inhibited at times to the extent that all this exploration is outside my comfort zone. For this reason I worked on the principle of more rather than less because this way I may well end up meeting the expectations necessary for assessment, moving on and progressing towards the ultimate achievement of the degree. I am keeping a number of files/sketchbooks of my work and will continue to do so for the reason that I can compare where I have come from and where I need to make changes in order to meet the course requirements.

Do you prefer to work from a drawing or by playing with materials and yarns to create effects? Which method produced the most interesting work? – I am still working through the uncomfortable stages of drawing in order to accomplish the stitching images observed in my drawing/samples and confess that I allow myself the luxury of moving away from the formal to the more creative experiments because of the unresolved outcomes possible by “playing around’. Needle felt work produced the most interesting work in this initial stage of the course.

Are there other techniques you would like to try? Are there any samples you would like to do in a different way? – Free hand machine stitching as evidenced by Kettle and Carol Naylor is a technique for further exploration as are samples on a long arm quilting machine. These techniques would appear to be suitable for mixed media work.

Is there anything you would like to change in your work? If so, make notes for the future. – I’m sure there will be things that I will want to change all the way through but currently it is the balance and time committment between the practical work and loading it up on to the OCA website for tutor assessment and response. These can be resolved by asking the question at the time of the problem and/or the student forums.

The extreme difference between J.C. and OCA  tutors contract hours is concerning – I am sure it will be for students just commencing distance learning for the first time.

 

Part Two: Project Three: Stage Five.

Coloured  Stitches:

Because I have an affinity with the embroidery stitching on a sewing machine I chose to stitch out my interpretation of the requirements for this exercise:

Yellow and violet are complementary colours which are opposites on the colour wheel. The violet does not stand out well on the black background but the yellow does because it appears to be more vibrant. My thinking is that to continue with this exercise greater saturation of the yellow would mean that it is even more predominant. Segments of the sample where the stitching is fractured or gives an appearance of being disjointed tend to jar rather blend together – leaving the eye with an unpleasant sensation. In some areas the varying proportions of colours where the black and violet share the same space they could be much denser with thicker layers of stitching. When using the zoom in function on the computer the lighter shades of violet do stand out but disappear when reversed. In some segments there is insufficient contrast between the colours which suggests that complementary colours are tricky to use  in large doses. Visually all is just not what it seems – small motifs aside that is.                          

Much happier with the scanned image where the yellow does stand out

which suggests that a patterned piece may solve some of the problems I was

experiencing. The yellow almost seems to have a mystique – a sheen about it.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Four. Exercise 2.

For this exercise the supporting pair of opposite words are Violent/Gentle using the colours of apricot and violet/purple. The theme is one of ‘Domestic and Family violence – It is OK to say NO’

The symbol I use to represent this theme is a white ribbon pinned to the jacket collar or the breast of an over garment. In preference to using apricot as the supplementary colour for violet I will use its complement yellow. Although violet is named after the violet flower it is synonymous with a bluish purple common in the English language which is my preference because it is a mixture between red and blue – both primary colours. Using the darker shadowy colours of purple bring the stitching to life by working with its compliment or after image.

‘Like spectral colours, purple can be considered fully saturated in the sense that for any given point on the line of purples there is no colour more saturated than it’ www.wikipedia.org retrieved 6/10/2011.

 

 

 

 

 

For me purple has a richer sheen than violet and in art is the colour on the colour wheel between magenta and violet whereas in human colour psychology, purple is associated with royalty and nobility stemming from classical antiquity when Tyrian purple was only affordable to the elites. In parapsychology people with purple auras are said to have love of ritual and ceremony – I can relate to that being a Freemason and deeply impressed by the regalia worn by Freemasons the clergy the armed forces and the Order of St John.

When relationships go sour and break up because of irreconcilable differences it can said that they are having a purple day – when businesses display the laminated white ribbon in their windows, they’re saying that’s not acceptable – we want a violence free community and we want to be part of any campaign to stopping violence. www.sunjournal.com/franklin/story/1095203  retrieved 6/10/2011.

 

 

 

 

The continuation of a series of colours bags. Starting with carded wool which I will use in my needle felting experiments.

Ann Johnston (1999) makes the following comments about the colours I have chosen for this exercise:

‘Value is a word used in design vocabulary to indicate how much light is reflected to the viewers eye. Pure yellow is a light value and violet is a dark value. A yellow may have the same value as a light tan or light grey, and a violet may be the same value as green or a brown. If a dark colour is added to pure yellow, a different yellow is made which is darker in value that is it reflects less light. Violet can be made lighter in value by adding clear or white. One important aspect of value is what is relevant. A single colour value will appear lighter or darker, depending on what surrounds it.”

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Four. Exercise 1.

 Not only intuitively but also emotionally. Still using water colours which tend to lighten up as a reaction to how the eye perceives them. Possibly also something to do with the state of the mind and the weather outside the workroom window. Thumbing through the photo album and resource file activated not only the memory of where the photo was taken but also the ambience of the surroundings. Some effects are just as satisfying when the colour is pure rather than being altered by the inclusion or immersion of secondary, tertiary or complimentary colours.

Playing around and mixing colours was an emotional experience in itself without even having to name the emotion but I gave it a try – the results had to be seen to be believed. Naming the mixing of the colours to an emotional feeling became easier once I relaxed into the exercise.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Three. Exercise 4.

Very interesting. I completed this exercise some time earlier in the month and before I received a recommendation to putting my work on a public blog site. Now rereading the notes for this exercise as I load my work on to my current  blog site and not the OCA website, I appear to have missed the point completely. (“Don’t try to paint your objects as things”) The azaleas have now been thrown out and we drank the wine when the All Blacks won the world cup. I can hear you say excuses, excuses, excuses.

What the eye doesn’t see the heart doesn’t………………………………………………Will come back to this exercise once I get back on track and hopefully up with my work timetable.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Three. Exercise 3.

 By choosing a greater range of colours from the photo image allowed me to extend the range of paint colours that I had to mix and and scale up. Water colours are my present preference for painting with.The excitement of seeing the finished colours always leads to more of the same. It is not difficult to become heavily immersed in each of the experiments and the urge to resolve and take the work further.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Three. Exercise 2.

 Mixing and matching can be a hit and miss affair depending on how accurate one wants to be in reproducing the exact same colours as in the chosen piece of fabric. Wash the fabric and if the colour runs then a different result will occur to the first effort.Every one will be different and who really wants an exact replica. If using water colours they dry slighter lighter in shade thereby changing the outcome.

 

Part Two: Project Three – Stage Three Exercise 1.

 The adding of grey (Gouache paint) to nine other colours created slight changes in value.  The difference was not significant and more experiments with greater amounts of grey should be tried to show a wider range of shades and outcomes. The saturation of pure colour changes/decreases by tinting with more white, grey, black or a colour compliment.

 In the mixing of paints both water coloured and Gouache, the eye produced varying effects depending on what colours and the amount that is being experimented with – a deeper and more demanding study will obviously produce a better understanding of the theory and practice of the colour wheel  – it seems however that any subjective taste is not enough to produce an objectively correct colour judgement. There is a limit to just how much time one can spend on these experiments at this time.

I found it difficult to determine the values of warm and very bright colours accurately because their warmth and saturation get confused with their value – a warm colour that is saturated seems to be lighter in value because the saturation fools the eye. I need more practice. I have only scratched the surface in these exercises as their will be many other possible variations.