project 3, stage 6, exercise 2

This sample is done in pastels. The colors are mixed in such a way that they show a gradual color movement. On purpose I choose a different stitch from the previous exercise, this time a double cross stitch. It is a bit irregular, but I like that effect, but that is because the black fabric I used as background is such a thight woven one that threads cannot be counted.

The second color from the top is in reality not so bright as it shows in this picture.

For the second part of this exercise I used  a drawing on paper first - again using pastels:

The drawing at the left is done with markers and I like the difference between the thick and the thin parts of the line. Next to the marker drawing is a drawing done with pastel pencils. This is the idea I am going to use to translate into embroidery. And this is how it turned out:

For this sample I used embroidery floss in 4 different pastel tints. I could have used the satin stitch, but I liked the extra line I got when using a variation of the blanket stitch. And yes, I know I have to clean the scanner :-(.

Project 3, Stage 6, exercise 1

By mistake I worked on stage 6 while I had not yet done stage 5. Pictures of stage 5 will come later this week.
This exercise was about combining color with texture. As you can see I worked on a black background fabric and I used different yellows, blues and green - some a bit darker, some a bit lighter. Next to pearl cotton 8 and embroidery floss I also used some yellow eyelash yarn. I did not have this in green or blue. The whole piece was done with French knots. Some a bit more loose than others.

What I like about this sample is the difference it shows between areas where a lot of knots are close together and the areas where more of the background is shown. I especially like the centre where the 3 different color groups meet. In some areas it is difficult to see whether that stitch is green or whether it is blue :-). I love this effect of color mixing.
There is only one thing I do not like about this embroidery stitch and that is that it is time consuming. This sample is 6"x6" and it took me more than 4 hours to create.
On purpose I limited myself to only these 3 different kind of threads. This way I could create a unity and I was afraid that if I added lots of different threads it would more become a showpiece of everything I had in stock. I even had some doubts about the eyelash yarn.

Project 2, Stage 6, creating texture continued, review

Today I spend most of my time working on this embroidery sample. I started out with 2 pieces of handdyed fabric and on those pieces I did my embroidery. With white pearl cotton I made the spider webs and the French knots, with 2 colors of yellow/brownish I made the interlaced running stitch and the roving was held in place with irregular herringbone stitches. Also in between the roving I used these stitched. And finally with the dark green I used the feather stitch. Although it took me many hours I like the result:

On this strip of cardboard you can see the colors I used:

Here is my review for this project:
- Do you feel happy with the work?
Yes, I like the result I got. It is not an exact copy of the picture which inspired me, but that is not necessary.
- Do you prefer working with stitch to drawing? Can you begin to see the relationship between the two?
Yes, I do like it. As a quilter I have been doing this for years but I have to admit that I work mainly with my machines. Especially with thin lines stitching is essential to duplicate these lines. Bigger areas can be done with pieced fabric, but with lines that is practically not possible. I have not much experience with hand stitching/embroidery, but I really see where that can come in useful.
- Having worked through Stage 2, were you then able to choose stiches which expressed the marks and lines of your drawings?
Yes, I was. If I had more experience with hand embroidery I would have been able to use more different stitches, but the ones I knew - or could find - were useable for my marks and lines.
- Do you think your sample works well irrespective of the drawing? Or do you think your sample is just a good interpretation of your drawing and nothing more?
Yes, my sample works well. It is not an exact copy of the texture in my picture, but the effect of the different textures shows in the sample.
- 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?
For this question I have 2 answers. If I work with my machine I prefer working with stitch. Machine embroidery is limited to certain thinner threads as my machine does not like bobbin work. If I want to create really thick texture I would have to do this by hand.
- Make some comments on individual techniques and sample pieces. Did you experiment enough? Did you feel inhibited in any way?
As I mentioned earlier on, my experience with handstitching is limited. No doubt that there are many more stitching which I simply do not know now. This is the reason that I signed up for an online embroidery class which starts coming month. With this class my experimentation will continue. And so will my collection of different types of yarn/thread :-).
- 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 love to play and experiment and see where this leads to. Okay, sometimes the result is not great, but very often I find very intesting combinations.
- Are there other techniques you would like to try? Are there any samples you would like to do in a different way?
I would like to play more with texture and also use different materials with that. I am thinking along the line of strips of fabric instead of yarn and adding gesso and paint to make it much more dimensional.
- Is there anything you would like to change in your work? If so, try to think out why and make notes for future reference.
I want to have a bigger stash of different types of yarn/thread. This is something I am working on as it takes time to find the stuff I want. With the samples - especially the ones in the beginning - I was really held back because of the limited material I had here. Now some of the threads I have ordered have arrived.

Project 2, Stage 6, creating texture

For this sample I had to look for a picture with an interesting texture in my sketchbooks. Well for me, this means go through the pictures I have on my computer. For years I have been taking pictures of textures and other odd things. There were a couple of interesting ones, but for the moment I decided to work with this picture of a creek in Yellowstone park.

And more specifically this area of the picture:

I love the difference between the flowing weeds and the white lichen(?) at the left. My plan for this weekend is to work on this sample. Stay tuned :-)