Assignment 2: Stitching – Placed and Spaced

For this assignment, I was given the task of developing a series of three stitched textile samples showing repetition, scale and placement using my previous drawings as inspiration. The samples should be A4 or bigger in size where possible to understand the drape and movement of the fabric. I had some ideas in my head, made some sketches in my notebook and gathered the materials I would need to go ahead with the task. Looking back at my drawings and using a viewfinder, I selected a section that would be good to develop further.

Sample 1

I chose this section to work from on this drawing because it seemed quite busy and there was a few overlaps that I could incorporate into the textile sample. I roughly sketched out the design on A4 paper to see how I could translate it onto fabric. I decided to use a thinner white fabric as the background and thicker white fabric for the key features to create a bold, almost three dimensional effect. I drew each individual piece of the flower onto the thick fabric, cut them out and used some heat bond, which is an iron on adhesive, to keep them in place. Using the patchwork technique and some thick white thread, I stitched the individual pieces onto the backing fabric in order of the layers. This sample didn’t take too long to compose as there isn’t as much detail as there could have been, however, I am confident that I have translated the drawing from paper to textile with placement in mind.

Sample 2

For this sample, I used a viewfinder again to choose a selection that I wanted to work from. I drew the section of drawing straight onto plain white fabric and got straight into it. I used thin black thread to outline the leaf and the corner of the drawing to create the effects of the original fabric. Within the leaf, I used French knots to add an effect to the stem. This added a nice touch and brought a three dimensional feel to the piece. For the drawn tatting edge, I used the thick white thread and stitched each individual box which was rather repetitive. It caused the fabric to scrunch slightly which wasn’t intentional, however, it added texture to the final outcome.

Sample 3

I went back to the original Afwillite piece by S.M.Slade and found the larger version, I decided to use another section of the piece to give some variety. I made a quick sketch in my notebook to plan and gathered some coloured fabric. The brief says to match the colours as closely as you can so that’s what I did with the fabrics that I had. Once I had gathered all materials, I cut each individual piece of fabric out and laid them all on top of white backing fabric. I cut the main holes out of the green fabric used the quilting technique by layering the green onto the white and stitched it together along the outside. I then used thin black thread and the patchwork technique to attached the coloured rings in their designated spaces. This sample explores the scale as its bigger than A4. It was very time consuming but I had fun doing it.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome of each piece. Sample 3 is my favourite out of the 3 because it explores two techniques as well as colour and the finished piece represents the original very well in my opinion. I underestimated the amount of time it would take to complete each piece but I enjoyed stitching onto fabric nonetheless.

Written Reflection

Part 2 of the course has a challenge to say the least. The paper manipulation library at the start made me come out of my comfort zone as a perfectionist. I originally tried to copy the drawings when manipulating the paper as it felt right but I had to remind myself to push past the perfectionism and experiment with it. After the first couple samples, ideas starting flowing where I could experiment more. I gathered a variety of papers ranging in thickness. The watercolour card was difficult to poke holes in even with a sharp needle whereas the tracing paper was delicate and ripped if I was too forceful. Stitching onto these samples also required me to experiment which, as we’ve established, is an uncomfortable task for me because in my head it has to be “right”. I enjoyed some samples more than others and touched base with colour as I had plenty of embroidery thread that I knew I could colour match with. Using a viewfinder was very helpful in this stage, it is something I continued to use through the rest of this part and will continue to use in future exercises. I enjoyed the developed and composed samples exercise as I knew exactly what samples I was going to develop. It was very time consuming as they required some very detail sections which became tedious but they turned out great.

In this assignment, I was happy to see that I would be using textiles instead of paper. Working with textiles is much easier than using paper as it can be manipulated easier and the needle threaded smoothly. Therefore I was able to be more fluid and creative with it. Sample 3 was the most successful with the detail and colour exploration.

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Reflection – Assessment Criteria

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills

I have used a various amounts of materials and techniques throughout my work. I believe I have used observational skills though my drawings and demonstrated compositional skills through my textile samples.

Quality of Outcome

I am confident that the content of my work is thorough and presented in a coherent manner. I believe I have communicated my ideas clearly through my learning log and showed the thought process behind them.

Demonstration of Creativity

I have demonstrated my experiment process and used my imagination to create the work as well as developed my personal voice in terms of criticism.

Context

I have done a lot of research along the way and reflected on everything I have learned.