Frustrations & Project 2 Review

So I focus, finish Assignment 1, go to write up my learning log and find I have no Internet access. We had decided to save some money, shop around and change broadband provider.  They didn't warn us we'd be three weeks without Internet and it didn't occur to me that I'd have to change my e-mail address. My Google profile doesn't like my new e-mail address and the help pages say I have to close this account, set up a new account and move my blog over, following instructions very carefully otherwise I could lose my blog. Aaaaargh! Why did I bother?

Anyway, rant over; it's done now so moving on to reflect on Project 2..............

Can you begin to see the relationship between stitching and drawing?
Yes. Your needle is your pencil or brush and the fabric your paper.  Although it's a much slower process, you can still make marks that look dynamic and spontaneous.  I found the background reading I did during this project really helpful.  I particularly like Connecting Art to Stitch by Sandra Meech.  In the chapter 'Draw, Sketch and Stitch', she suggests working with line on paper at the same time as stitching on cloth and thinking of a stitch every time you look at a line in a drawing.  Gradually the connection between line and stitch becomes easier.

"Line is the single most important link between art and stitch.  Either line, shape, colour, texture, design or imagery can dominate the surface, but it is the way we handle stitched lines that will make the surface come to life.  The drawn line is a vehicle for creative ideas, to record observations on paper or to document our feelings.  Line is everywhere and a dynamic connecting thread between art and stitch."

(Meech, 2009, P.41)

Single stitch samples to keep for reference from ideas in my notebook 

Another favourite book is The Art of Embroidery by Françoise Tellier-Loumagne, who in her introduction says 'to embroider is to draw, paint and write'.   This is a good reference book with its gallery of line and textural stitches but then there are the most stunning photographs of stitched samples next to their original inspiration, images of the natural world.  There are no drawings in this book but she describes and gives advice on the design process.  These are some notes I made:

• Don't aim for perfection in stitch.  Mistakes and reworking contribute to movement and expression.
• Invaluable to draw from life, practise drawing from memory - mainstay of imagination.
• Focus on a single topic to study in detail, spend time drawing and analysing. Understand what is particularly striking.
• Concentrate on one aspect at a time e.g. colour, rhythm, texture, minimising rest.  Then replicate, concentrating on another aspect.
• Leave out distracting or conventional details.

(Tellier-Loumagne, 2006, P.7 -P.9.)

The idea of drawing from memory mentioned here interested me.  It's not something I've thought about before but then earlier this month I met with the OCA Yorkshire Group, this time at Dean Clough galleries in Halifax.  We were invited to go into the studio of Painter in Residence and teacher Doug Binder, who kindly spent some time with us, showing his work and talking about his life. Growing up in Bradford, Doug saw David Hockney sketching and this sparked his interest in art.  He went on to follow Hockney to Bradford Art College and the Royal College of Art in London.  Doug was a leading Pop Artist in the '60s, well known in the art scene and famously painted Paul McCartney's piano.  He was also an extremely successful graphic artist but unfulfilled, eventually returned to oil painting, his first love. 

We met Doug Binder, shown here with an oil painting in his current trademark colours

Many paintings of nudes and horses are in his studio.  Along with landscapes in the galleries most are painted in his favourite yellowy green and blue hues.  He often has numerous canvases in progress and he talks about his passion for preserving life drawing skills and the importance of a good model.  Those he favours are not a particular shape or size but he says the best instinctively know a good pose, can hold it for hours and are highly sought after.  I asked about his horses as obviously they are not going to stay still for hours and there were no signs of any drawings or horses in the studio!  He says he tends not to draw, unless it's to get the proportions right at the start of a painting (part of a skeleton on the studio floor helps) and that often he paints from memory. 

Painting and drawing from memory seems quite a different approach to Gwen Hedley's.  I love Drawn to Stitch and my copy is covered in little Post-It notes.  She recommends drawing from close observation arming yourself with quite detailed notes, sketches and photographs.  I think for me, this will be the best approach until I increase my confidence in drawing though it might be interesting to try a drawing from memory exercise.  

Were you able to choose stitches which expressed the marks and lines of your drawing?
In the line drawing 'calm' sample, I chose a chain stitch for the blue green watery lines because I wanted the lines to have direction and the stitch to have some openness to give a glimpse of the background behind. I also wanted to combine threads so I could add and take away colour to give some graduation.  I like the graduation and I'm happy with the colours and background fabric and the way the blue green stitches overlay the pastel pink, cream and shimmery gold. If I half close my eyes, I like the sample overall.  Close up though, the line and chain stitches seem a bit too textural and harsh for something calm. If I was doing it again I'd use threads and stitches that gave a blurrier edge, maybe couching a smooth fuzzy yarn.

Line stitch sample with 'calm' drawing

I prefer the chain stitches I used texturally on the small sample I made for Stage 5 from a mossy bark print.  The exercise was exploring the effects of varying stitch size, direction and density and relating this to a drawing.  Wrapping parts of the chains altered the height to give a more tactile surface and I feel the stitches here connect to the drawing better.

Could develop from this exploring different threads, stitch density and height

For my final sample I chose a collage that would give me chance to try lots of different stitches, both on machine and by hand.  I could visualise the stitch to use in some areas immediately, like the grey piece of envelope that looked like close rows of chain stitch.  Others were trickier like the green Lloyds TSB words repeated over and over.  Obviously I wasn't going to painstakingly copy each miniature word.  I decided to experiment with machine embroidery used in rows to give the impression of text and I was pleased with the effect.

 
Did you choose the right source material to work from?
I initially struggled to find a drawing that jumped out at me for the Stage 3 sample that had 'strong linear qualities' and the variety needed.  In the end I scanned my drawings and used the editing tool in Picassa to crop them and this helped.  I choose the 'calm' drawing as a bit of a challenge to myself as I wanted to attempt a stitched sample of a feeling rather than an object.  It didn't quite come off but I'm glad I tried.  I think it taught me that I find it easier to convey an idea using colour rather than the stitch itself.

Plenty of my drawings were suitable for textural samples, I found. Though I was itching to try something with the butterfly wings or waterfall studies, as I felt like I could be more expressive with these, I was a bit concerned that I would be enticed by the rich colours again or the thread rather than the stitch.  Therefore I chose the envelope collage to help me focus.

Was I right to try to challenge myself or should I have gone with the source material I was most drawn to?

I'd also just been reading an article on the OCA website about putting something of yourself into your work. The colours of the collage reminded me of bills, bank statements - unwanted post generally. Also the utter boredom of my last few months at work before redundancy.  There was so little to do in the office, I would offer to stuff envelopes just to keep occupied.  The stationery, just like corporate wear seemed so dull to me.  Why do work shirts also have to look like the inside of envelopes?  Coming out of Dean Clough galleries, I passed my old office and smoking outside was a miserable looking man in a typical pale blue narrow striped shirt. Why do so many people end up wearing these pale envelope colours that do nothing for the complexion of the average pasty skinned British office worker? 

I enjoyed ripping up those reminders of a dull time in my working life. Tearing the small pieces of stitching gave nice raggedy edges that I could pull threads from in some places to increase the effect. I arranged the pieces so that they overlapped in places, pinned and stitched them together but it still looked a bit flat when I'd finished. I decided to introduce a hairy thread and couched it around some edges of the patched pieces.  I liked the way this enhanced the in front or behind effect.  Now it's finished I'm remembering a meeting at school I went to recently.  Parents had come straight from work and I remember thinking there were twenty people in the room and all the others were dressed in black apart from one lady with yellow boots.  I feel like stitching a tiny pair of yellow boots on my sample.              

Do you think your sample works well irrespective of the drawing? Or is your sample merely a good interpretation of your drawing?
When I put the sample on top of the collage, it seems to almost disappear into it so I'm confident it's a reasonable interpretation. I really don't know whether it works independently as I'm not 100% what the question means (one to ask my tutor).  Françoise Tellier-Loumagne says after each of her projects 'this design might be suitable for..... a sunshade, a tie, bedside rug' or whatever.  If this question is how I might see the design being used then I'm imagining opening up and enlarging an envelope to use as a pattern i.e. a rectangle with four triangles around it.  The fabric would be lined to stiffen it and then it could be made into a document file for all my boring post like my P45.  Maybe the buttons I cut off old work shirts could be used to close it and perhaps there would be a window in the front with a glimpse of a panel behind stitched with of a row of cartoon legs in yellow boots marching away from a grey office block.

The stitch sample seems to disappear into the collage 

Update: Thought about this question again overnight after looking again at the samples in Drawn to Stitch. Now I'm thinking it means could you display your sample in it's own right without the source material?  Still unsure how to answer this about my samples though.  Often I walk through a gallery and unless there is obvious skill or something immediately jaw dropping about an exhibit, I'm initially unimpressed.  Full appreciation does not come until I read and research further what the artist's aim is. Some of the samples in Drawn to Stitch I would look at and find them beautiful just as they are and for others I would need some explanation. 

Which did you prefer - working with stitch to create textures or working with yarns to make textures?  Which worked best for you and why?
I really enjoyed twisting unusual combinations of thread and yarn together as I have a pretty large stash so I could experiment infinitely, be playful and the results were quick.  My favourites were organza ribbon with craft wire so the finished yarn could be twisted into 3D constructions. Bright yellow ric rac with black leather reminded me of snakes. Cutting the elasticated edge off an old fitted sheet leaving a bit of fabric attached gave an interesting ruffle.  On a t-shirt I'd dyed orange, the stitching didn't take up the dye so gave a contrast on the overlocked edges I cut off to make flat strands.

Making yarn from recycled materials

It is very easy to be enticed by the qualities of yarn.  For the final sample when I made my colour bag I felt strongly that the thread should be plain and uniform, with not a hint of bling so the texture would have to come from the stitches. I didn't enjoy stitching it as much and was happier as soon as I decided to introduce the hairy thread I couched on to enhance the torn effect.

No bling for the office

For a while I wanted to have a go at making plarn.  Usually I'd have looked up a tutorial on the Internet for the best method but without broadband connection I just had to work it out for myself - no bad thing.  I cut circular strips about 35mm wide from quite thick bags and looped the ends together so it ended up being doubled.  Then I raided the textiles bag destined for recycling and cut up strips of jersey. I couldn't resist knitting up a few of the combinations afterwards and really like the plant-like qualities of the orange jersey cotton mixed with the thin plastic bag when knitted in stocking stitch.  In garter stitch it was nothing special whereas the opposite was true with the white jersey strips that I'd wrapped and knotted with blue yarns. Lengths of jersey were tied from handles and knobs crossing back and forward over the kitchen while I twisted and knotted yarn round it.  Then I tried mixing red jersey t-shirt with a bright pink cotton from a cardigan.  The two subtly different colours and textures together gave an interesting result.  

Combination of jersey and thin polythene in stocking stitch reminds me of bark. 

Blue yarn knotted around white jersey was better suited to garter stitch

Liked the effect of mixing two subtly different textures and colours

Make some comments on individual techniques and sample pieces.  Did you experiment enough? Did you feel inhibited in any way?
I realised that I like to fill a space and sometimes it was good for me to draw a shape to stitch within, otherwise I'll get overwhelmed by the variations that can be achieved and just carry on going and going.  It's amazing how many stitches you can fit in a tiny space and how experimental you can be.  My left handed embroidery book has been a brilliant buy; it's helped me so much to understand stitch construction.  I loved trying stitches and making up the mini stitch samples and having that technical knowledge has improved my confidence and speed.  I used Gwen Hedley's idea of attaching my samples to luggage tags as they're great for keeping things tidy, attaching to other things, easily removed and I can write notes on the back.  I could do with some ideas of whether it's necessary to finish off larger samples in any way.  The envelope collage seemed fine as it is with its frayed edges but I don't like just cutting round a sample with the pinking shears like I did on the bark.

Cretan stitch. Had to draw rectangles to stitch within otherwise I'd keep going till I'd filled the space!

With regard to experimentation, I think I could have gone further if time allowed or I made my samples smaller.  I like the way Gwen Hedley tries drawing in a number of mediums and does a few different small stitched samples for each subject.

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?
As soon as I had to connect with a drawing I began to feel a little inhibited.  I preferred filling spaces with stitch without trying to make them look like anything in particular as I felt I could be more experimental and often the results would remind me of something.  When I knitted up plastic bags for example, the polythene had a lovely transparency quite like the daffodils on the table when the sunlight streamed through the window. Think I can safely conclude I enjoyed using yarns for texture more than the stitch.

Line stitches in curves and spirals. I enjoyed just filling spaces with stitch

Trying out some textural stitches

Are there any other techniques you would like to try?  Are there any samples you would like to do in a different way?

While I was trying out satin stitch and getting to grips with the techniques of turning corners, I came across an image of an impossible triangle.  This set me off looking at optical illusions and I thought it would be interesting to experiment to see if I could recreate some illusions in stitch and optimise the effect by the direction of the stitch and shade of thread. Although the course manual says to forget about row of neat stitches, I loved the smooth effect of satin stitch when worked well with a silk embroidery thread. 

I was wondering what effects I might get by melting the knitted plarn somehow but I'm a bit worried it might stick to my oven or I might poison the family with fumes or something so might have to think about how to best do that first!

Transparency of plarn reminded me of sunlight streaming through daffodils.
 What will happen if I bake it though?!!!  

I'm happy enough with what I've learnt from the samples from my drawings as a 1st attempt and realise I could develop them further but think I'd prefer to do it with an initial subject that I feel more drawn to.    

Is there anything you would like to change in your work?  If so, make notes for future reference. 
Not that I can think of.  If something hasn't worked then I've learnt something and I know I'll be able to recycle it in some way later.  With regards to the way I work, I could do with speeding up a bit.  I don't mind too much that I'm taking longer than the time guides for each exercise as I feel I've explored each exercise deeply and I'm working regularly. On the other hand I'd like to be well on my way to achieving a degree before the fees go up in 2017!

Reading List
Edmonds, Janet (2010) From print to stitch. Tunbridge Wells: Search Press
Greenlees, Kay (2005) Creating sketchbooks for embroiderers and textile artists. London: Batsford
Hedley, Gwen (2010) Drawn to stitch: line, drawing and mark-making in textile art. London: Batsford
Meech, Sandra (2009) Connecting art to stitch. London: Batsford
Stanton, Yvette (2010) The left-handed embroiderer's companion. Westfield NSW, Australia: Vetty Creations
Tellier-Loumagne, Françoise (2006) The art of embroidery: inspirational stitches, textures and surfaces. New York: Thames & Hudson

OCA Yorkshire Group at Leeds Art Gallery

I came across the invitation to join the recently formed Yorkshire Group on the OCA student forums a few weeks ago.  Today was the group's second day out and I joined them at Leeds Art Gallery.  It was lovely to meet fellow students face to face, something I do miss with distance learning, and particularly interesting to have representatives from most of the OCA courses including drawing, sculpture, photography and illustration.  It was a great motivator and an opportunity to share our concerns, experiences and plans and to discuss good local resources (not least which galleries have the best cafes!) before going off to see the exhibits and do our own thing before meeting back for lunch.

The wonderful Victorian Tiled Hall Cafe.
Recently restored this was originally a library reading room

It's been many years since I visited so I wasn't familiar with the gallery.  There wasn't an obvious route to follow or much information at the entrance so I went off for a wander, starting with the Northern Art Prize, then the Gary Hume exhibition via a number of rooms with contemporary collections. Either I wasn't in the right frame of mind today or I should have done a bit of research about the exhibits before I arrived, as nothing immediately captured my imagination and sufficient information about what I was looking at wasn't there in front of me. During my wanderings, which included my mind, it occurred to me that I wanted to view the the exhibits right to left but they were set out right to left and I found this slightly irritating.  That handedness thing crops up again!

What I did find inspiring was the architecture of the building itself and I was glad I'd brought a camera as I didn't have much time to stop and sketch today, needing to rush back to pick the girls up from school.  Although the photographs are not individually great, I can see potential in some of these shots for exercises in the Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn 'Construction' booklet that I mentioned in my previous post.

Also very exciting was coming across the Art Library with it's vast collection of textile books, and most of all the Leeds Tapestry, a community project by artist Kate Russell who wanted to create a collaborative piece of artwork that had meaning and a sense of ownership for all involved.  She also wanted to and raise the profile of textile art which she felt was undervalued in a city whose "wealth and culture was built on a combination of textiles and engineering." (Russell & Walker, 2002, P4). Of course it was also an opportunity to keep traditional skills alive and a huge variety of techniques are included.  The result is an incredibly detailed snapshot of Leeds life and heritage at the turn of the 21st century.

Part of the 'Pins and Needles' panel, representing Leeds' textile and industrial heritage. This panel includes many modern and antique haberdashery items, all from the sewing boxes of the volunteers!

Detail from the Community Spirit Panel.
 The majority of the characters featured are ordinary people.  Many are self-portraits.

The tapestry comprises 16 panels, approx 8' x 4' each, of richly decorated textile art, with themes such as faith, health, transport, education and civic pride. It took hundreds of volunteers, some experienced embroiderers but many complete beginners, 10 years to complete.  I lived, studied and worked in Leeds for those exact 10 years from 1992, when I arrived as an 18-year old architecture student, until 2002 when my first child was born and I moved on.  Therefore, I instantly related to many of the images.  In the foreword of the book that tells the story of the tapestry, the director of Leeds Civic Trust imagines a guide book to Leeds in 2100 describing the tapestry as a 'must-see' attraction (Russell & Walker, 2002). Would the tourists of the future have any idea who the characters on the 'Local Faces' panel were, I wondered? Sir Jimmy Savile and Richard Whiteley are nostalgic local legends for me, anyhow!  

Looking at the financial panel, with it's bank logos, store cards and and share prices, I was struck by how much has changed in just ten years.  At the Millennium I was working for Halifax bank in Leeds city centre in a shiny corporate building.  The housing market was booming and I was about to buy my second house.  Getting a mortgage then was no problem at all. Most people I knew, like me, owned a few bank shares that we considered a fairly safe investment for the future.  Now those shares are virtually worthless and many of the business who are featured on the panel or sponsored the tapestry are seriously struggling, if not already gone. 

I enjoyed identifying the many different stitches and techniques on the panels.  One image I was particularly drawn to (with mark making in relation to emotions from Assignment 1 in mind) was on the legal panel.  It shows notorious nineteenth century criminal Charlie Peace in his prison cell in the vaults of Leeds Town Hall, hunched over with his head in his hands ready to stand trial for murder.  Charlie was to be hanged for shooting a neighbour and a policeman. It is the way the hand stitches convey the misery, despair and loneliness of the cell that impresses me.  The photo through glass does not do it justice but the combination and direction of different weights of dark thread in dynamic fly, herringbone and straight stitch with the black net overlay seem to perfectly convey the claustrophobia of the cell and feeling of gloom.  

Image from the Legal Sector Panel showing Charlie Peace in his cell.

Reading the story of the tapestry has been fascinating, from conception to the planning, practicalities, funding, setbacks and completion.  Quotes from the people involved regarding their participation are overwhelmingly positive and often moving.  It's clear that the collaborative experience was hugely beneficial for many and sometimes life-changing.  Some of the volunteers became so involved in the project they even gave up their careers to follow more creative pursuits.

"When I lost my husband after a long illness, the Tapestry became a great healer for me.  I needed incentive to keep going.  I not only got that, but I also gained a whole new circle of friends.  When my husband died I was left in an abyss.  The tapestry filled it again."
The late Audrey Pidgeon, Volunteer
(An image of Audrey herself is featured on the Community Spirit panel)

"The tapestry gave us a whole new insight into Leeds.  Take the architecture, for instance.  Usually you walk down the street and never bother to glance up at the buildings around you, but when you are working on a project like this it makes you take notice of the tiniest details and to really appreciate the city in which you live."
Freda Copley, Volunteer

Kate Russell herself said:
"Seeing another artist's work and discovering not only how it was produced but what led to that particular interpretation is a great way to learn.  To be with others making these discoveries, sharing the delight in mutual accomplishment, opens doors to more adventurous and innovative ways of working."

(Russell & Walker, 2002, P.6 & P.9)

I think the last quote summed up the day for me and the enjoyment and benefits of seeing and learning about this exhibit and meeting other like-minded OCA students.  There are times when I wonder what I'm doing about faffing about for hours with bits of thread and I sometimes feel I have to justify myself.  However I think today I recovered a sense of validity about creativity and learning and re-affirmed my understanding of why art matters. 

Reading List
Russell, Kate & Walker, Barbara (2002) The Leeds tapestry: we made it! Leeds: Leeds Civic Trust

2011 Memories, Giant Knits, New Textile Books, Print & Dye Experiments

I may not have posted since November but I've not been completely creatively idle!  Fitted between two birthdays, helping out at school, making outfits for Christmas shows, many a party, hosting a family Christmas and so much more, I have managed to complete some learning and coursework.

The last few weeks have been really happy and good fun and I was a bit reluctant to see the end of 2011 as it's been such a lovely year for me.  I've recently enjoyed looking back on the years photographs and reflecting.  Certainly the highlight was my honeymoon to Lindos in May.  It was the first time I had been to Greece and the first time my husband and I had been away on our own for more than a couple of nights.  On the beautiful island of Rhodes with it's incredible scenery and architecture, we had a completely relaxing week of leisurely exploring.  It was just perfect.  I've being doing one of the exercises suggested in the 'Constructions, Buildings and Structures' booklet by Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn that I bought in Jersey this summer. The idea is good for when you are inspired but haven't the time, space or materials to stop and sketch.  To get an essence of the experience, you select photographs that best describe the holiday, randomly arrange them without overlaps and stick them down when you're happy.  Viewing frames focus in and you can find potential new design starting points. 

Lindos photo exercise

Jersey was another wonderful week, this time with the family.  Again the photographs brought back happy memories.  I realised I had quite a few balls of Sirdar Denim Ultra yarn in shades that reminded me of the beach our hotel overlooked.  I thought I'd try it out with the giant 24mm knitting needles I'd bought at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show.  However I didn't have enough yarn to use lots of strands together.  I could have mixed it with some other yarn (something to try another time) but I didn't fancy dealing with tangles or sewing in lots of ends as the yarn frays quite a bit.  Instead I decided to finger knit it first - one of the simpler techniques learnt on the braids workshop - then simply knot the ends together. My 9 year old is brilliant at finger knitting and it looks so much better when made on little fingers. However, using four fingers and thumb, the super chunky yarn makes nice dense tubes on adult hands.  It's time consuming but I can do it at night watching TV when I'm tired and don't have to think. It's takes over an hour to finger knit a 100g ball and when I've finished it's the fun part.  I knit a row in 5 minutes and it really grows.  It took an entire ball just to cast on 30 stitches and that is all will fit on the 700mm long needles!

Inspired by St Brelade's Bay, Jersey

I've enjoyed selecting the shades of yarn as it grows, deciding when to go variegated or block.  As the rrp is around £5 and the original shade I had that ties the others together is discontinued, I've bought yarn on Ebay paying about £1/ball and now have a good stash to choose from.  I've no ideas how big it will end up.  It's rather heavy already, though it keeps my knees warm and not at all portable, unlike this little make! 

Needed something more portable to knit while the girls have their swimmming lessons!

I got a little distracted on Ebay and also ended up with some interesting vintage fabric, a small collection of hand weaving looms and two captains chairs that my Dad helped me to sand and varnish!  I now have a new comfier chair to sit on and work at the kitchen table.  Just need to make a cushion.

Ebay bargain - during

After - Just needing a cushion for working at kitchen table

My new book 'The Left-Handed Embroiderers Companion' arrived and it's been a revelation. Ideally, I'd have preferred the stitches grouped by type rather than alphabetically but having diagrams the right way round is wonderful and has removed so many frustrations.  I've been trying out some thread and stitch combinations during Project 2.  I also have been dipping into another four new books courtesy of the Amazon voucher Mum and Dad bought me for Christmas.  It was so difficult to choose and there's quite a few more on my wish list now.  Can't get enough of books!                

Trying out new stitches the left handed way

New winter reads

Also for Project 2 preparation I've had a go at dying some fabric to add to what I have for colour bags.  I had a little stash of dye already that I bought when Woolworths closed so I dug it out and spent a few days preparing and dying fabric and recording the results.  I used Dylon machine dye which was really easy - just weigh and wash fabric, leave damp and put in machine with dye + 500g salt.  I got a good range of shades depending on the original fabric.  The colour was very even, except for some speckles on the fabric that was directly on top of the dye as it went in. It was hard to completely cover the dye with salt as per the instructions.  One of the thicker fabrics came out with some lovely streaks when I used the green but I couldn't recreate this with the other two colours.  I liked the craft felt which felted further, bobbled and picked up bits of fluff when washed.  The fluff that attached itself dyed to a different shade. I got quite excited opening the washing machine wondering what I'd find!

Of everything I dyed, this was the only piece that came out with streaks and I've no idea why!

Craft felt bobbled and picked up fluff from other fabrics in preparatory wash.
When used wiith orange dye, fluff dyed to a differed shade.

I tried Dylon Cold Dye too but instead of using the fabric I'd cut out and weighed, I put the remainder of the fabric in by mistake.  As the fabric weight was now more than recommended, Mexican Red came out more salmon pink - which was rather nice anyhow!  I wasn't so keen on cold dye.  Although it's cheaper, you do need fixative as well as salt and you have to agitate it constantly for the 1st 10 minutes.  This was hard to do without everything splashing out of the bowl.  I bid for a huge pan on Ebay after this to keep as a dye bath but just missed out so still on the look out for a massive receptacle for next time.  I still have some other cold dye shades left to try.

Preparation

Recording results.  Good variety of shades resulted from each dye.

Preparing colour bags.

Since my last post, I also checked out the West Yorkshire Print Workshops, WYPW, something I'd been meaning to do for a while as it's only a 10 minute drive from home.  When the tax man sent me a little surprise cheque for overpayment, mindful of the printing experiments coming up in Assignment 2, I decided to sign up for a 6-week Introduction to Printmaking Workshop as this gives a taster of different techniques.  I didn't feel like going out on cold, wet Monday nights but I really enjoyed meeting some new people and it was a good chance to try a number of different techniques without buying specialist equipment to decide what you might like to try more of.

I'll write up all the different techniques I tried later but one of my favourites was the simplest.  I used tools and sandpaper to scratch marks into the surface of some shiny cardboard and stuck shiny and paper stickers on top. Ink was applied then wiped off and the piece put through the press. The different areas take up ink at different rates, I particularly like the way the edge of the stickers leave a dark border and love the effect of the overlapping rectangles.  The star shapes were scored, then the shiny surface lifted off to reveal the matt paper underneath that soaked up the ink and left a dark area.  By cutting shapes completely out you are left with just the background paper.  I also like that you can wipe off as much ink as you like depending on the effect you want and like the circular marks left by the rag.  

Print from mark making, cutting and applying stickers to shiny card 

Project 2 is also well under way.  Hope to have that completed in next few weeks......

Stitching lines - Project 2

Project 1 Review - Making Marks

Have you ever thought about drawing in this way before?
Yes, I've done these exercises before but as the course material suggested, I used this project as an opportunity to generate new ideas.  After reading Gwen Hedley's book 'Drawn to Stitch' on holiday, there were a few things I really wanted to try, like tea bags, insides of envelopes and using pins to make holes in paper.

Bleach dripped onto tea-bags, rubbed when wet to distress.  Reminds me of brown and white cattle.

Playing with envelopes. Have been quite excited when the postman comes in case I get a new pattern. Most are calm shades of blue and grey but I have now got a stash including black, red, green and purple! The windows also make useful frames for isolating areas of drawings.

Pins and needles made different sized holes.  I like the rim made when you pierce from underneath and how this takes up paint. 

Were you able to be inventive about the range of marks you made?
I think so.  I struggled at bit when limited to pencil but once I could use a broader range of materials, I found it much easier. 

Tea bag stuck over painted envelope and rubbed when wet to peel back and reveal surface below. 

Did you explore a wide range of media?
Yes, including pencils, acrylics, lots of different papers, wax, ink, pastels, bleach, oil pastels, fabric paint, PVA, Pearl Ex pigment, water colours, salt and tea.

Are you pleased with what you have done? Will it help you to approach drawing more confidently?
Yes, I'm pleased.  Though I have done the exercises in the past, I like what I have done now better.  I don't mind if things go wrong and I've learned that if something doesn't initially work, I can come back to it later and work into it or use it as a background for something later.  Some of my worst attempts ended up being my favourites.  Being very out of practise in drawing, it took me a while to get the confidence to pull out a sketchbook in public. Doing it on holiday where no-one knows me anyway and finding quieter museums where I could sketch in relative peace was a good start.

The background to this was originally supposed to be lichen.  It was rubbish but recycled to become the perfect background for printing on for my melon.  I was so pleased with how it turned out. 

Which exercise did you most enjoy? Why?
Stage 3, Exercise 2 - Making marks in relation to objects.  It took me a while to get started on these.  The items sat on the table for a few days before I got round to the mark making as I wasn't sure where to start.  I enjoyed having the thinking time though and every time I came in the room, I'd look at them, pick them up and I really got to understand the construction and texture from being able to touch.  I used Gwen Hedley's tip of using a magnifying glass and this was particularly useful with the butterfly wing.  The wing magnified looked very different and showed up holes and ridges I hadn't noticed and gave me ideas for different techniques.  I was pleased that although each butterfly drawing is different, each one expresses something of the texture. 

When I went looking round the garden for objects to draw, was so lucky to find this poor dead butterfly caught up in a web.

Which media did you most enjoy working with and why?
I loved using magazine pages to collage.  I like that it is already coloured and sometimes patterned in a way that is reminiscent of what you are drawing and how you can adjust the subtlety of the image by adding layers on top.  I liked the effects I could get by scoring, folding or crumpling it and the way torn edges and distressed parts take up more colour when you work onto it. As it was thin, it was good for layering and it's really cheap and accessible.

Torn edges and creases take up paint at different rate.

What other forms of mark-making could you try?
There's a few things I'd like to try soon including printing with painted clingfilm, blow painting, experimenting with the watercolours and the new inks I've bought on wet and dry papers.

How will these exercises enrich your textile work in the future?
I've been starting to imagine comparable threads and fabrics so I can see what a helpful process it is to make marks.  As working on paper is relatively quick, it's a good way to see what designs will work before spending many hours stitching. There's parts of my work that I particularly like and can see potential in for further design.  I think this project has got me into a good habit of looking at things deeply.

Workshop - String & String Bags with Sue Hiley Harris

After enjoying my visit to Sue's exhibition a few weeks ago, I decided to take part in this workshop at Bankfield Museum last weekend.  I thought it might help me later on in this course, with particular relevance to part four on textile structures.  It was also an opportunity to meet other people interested in textiles who appreciate there's bound to be a good reason you're drying out your tea bags or collecting bits of sheep fleece when out for a walk etc.  I always seem to come home from a workshop with some new tips and information about what's on.   

We began on Saturday by handling Sue's collection of Aboriginal string bags and looking at their construction, noticing the differences between looped (like the one that sparked the idea for the exhibition) and knotted.  We saw the differences between fixed and suspended knots and between simple looping, loop and twist, and figure of eight loops.  Sue said that the older bags in her collection from the 1970s were bought quite cheaply but there is now an increased appreciation of the skill and the bags are more sought after and expensive. 

All of the bags were subtly different, the form dictated by the fibre and purpose - whether for the Aborigines own use to carry particular items, or to sell on to tourists.  The bags are more rigid than the crocheted string bags that have once again become popular as environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic. Some were constructed from top to bottom and some from bottom up which sparked a discussion about weak points, where and how to join string and attach handles as it's not possible to work with long lengths on your needle.  The traditional bags were made from hand spun plant fibres and the Aborigines would just attach more length as needed, generally without the need for knots.  However, some bags did have knots and long threads were left hanging.  Most of us found this strange and a bit disturbing, particularly as they were on the outside of the bag.

Some of Sue's collection, note the bag on the right with hanging threads

At the talk the other week, Sue had explained that there are hundreds of different tribes and languages and a great deal of secrecy among the Aborigines so it is very difficult to get accurate information about their lifestyles and craft.  We do know that they tensioned the bag structures using their legs as a frame and as there were no chemical dyes available to them, the only colour seen on some of these bags is yellow ochre. No containers for holding dye were available either so it's likely they coloured the string using their hands covered in earth.      

After a look around the exhibition, we got set up ready to have a go at a looped technique first.  First we choose some string.  I had brought some ordinary parcel string but after looking at the bags decided to buy some hemp twine as it seemed to hold knots better.  We used G-clamps to attach warp posts to the table about 1.2m apart and tensioned a thick piece of string between them, making loops at each end that would allow the work to be removed and rotated at the end of each row.  Unfortuntely, although we were essentially working a blanket stitch, the first few rows are the trickiest and I cursed my left-handedness, struggling to reverse the diagrams from the handouts in my head.  Waiting for help at the end of each row as I couldn't fathom the corners got pretty frustrating.  My first attempt had very uneven tension and was pretty odd-looking with funny knots in random places.

Attempt 1.  It toook about 2 hours just to do this! 

As starting was the difficult bit, Sue suggested we practised this again on a new sample.  Attempt two was going better and I took it home with me to work on.  This time I tried a tighter tension to see what a denser fabric would look like.  Back at home I scannned, reversed and coloured the handouts and understood them immediately!  I worked a few more rows, feeling pretty pleased I finally twigged what I was supposed to be doing.  Then disaster!  I hadn't pulled a knot tight enough and when I trimmed it, it began to unravel.  Determined not to be defeated, I strung up attempt three and by the early hours of Sunday morning I had a more or less, bag shaped thing, even with knots (pullled very tightly!) lined up as intended.

Getting the hang of it now

Back at Bankfield after a too-short sleep, I had a go at hand spinning with raffia.  Sue showed us how the Aborigine's would do it but as it was a cold day, none of us had bare legs exposed and it didn't work too well.  Then another lady on the course who was a basket weaver showed us a technique she used with day lillies to get exactly the result we were after using just our fingers.  Two strands of raffia were dampened very slightly with a water spray to make them easier to work with (too much and it becomes sticky).  A knot was held in one hand.  In the other, the back strand was twisted tightly away, then moved over the front with the index finger pushing tight in the space between the two.  I found it quite enjoyable - something you could do without concentrating while you were watching T.V. I reckon it would take months to make enough for a bag though.

Hand spinning with raffia

Next we got set up ready to have a go at the knotted bag technique.  The netting needle is wound with string so there are not so many joins to make and a lot less string is used overall.  I was surprised how far my hemp was going, so apart from the time it takes to make these bags, material-wise, it's a very economical way to make really strong structures.  

I managed the knotting itself ok.  This is essentially the same technique as making fishing net but my tension was all over the place as I struggled to get the netting needle easily through the loops.  I think that the ruler I was using for a mesh stick was a bit too narrow.  My holes were pretty irregular and the knots moved more than they should.  Again when making a bag, starting off was the most difficult bit as the size of the loops needed to be different to create the base and curved shape.  Some loops had three knots and others four.  We used thread to mark the ends of the base to help us identify them but again I found the right-handed diagram on the new handout very diffucult to follow in reverse. 

Knotting, using a netting needle and ruler as a mesh stick for spacing

We were showed some different ways to finish our bags and we talked about which bags we thought had been finished most sympathetically to their shape.  Some bags had one simple drawstring thread through the top loops as a handle while others were one thicker piece of spun string or a number of strings and some had wrapped areas.  Finally those who had finished hung up their bags and we admired our creations before taking them home to show to a quite unimpressed family! 

Finished sample bag, just right for carrying my apple!

That night, I went on the internet to research left-handedness as something that should have been obvious had also occurred to me that day.  That is why I've been preferring to draw on sheets of paper rather than in a sketch book - the spirally bit gets in the way of my hand! The metal rings in my binder when I'm making notes annoy me too, however it doesn't feel quite right starting from the back of the book.  I looked up some products and decided to order a left handed book of stitches before I start the next project to see if it makes life easier.