Four Experimental Samples

Fossil Strata

This sample was taken from my 'landscape and geological' PWD which was an based on an ammonite, and was intended to develop different methods of dyeing.Hessian was streaked with some fabric paint as the background.

For the ammonite shape, pieces of a gold cotton lame shirt found in a charity shop were dyed with red procion dye and muslin, painted with silk paints, was layered on top.

The outlines of the ammonites were stitched with blanket, herringbone and chevron stitches using a shiny black thread and couching down some fine boucle knitting yarn enhanced the background.

Flowers on Water

This idea combines colouring a background fabric using transfer paints and applying scraps of fabric and thread using bondaweb and bonding powder.

A piece of chiffon is laid over the top and then the whole fabric is stitched with free machine stitching and hand stitching using satin stitch and sorbello stitch, tiny blue seed beads have also been applied.

Cottage Garden

Here I intended to develop different methods of fabric manipulation. The central panel is gathered silk chiffon with a frame made with scraps of organza laid on felt.

The centre bottom panel is made from the leftover middle of the frame with flower shapes cut out with a soldering iron, these shapes are also stitched onto the sample.

The chequered panels are made by stitching two different coloured organzas onto felt and burning back the top layer on alternate squares.

The background is completed with a tiny stumpwork snail who has left a silver trail around the flower beds until he has found the vegetables in the middle!

Mineral Crystals

This sample also explores fabric manipulation in that cathedral window patchwork is used as a frame for tiny pieces of embroidery.

In this sample a heavy hessian was used for the background fabric, which was sprayed with car paint. This had the advantage of sealing the edges and prevented the folds fraying too much.

The centres are made of chiffon stitched to acrylic felt using decorative machine patterns and then zapped back using a heat gun. This has made the whole fabric melt away in places. I added some more hand stitching with metallic thread and applied fine wire which had been coiled round a needle.