Saturday, February 25, 2006

Through a hedge backwards

This was an exercise using 'distressed' fabric techniques, so the edges were fringed or left raw and threads were withdrawn. The fabrics used are mostly linens or tweeds, with some hand stitched embellishment.



(Click on picture for bigger image)

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Carry on landscaping!

This is a pair of panels (the fabric covering the mount is the same) experimenting with different stitches . The panel on the left uses variations of darning and that on right mostly variations on crewel stitches.



Close up of the darning panel. The ground fabric for the square piece is natural linen coloured with water colour dyes. The round piece is worked on polyester net curtaining.


Close up of the experimental crewel panel. The large square background is transfer dyed polyester. The two square pieces are worked on dyed natural linen using darker tones of colours taken from the backing piece.


(Click on pictures for larger image)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Based on Landscapes

Allison Aller has posted a journal quilt with a landscape theme, here:
http://www.allisonaller.com/cblog/index.php?/archives/116-January-Journal-Quilt...Finished!.html

and Linda B at Chloe's Place has posted a whole series, here:
http://chloesplace.blogspot.com/2006/02/landscape-ufos.html
http://chloesplace.blogspot.com/2006/02/landscapes-continued.html
http://chloesplace.blogspot.com/2006/02/more-landscapes.html

I've been prompted to root out some of mine:



This was one of the first assignment pieces I did when I started City & Guilds, using fabric manipulation techniques. The sky is painted with water colour dyes, and we had to use at least 3 different types of fabric.

Here's a closeup..



(click on pictures for larger image)

Now I look at it like this, I think the piece I cut out for the close up makes a much more interesting composition.

Pastoral scene

This is a very simple piece done almost entirely in couching using crochet cotton, crewel wool and cotton perle on a piece of ribbed furnishing fabric.



(Click on picture for bigger image)

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Jen's room

When Jen lived at home I was constantly complaining about the state of her room. I made her this picture, when she went away to University.


(Click on photo for bigger image)

The background is a piece of natural linen mounted on a remnant of furnishing fabric. The image is a photocopy of a collage made by some of her art school friends. The likeness is uncanny, and the constant plate of food, the distressed jeans and the boots are still characteristic. I appliqued patches of fabric and all sorts of bits and pieces to make the 'mess' adn the lettering is in stem stitch.