Disintegrating.

Spent some time this afternoon playing with paper shapes in order to get going with Chapter 11.I have also prepared some fabric for fraying and have a printed paper I may use to disintegrate the shape on it .The top photo is my attempt at destroying paper and the bottom is my star shape being disintegrated.

Finished!

This sample is complicated and was very fiddly to do ,hence the use of machine stitchery.I made the samples too small but there was a lot of fiddling with these so I went ahead.I first of all chose two star shapes and cut one of each from orange and blue and swopped the shapes over.Then I cut a third smaller star shape from the middle area and swopped this too.You can see this quite clearly on the left hand side of the image.Then I decided to cut a fourth star shape and swopped these ,this is shown in the right hand side of the image.I then used machine insertion stitches to sew the lot together.On reflection I would have made the squares much bigger and chosen fewer and less complex star shapes, as the resulting shapes were too small.However,I think the sample works well enough and would create interest on an otherwise plain ground.

Confused or not......

This is my counterchange sample with its insertion stitchery,all hand worked. This picture shows more of the true colours than the "before"photo.

Am I confused?

I sat and puzzled over this sample and am still not sure it is what is required.What you see are four squares that began as two orange ,two white felt .They both had snippets of orange or blue fabrics sprinkled over them and a final layer of organza bonded to finish.I then cut one star shape from a blue and orange sample and swopped the positive and negative shapes.I did the same to the remaining samples but with a different star shape.Next I took a third star shape and cut from each of the squares.At this stage I bonded everything to hold them together.I have selected a fourth star shape and drawn it on the back of each square ready to cut out and play before finally adding stitching ,which will probably be on the machine as there will be too many small pieces to keep hold of easily.Have I got it?

Before I begin....

This is my complex counterchange sample bonded to felt.I will cut apart and tack to tissue before adding insertion stitchery.I have used the last of my printed fabrics for three parts and a plain maroon cotton for the fourth.

False insertion.

These are before,after and close-up of the false insertion sample.I bonded printed cotton to a hessian type fabric then cross stitched with a yellow orange dyed cotton and a pale blue stranded thread.

Insertion progress

This is my finished counterchange sample and a close-up.I used antique faggot stitch with a metallic thread.The two samples were felt with snippets bonded under organza.They were stitched and edged with buttonhole faggotting.

Insertion.

I sat this evening and stitched while the Variety Perfomance went on in the background.I managed some insertion stitch samples and completed one half of the first simple swopover sample.

Playing.

This was an attempt just to play and see where it led.I have cut right back in some places ,just the top layer in others. The background is a satin topped with loose sprinkling of snippets and a layer of organza.Topped off with orange felt.

Two samples

These were constructed from exactly same layers but one was cut inside the stitching lines and the other outside.

More playing

I tried some of the suggestions ,cutting inside the lines or outside the lines.The first sample is divided across the middle but was a little small.

Sample four

This time I took a blue backgound and laid narrow strips from my fabrics side by side on top.Then a peach chiffon and on top finally gold organza.I used a traditional star shape and stitched in orange from the back in concentric stars four times into the middle.This created channels of stitching that I was able to slash betweenbut only the two outer ones,I cut back to the blue layer then used a suede brush to fray the edges quite a lot.I cut the middle star back to the chiffon.This sample is again much more interesting because of the interplay of light and the variety of fabrics exposed.The photo does not show too well as it emphasises the strips.

Sample three

This time I decided to combine four star shapes using the idea that I would distort them and create a larger square.I used a blue background and laid pieces of my fabrics at random then covered the lot with a two sided furnishing fabric.I stitched around the shapes from the back in blue,then from front in orange.I cut between these lines to expose underlayer of furnishing fabric on all four stars.Next I cut back three stars inside the orange stitching to expose the fabric variety.On the last star I stitched outside the shape and cut and frayed the edges.This is a much more interesting sample than the other two because of the surprise factor as to what is revealed.I also like the way the furnishing fabric reveals its two ccoulours when frayed.

Sample two

This was much easier to create though it is relatively dull.It has four layers,

blue cotton,

orange cotton ,

rust organza and gold net.

I stitched blue outline from back then cut outside the line to expose the organza to the edge of the square.I then stitched in

orange from front inside the shape and cut back to organza.NextI stitched inside each "arm" and cut back either to the orange or the blue layers.I also stitched the star shape in middle and cut back to orange.This sample is very uniform and neat.

Chapter 10

This is the traditional hand sewn sample consisting of three layers-blue cotton,shiny synthetic in peach and dark blue.It took ages ,don't know why I choose to use the slippery synthetics as it was fiddly enough already.I have a huge amount of respect for the people in South America etc. who do this to sell to tourists for a few pence.I was glad to complete this small piece.As it is it is fairly ropey.

last three complex samples.

4.Satin with painted bondaweb,orange felt,blue printed felt.I used a built-in embroidery stitch in orange rayon to create a radiating shape,then in blue I hand stitched running stitch and seed stitch over the areas of orange felt.
5.Organza ,silk paper.I used some blue wool tops and embellishing machine to add to corners and middle from the back,then I machined the outline of the star in dark blue.
6.Blue satin,printed gold synthetic,printed knitting,organza.I machined star shape in copper metallic machine thread.

This I think ,means that I now send everything off having completed up to and including Chapter 8.I have a little amending to do to some previous work after the feedback I received.
Looking at the simple samples I'm not at all sure I have created more complex samples ,just more of the same.I'm not certain I'm cut out for this course !

completed complex samples

These on the left are the first three samples.

1. knitted fabric,bonded snippets on muslin and synthetic satin.I machine stitched the outline of the bonded layer ,I couched threads with a machine zigzag to the satin ,then stuffed the middle and corners from behind.

2.dyed muslin,bonded snippets on organza and navy satin.I used running stitch to go around the organza layer ,then fille centre with French knots and repeated two rows of same along spines of navy.

3.felt,maroon cotton,blue printed cotton ,gold net attached to painted bondaweb.I used straight and zigzag machine stitching to outline the shapes in rayon embroidery thread.