Composites.

These are two composite sheets.I am not happy with them as they are on A3 painted cartridge paper.If I were to have to display them in an exhibition I would choose Mounting board and of a larger size.For the purposes of the blog they show the relationship between the different chapters' work in the Module.

Health and safety.

Evaluation.

artist study

Daylight.

in daylight against solid ground and the window.

Final Resolve.

I think I've done.I spent this afternoon working into this.I used some cable stitch in areas to highlight "growth",cut into the under layer, in bottom of sample,leaving just the organza.I frayed some more and added hand stitching in preference to overprinting to tone down the orange,as I thought it would be easier to control.I would appreciate any comment as I'm not used to this.I will try to add a photograph against the light but not now as the light has gone.I will also redo this as the photo quality is dire,I'm in too much of a hurry.

Daylight.

Nothing more added but just a photo taken in daylight to show truer colours.You can see how "in your face "the orange is,it needs toning down in some way.I may print over it with dilute colour to break up the surface somewhat.

Resolving.

Not a brilliant photo as it's too dark,but I wanted to stand back and see it so far.There is more work to do but I think it has taken the kind of shape I was aiming for.I want to add more stitchery and maybe knock back the orange as it's rather dominant,though that might be because of the artificial light.I'll need to put it aside and come back to it.The twinkle organza stands out too.I will need to look at it in natural light to gauge what next to do,but at least it is begun.

What next?

This! I took a piece of blue fabric and bonded fabric stars ,sprinkled threads and ironed the lot.Next I will replicate what I did with the paper piece and take it from there .Watch this space.

Next stage.

I turned the piece over and cut out various size stars from the back.I dropped them onto a black ground but hadto do some manoevering as they were top heavy and bunched or tipped over .When satisfied I stuck them down.

Cut and play

Following feedback I've been and played with the idea of cutting up a paper design.I decided to try a spontaneous design just cutting and sticking down.See the pictures above ,one photographed against the light.

Another design collage.

Again using same materials but translating different design.Right hand is a close -up to try to show transparent areas and where fabric will be distressed to show disintegration.I'm not sure whether I will go with either yet but whatever I decide I will have to print more fabric to use.I suppose I could go with plain and intersperse with the little print I have left.More pondering required!

Design collages

This is a translation into collage of one of my sketchbook scribbles.It was photographed(badly) against the light on the left to show use of tracing paper to signify use of sheers.It is attached to A3 cartridge paper.I used my stamps to print on cartridge and tracing papers.I used acrylic paints but when dry washed over with dilute Brusho.

Strike while its hot!

As I had some thoughts, rather than put it off ,I went and scribbled them in my sketchbook.I am more and more drawn to using a non-standard edge for my resolved piece.Growth or disintegration doesn't happen in a regular way so I think my piece should reflect this.It also happens in spurts ,think how trees are affected by weather and the way this can be seen in their growth rings.Thinking about the colour ,would it be brightest when young and fade as it ages?Should I think about this in my choice of fabrics?Lots to ponder.

Playing around.

I had the cutout left from the multiple stars so rather than waste them I added them to the double layer furnishing fabric, put some organza and gold net over the top and machined stars.I used cable stitch from the back to use up the thread left on bobbins and machined smaller stars from front and back.Then I cut from back in some places ,from front in others,frayed edges and cut to show stars at edge of fabric.I like the effects created where the stitching overlaps and the haphazardness of it all.Some areas would show better if the sample was photographed against the light, to show transparency of net and organza with nothing behind.I think this is giving me plenty to think about before I can produce a resolved piece.

Adding to and using up...

I had a try at cable stitch to add to this sample and it worked a treatThen not being satisfied I added some hand stitching but am not so sure this worked to add to the idea of growth.

Resolving.

My brain has started chuntering ideas around and I usually work best if I put them into some sketches.These are pages in my sketchbook where I have started to play around with ideas .I'm not certain about using printed papers to translate them into designs but I suppose it's a requirement. I've had to print up more ready to use.

"After"

I've stitched into some of the shapes on the larger blue star shape and then stitched the"ghost "
of the shape into the orange background.Not sure whether to work into this more or leave it as it is?

Multiple stars.

Fiddle- dee- dee is what this should be called as it was a right fiddle to cut these out.They are as good as I could get them.This is the "before"

Large to small and vice versa.

Back to more playing with growing and shrinking.These consist of two layers of fabric with three identical star shapes stitched from back.There is progressively more stitching as you work from left to right.then the remaining middle star is slashed and frayedto reveal the under layer.

Forgotten fraying....

These were samples of fraying and cutting into fabrics to give the impression of disintegration.On the left hand image I did pretty much the same as in the manual then veered off in the right hand image prefering to try out my own ways of disintegration.I think the notes below the samples are explanation enough.

Light relief.

Seeing stars .....but this time using some fabric I've had for ages to make a cover for a cushion to replace the one in my bedroom that has seen better days.If I 'd not been doing this course then this would not have happened ,so perhaps I'm learning and putting new found ideas to practical use.

Sheer sample.

This sample consists of layers of machining,organza and a loose weave fabric.I have cut away some of the under layers completely, snipped and frayed some organza and loose weave and left some areas untouched.I photographed it against a white background to show the cut aways.Though I think if I were to use this idea then I would leave some stray threads and not cut back so completely to give a greater feel of decay .

More Chapter 11 samples.

I like this sample much better as the choice of orange threads and random hand stitching on the edge of the shape does make the shape outline begin to blur.I have deliberately not stitched across the whole shape.

This makes the shape go from large to small or vice versa,depends on how you look at it.I 've stitched around the small shape but I think it doesn't do much.Perhaps I should work into it more with free machining and vary the thread colours to help blur the outline of the shape.

New Year

This is the printed motif I had which was just about enough to play with.I cut it up progressively and am surprised how different it looks.There may be a germ of an idea in there for the resolved piece.I have continued to work with other pieces for this chapter but have yet to photograph and upload them.