Chapter 4 - Zigsag Stitch and Automatic Pattterns

Piece #1   -     zigzag stitch with changes in the width of the stitch -  the length remains static (2) in a middle range

Fabric – bridal satin – painted with transfer paints using Sample #2  - started out with a 5” by 5 “ and finished with a piece was width 4 ½ by length 4 ¾ inches. 

Stabilizer -  piece of white kunin felt and a piece of medium weight pillow (Vilene)

Threads -   (#1)  WonderFil 100 % rayon embroidery 120d/2   Art# 3142 – Colour  # 4134 – dark green (bobbin thread – black polyester) 

                (#2)  WonderFil 100% rayon embroidery 120d/2  Art# 3142 – Colour  # 1149 – dark wine red (bobbin thread – black polyester)

                (#3)  100% rayon embroidery  120d/2  -  Colour – dark pink  -  # not noted on spool  (bobbin thread – pink)

                (#4)   100% rayon embroidery  120d/2  - Colour – light pink  -  # not noted on spool  (bobbin thread - pink)

I varied the width of the stitch from a straight line to the maximum width of 5.  In several instances, I varied the width from the top to the bottom of the piece and vice versa.  I did have problems with the tension, however, I decreased the top tension to 3 and this seemed to work well. 

Piece #2  -  zigzag stitch with changes in the length of the stitch – the width  (5) remains static

Fabric  -  black felt – started out with a width of 5” by 5” and finished with a piece width 4 ¼ by length 5 inches.

Stabilizer – black felt

Threads  -  (#1)  Korean Marathon thread – 100 % rayon -   colour # 2081  -  medium violet

                (#2)  Korean Marathon Thread – 100% rayon – colour # 2022 – orange yellow

                (#3)  Korean Marathon Thread – 100% rayon – colour # 2002 – yellow green

                Bobbin thread for all  -  polyester medium grey

I kept the tension at 3.  I kept the length of the stitch the same for each row.  I have no idea why I did that!!!!

Piece # 3 – Zigzag stitch with changes in the width and length of stitches

Fabric – Bridal satin – painted with transfer paints using Sample # 3  -  started out with a piece 5” by 5” and ended up with a piece 4 ¾ by 4 7/8 inches.

Stabilizer – white Kunin felt with a piece of medium weight pellon (Vilene) in the centre

Threads – (#1) – 100% rayon   AJ 8158 – Colour # 1155  - dark red wine

                (#2) – 100% rayon   -  same as #1 but has lost its label -  Colour  - Royal Blue

                (#3)  -  100% rayon embroidery 120d/2 – Colour – light yellow orange (lost colour label)

                Bobbin threads  -  used polyester threads  to match the top threads

I varied the lengths and widths.  I did have trouble with the tension when the length was below 1.0 when the stitches were close together and the bobbin threads were coming to the top.  I again loosened the tension which did help somewhat.  I was in extreme trouble with one of the centre yellow rows with the tension …..  in this case, the thread was wrapped around the spindle.   I really liked the narrow rows of zigzag when changing the width of the stitch.   I chose to leave the “windows" of the background fabric.

Piece # 4 – Automatic stitches with no changes in length or width.

Fabric – a piece of hand painted (fabric paints) duponi silk from my own stash -  started out with a piece 5” by 5” and ended up with a piece 4 ½ by 4 3/8 inches.

Stabilizer – white Kunin felt

Threads –   (#1) -   variegated 100 % Rayon 1200/2 from the Thread Studio – Colour – Carnivale

                (#2)  -  Bobbin thread – white polyester

I chose to make a picture frame using the various automatic stitches.  In several cases I did mirror images of stitches.  I also decided to use the lengths and widths programmed into the machine. Had fun with the centre flowers. I left bits out on purpose!!

Piece # 5  -  Automatic stitches with changes in length and width.

Fabric – hand painted piece of cotton using fabric paints – started out with a piece 5 “ by 5 “  and ended up with the measurements being 4 ¾ by 4 7/8 inches.

Stabilizer – white Kunin felt

Threads – (#1)  -  cotton polyester variegated thread – colour yellow to yellow orange.  Thread is from my stash and there was no label. 

                (#2)  -  bobbin thread – white polyester thread

The leaf stitch was used on the four outside edges varying the stitch length for each side.  As I worked the piece, I also changed the length throughout the row.  I did change the width whenever the programme allowed me to do so!!!  I also used the mirror image programme.  I liked the picture frame concept with each window image a different size!!!!   Also the stitching could be curtains with fancy ruffles!!!    I felt the two zigzag lines across the center were somewhat overwhelming.     

Piece # 6 -  Automatic stitches with changes in length and width.

Fabric / Stabilizer – This time I used a water soluble stabilizer – Ultra Solvy Weight – Heavy:    Colour – Translucent.   The original size was 4“ by 5” and the final piece was 3 ¼ by 4 ½ inches.

Threads – (#1) - 100% Rayon   1200/2  -  Colour  -  variegated  royal blue to turquoise  - Barrier Reef from Thread Studio

                (#1A) -  Bobbin thread -  100% polyester Gutermann  CA02776 – Colour # 260 – Royal Blue

                (#2) - 100% Polyester – variegated red to red orange (tones) – thread from my stash and there is no label

                (#2A) -  Bobbin thread – 100% polyester – Mettler Metrosene Plus  - Colour 601  - Red

                (#3) – 100% Rayon Marathon Korean Thread – FF 1200/2 KA 65565 – Colour # 2022 – yellow orange

                (#3A) -  Same as (#2A) – Red

Started with rows of automatic stitches   using the blue threads (#1) and programmed stitches for length and width.  Using the red threads (#2), I stitched automatic programmes diagonally covering approximately two thirds of the piece leaving two corners free.  Here the lengths of the stitches were varied.   I have just realized that I was increasing the stitch widths only where I could and I should have decreased them as well ….. which I did not!!!   Using the yellow/orange (#3) thread, I stitched three bands across the piece perpendicular to the one large red band.  To hold the outside edges together I used a narrow zigzag stitch in the blue (#1) thread to attempt to keep the piece together once I dissolved the stabilizer.  I did not block the final piece.    I like the lacy look and even the places where the stitches didn’t overlap and there are definite gaps!!

Distant Stitch Module 1 Chapter 2 Some Basics

Basics  -                                                                                                                       Page 1

            Sewing machine  -    Husquvana      Prisma A 950 S   1989 model

                        An excellent “work horse” machine with some fancy stitches

Threads  -  I have a large collection of rayon machine embroidery threads with some metallic threads.   I have a moderate collection of polyester threads like Guttermann. 

Stabilizers  -  I have listed some stabilizers that I have used and plan to use.   These are on the pages that follow this page.    If and when I use others, I will make a note in your email and include a sample on the master fabric sheets.

Fabrics  -  Fabrics that I have used are on the following sheets with as much information that I can determine.  Many of the fabrics have come from my stash and therefore the fibre content and price is not available.   

                                                                                                                                               Page 2

                                                                                                                           Page 3

                                                                                                                                             Page 4

I have just noted that at the top of the last two pages I wrote Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 respectfully and it should have been Chapter 2.

Distant Stitch Module 1 Chapter 3 - Straight stitching

Piece # 1.    – stitching a grid with vertical and horizontal lines

Fabric  -  bridal satin – painted with transfer paint using Sample #1.

Stabilizer – 2 layers of the thin nappy liner

Threads  -  grid  - (#1) Gutermann 100% polyester  -dark green thread – colour # 792  (complement)     

           (#2)  second complement – Marathon Korean thread (probably rayon) – light tone - violet  -  colour   # 2077       

           (#3)  third thread – mid colour – Gutermann 100% polyester – mid green colour # 776

Bobbin Thread – variegated green thread – didn’t show through to the front

Length of stitch -   2.5

In this piece, I like the empty squares of colour in the grid.  Also the light violet gives an interesting effect.  This piece distorted only a small amount.   I noticed that I had filled the same number of rows and columns with the light violet colour.  I am not sure if there should be more variation.  

Piece #2 – stitching straight diagonal lines

Fabric  -  black felt

Stabilizer  -  black felt

Threads  -  (#1) – 100% Rayon embroidery  thread-  WonderFil Art# 3142  -   colour # 1182 – dark red 

           (#2)  -  100 % rayon embroidery thread – colour # 1057 –DD-8069  -  light blue     

           (#3)  - 100% Rayon embroidery thread   -  WonderFil Art #40 – colour # 1137  -  bright orange

Bobbin Thread – black

Length of stitch – 3.5

There was a little distortion of the fabric although I did trim a bit off each side as you can see the cut threads.  I do have a button on my machine that makes a knot when I have finished a row and I was following this practice for the most part of the piece. 

Piece # 3 – Straight stitched lines going in every direction

Fabric  -  calico (muslin)

Stabilizer – medium weight woven pellon (Vilene)   -

Threads -  (#1) – 100% Rayon Embroidery Thread  -  (no colour number – I expect it is a WonderFil thread)  -  mid to dark green      

(#2) - 100% Rayon thread – no colour number -  Royal Blue                     

(#3)  - 100% Rayon Embroidery Thread – WonderFil Art# 3142  -  colour # 1182  -  mid red.  

(#4)  -  100% Rayon Embroidery Thread – WonderFil Art# 3142  -  colour # 2113 – bright yellow 

(#5)  -  100% Rayon embroidery thread   -  WonderFil Art #40 – colour # 1137  -  bright orange

(#6) – 100% Rayon thread -  1081   BF-8309  -  mid violet

(#7) – 100% polyester Mettler metrosene plus -  colour #3 -  used as the first layer of concentrated  stitching for the tree trunks  

(#8) – 100% polyester Mettler metrosene plus – colour # 712 -  mid brown – used for the second layer of stitching on the  tree trunks

(#9)  - Rayon thread – 120D/2  - variegated colour Stonehaven -  used as the top stitching layer of the tree trunks (there are sections of white along with the darker browny colours of the variegation) 

Bobbin Thread – 100% polyester – white

Length of stitch  -  3

The tree trunks look realistic even with the white thread bobbin thread showing through.   I should have possibly used a darker bobbin thread on the random rows of stitches that used the darker colours  (eg. blue, red, and green)  Once the tree trunks were stitched, there was great distortion of the fabric.  On the left tree trunk, I added another piece of Vilene stabilizer and this helped a bit!!! I am not happy with the piece. 

Piece # 4 -  Straight stitches in a curved pattern (all with the foot on and feed dogs up)

Fabric  -  Bridal satin painted with transfer paints from using Sample # 5 – the third pressing

Stabilizer –   Vilene (mid weight woven pellon) and  white felt.

Threads -  (#1) – 100% Rayon Embroidery Thread  -  (no colour number – I expect it is a WonderFil thread)  -  mid to dark green      

(#2) - 100% Rayon thread – no colour number -  Royal Blue                     

(#3)  - 100% Rayon Embroidery Thread – WonderFil Art# 3142  -  colour # 1182  -  mid red.  

(#4)  -  100% Rayon Embroidery Thread – WonderFil Art# 3142  -  colour # 2113 – bright yellow 

(#5)  -  100% Rayon embroidery thread   -  WonderFil Art #40 – colour # 1137  -  bright orange

Bobbin Thread -  White -   I should have used a darker colour such as black for the blue, red, and green colours.

Length of stitch -  3.5.  I also reduced the pressure on the presser foot one notch

You will notice that some of the stitches were looping.  The thread was breaking.  I then changed to a new needle and cleaned out the fluff from the bobbin area. And everything went smoothly from that point on!!!  I liked this piece with the different colours of thread against the paint transferred bridal satin!!!   I believe that I would have a better product if I had changed the colour of the bobbin thread to match the top threads (especially the darker colours).

Workshop on Saltspring Island

 I have just spent 2 days at a workshop on Saltspring Island with Jason Pollen sponsored by the shop STITCHES.  He is a well known fibre artist from Kansas and New York. 

We made marks with Graphite Crayons (LYRA) and for colour, we used  Acrylic Artists Ink (Daler / Rowney)

We then added water and this is what happened with my pieces

For his "creation"  I used two pieces of work together by cutting them into wavy sections  and then weaving the pieces together as one and then did some machine stitching on top!!!   

There were 15 of us and every piece was different.

Lots of fun by all ...... and we all climbed out of our boxes to do something totally different. 

Distant Stitch Chapter 1

Distant stitch     Chapter 1

Page 22

Primary Colours

RED  …    My favourite colour.   I often use the colour red in my embroideries,  however, the pure hue is often very difficult to use.      I enjoy looking at red tulips, red geraniums, and fall red Japanese maple leaves.  These items always capture attention in any scene whether it is an embroidery or not!!

BLUE    …. There are a few days when the pure hue of blue is in the sky and the sea, lake, and/or river.     However, I would rather tone down the colour to make the picture look more realistic.   Photographers prefer a dull day to capture a good photograph.

YELLOW ….    Yellow is a sprightly colour.  I will use a small bit of yellow in most of my embroideries to give that bit of sparkle.  Yellow is an uplifting colour and reminds of the sun. 

Whenever using a primary colour, it can totally take over the scene to be embroidered, photographed, etc.    Each of these primary colours has to be a part of the statement of the piece or used with caution.

Pictures on PAGE 11 of chapter 1       The six pictures have items that show colours except maybe for the tulip where there is a touch of grey in the red.    However, this picture shows some pure colour in the green background. All the colours have originated from the pure form of the three primary colours….red, yellow and blue.   The only other thing that I could think of about the similarities between the six pictures was that all of the objects in the pictures had some rounded form….. but that is not connected to colour!!!

Page 7

Blue

There are several blue greens scattered throughout the grouping of colours with more in the second half or lighter half of the range.

This the beginning of the picture section.

                                                                                                                                                                             

All my pictures have come from a collection I have been keeping and adding to for some years. 

The last page of some of my special pictures!



The begining of my transfer paint journey.

This is the last page for Chapter 1.  I reallly like how the transfer paits reacted with the linen and the cotton table cloth.  I really enjoy embroidering on painted fabrics and now this a new way for me to colour my fabrics. 

                                                                                                Page 1

DISTANT STITCH

Machine embroidery   Level 2

MODULE ONE        RAZZALE DAZZLE

The colours that I can see from my window in front of my table!

Douglas Fir forest

Branches …greens …. Dark green in the shadows to mid green on the tips of the branches          

Tree trunks …. Black and very dark brown …  with patches of tones of yellow brown and green from the tall grasses in the meadow beyond the trees seen between the dark tree trunks.Lawn    grass green with patches of dried yellow brown

Smoke tree

Dark magenta (blue/red) leaves with a few that are turning to fall yellow (a shade of yellow)

                Branches … shades of orange/yellow

                Flower stems …. Shades of yellow

Mountain Ash tree

                Trunk …. light to medium brown possible on the orange yellow scale of tones

                Leaves … orange yellow with a hint of grey

                Branches … medium dark brown to medium brown

Catoni Aster

                Branches … dark brown to medium dark brown

                Leaves … green to green yellow with a touch of orange

                Berries … a shade of red orange

Sky         pale pale light grey

There are so many variations of colours in the landscape outside my window.  I would need to go out with my colour tools to be exactly sure of the shade/tint/ and tones of shades/tints of the colours I have chosen!!!    I am sure I would also be quite surprised at what the actual colour would be!!

Page 2

Green

Near the center of the stream of colours, I have indicated what I feel is a true green. I found this exercise a bit difficult because there is such a variation of greens and where they should  be placed.  In the bottom half of the grouping, I have yellow greens mixed in with some blue greens.  The top half just has one definite yellow green. I also included a "green" picture in the centre of the stream of pictures depicting light to mid to dark green. 

 

 

 

Yellow

 

Page 3

The yellows I picked are either yellow or they have a bit of green in them.  There are a couple of them at the top that show a bit of orange as well as my candle

picture!!!!

Orange

Here I see that I have gone from the red orange to yellow orange.  My extra picture shows the colour range from red orange to orange to yellow orange to yellow

 

Page 4                  



Red



I started the colour red with a deep red violet and then moved into the red with a hint of orange just after the red flower. The maple leaf is orange red .... quite out of character of most of the reds in this colour range!!!   But I liked it!!!

 

 

 

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Page 6

 

 

Violet



Dard red violets start out this journey of the violet colour and stay with the scheme until the piece marked violet.  However, I note that there is at least one piece that is more blue violet than the rest in the middle of this top group.  Then we have a mixture of blue violets and and red violets mixed in with the tone violets. My picture of the Alliums are a tint of

red violdt.  So pretty!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beginning of my Journey into Distant Stitch - Level 2 - Machine Embroidery

Distant Stitch

Level 2 Certificate

Module one 'Razzle Dazzle

Chapter 1 -  Organizing the Colours

Green

Near the center of the stream of colours, I have indicated what I feel is a true green. I found this exercise a bit difficult because there is such a variation of greens and where they should  be placed.  In the bottom half of the grouping, I have yellow greens mixed in with some blue greens.  The top half just has one definite yellow green. I also included a "green" picture in the centre of the stream of pictures depicting light to mid to dark green.