COLOURS for Chapter 5

Primary colours -   red, yellow, and blue

Secondary colours -   green, violet and orange

Distant Stitch - Chapter 5 - Stitching Colours

 

Stitched Colour Circle #1   -   using one thread in the needle and all 6 colours (primary and secondary), a five inch circle marked off in six sections with a compass, a wooden embroidery frame.

 

 

Fabric – calico (unbleached cotton)

Stabilizer – Vilene (mid weight woven pellon)

Threads - Red - Tubino - 100% cotton – colour # 2997; bobbin thread – Mettler metrosene - 100% polyester – colour #601 (red)

Green – Tubino – 100% cotton – colour # 2765; bobbin thread – Gutermannn – polyester – colour #2765 (green)

Orange – Tubino – 100% cotton – colour #2405; bobbin thread – Astra – 100% polyester – colour # not noted on the spool (orange)

Blue – Tubino – 100% cotton – colour # 2871; bobbin thread – Guttermann – 100% polyester – colour #260 (blue)

Violet – Gutermann – 100% polyester – colour # 944; bobbin thread – Guttermann - 100% polyester – colour #260 (blue)

Yellow - Tubino - 100% cotton – colour # 2537; bobbin thread – Mettler metrosene - 100% polyester – colour # 500 (yellow)

Stitch

Machine settings - stitch - zigzag; length of stitch - 0.4; width of stitch - 5.0 to 0.0 at the centre of the circle; tension - 1.8

I found it quite difficult settling what the tension and length of stitch should be. You will note that there are some discrepancies. Also the stitching is somewhat  “rough” in reducing the width of the stitch as I neared the centre of the piece. This got better as I progressed through the different colours (yellow was quite successful). There was a bit of distortion near the centre.

 

Stitched Colour Circle #2 – using 2 threads in the needle in the 3 primary colours, circle and embroidery frame as before.

 

 

Fabric & stabilizer – same as Circle # 1

Threads – Red – same as Circle #1

Orange – used Circle #1 for Red and Yellow; bobbin – red as in circle #1

Yellow - same as Circle #1

Green – used Circle #1 for Yellow and Blue; bobbin – yellow as in circle #1

Blue – same as Circle #1

Violet – used circle #1 for Red and Blue; bobbin – blue as in circle #1

Machine settings – same as for Circle #1 except for the length of stitch – 0.5.

For this piece, I tried to use a needle with two holes instead of one. Couldn’t get it to work. There was always one thread (the one on top) that stayed on top of the stitching. So I put both threads in the lower hole of the needle. And then there was no more troubles.

 

Tonal Value with threads – using 2 threads in the needle in all 6 colours (primary and secondary), black and white, a rectangle marked off in 18 squares each an inch by an inch, a wooden embroidery frame

 

Fabric and stabilizer – same as for the circles

Threads - Red – same as for Circle #1

Orange – same as for Circle #1

Yellow – same as for Circle #1

Green – same as for Circle #1

Blue – same as for Circle #1

Violet – top thread was the same as Circle #1; bobbin thread – same as used for top red

White for tint – Mettler metrosene – 100% polyester – colour #2

Black for shade – Mettler metrosene – 100% polyester – colour #3

Machine settings – I used a different automatic stitch for each colour with different stitch settings

Blue – stitch #11 - length – 1.5; width – 3; worked from top to bottom

Green – stitch #17 - length - 0.4; width - 5 (reduced to 3 to compensate); worked from side to side

Yellow – stitch #20 – length - 0.8; width – 5 (reduced to 3 to compensate); worked from top to bottom

Orange – stitch #23 - length – 2.0; width – 5; worked top to bottom

Red – stitch #22 – length - 1.2; width – 5; worked side to side

Violet – stitch #8 – length – 2.0; width – 5 (reduced to 3 to compensate); worked from side to side

I found this piece a challenge using automatic stitches to try and cover the whole square. There were times when I had to go over the stitching with another row (eg. shade red). Also in the violet shade, the bobbin thread shows through. In this case one of the top threads got caught up in its co-thread.

 

Paints with tonal value

Paints used: Golden fluid acrylics

Yellow - Primary Yellow

Red - Primary Magenta

Orange - Pyrrole Orange

Blue - Ultramarine Blue

Violet - Permanent Violet Dark

Green - Permanent Green Light

White - Titanium White

Black - Carbon Black

 

Tonal Values for red, blue and yellow

 

Colour circle with 6 colours

 

 

Colour Circle with 12 colours

 

 

I enjoy playing with paints.  Also you did ask for one of these colour circles to have the shades on the inside …..  I got so involved that I missed that point. 

Christmas cards for 2012

All of these cards below include fabric that I have painted over the years.  This past summer I also decided to press flowers and leaves  from my garden using this neat flower press from Lee Valley.   The creations then have added beads and bits of threads. Some of them I covered the piece with tulle as the flowers are very delicate.  Others I have used glue and still others I have put down a layer of Misty Fuse.  All the beads and  threads are glued!!!   They were lots of fun to do!!!!