Playing with the primaries
Page 1
Fabric – unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt
Threads - Gutterman threads (100% polyester) - red (colour #410); blue (colour # 251); Yellow (colour #850) - the bobbin thread was matched to the top thread
Stitch – zigzag with a length of 0.5 and a variation of widths from 1 to 5. Foot on and feed dogs up.
The fabric was distorted quite a bit and the length should maybe have been 0.4. I was not to happy with this piece and the intensity of the colours.
Page 2.
Fabric - unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt
Threads – Aurifil threads – 12 weight – 100% cotton
The top threads had no numbers, however, I did match them to the 3 in 1 Color Tool. The red was a shade off Magenta (#17); Blue was a tint of blue (#11); and the yellow was a tint of Golden Yellow (#24). The bobbin threads matched the Gutterman threads used in the sample on Page 1.
This time I used automatic stitch number 11. I varied the stitch widths and lengths as well as turning the piece up side down. The stitch was intensified by reducing the length. I also stitched over other rows. However, the rows are not very straight. The red is definitely dominant in this piece. Foot on and feed dogs up.
Experimenting with secondary colours
Page 3
Fabric - unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt
Threads – Aurifil Threads – 12 weight (100% cotton) . Bobbin threads are Gutterman threads to match top threads.
Again, the these threads had no numbers and so I matched them to the 3 in 1 Color Tool. Green – tint of green (5); Violet – shade of violet ((#13); orange – hue. Bobbin threads were matching Gutterman threads.
Stitches – zigzag with a length of 0.6 and a variation of widths. Foot on and feed dogs up.
There were lots of problems with this sample. The heavier weight of the top thread didn’t always catch the bobbin thread and in several places you see the bobbin thread coming through to the top. I also fiddled with the tension quite a bit and was not always successful. I also changed the needle and cleaned out the fluff!!! I always tried samples before I started the a row but this didn’t always transfer to the actual piece!!! Also, I found that slow was best! And as before, the rows were not very straight. There was some distortion of the fabric. I still decided to put the piece in. I do have to admit that I did cut a couple of rows out and re-stitched. So I feel the heavier thread was not a success in this piece.
Page 4
Fabric - a piece of pima cotton polyester that has been transfer painted
Stabilizer - medium weight pellon
Threads - All Gutterman threads (100% polyester) – orange (#462); violet (#945); green (#752). Bobbin threads match top threads.
Stitch – automatic pattern #22 - a small flower. I see that the second orange row is a leaf pattern ….. it is right next to the flower pattern on the machine. A mistake but it looks just fine!!! I varied the width and length throughout and I stitched some rows over other rows!!! Foot on and feed dogs up.
I quite like this piece and it was easy to do. And the rows seem to be straighter!!!
Mixing of primary and complementary colours
Page 5
Fabric – unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer – white felt
Threads – All are Gutterman threads (100% polyester). red (#410); violet (#945); blue (#251); green (#752); yellow (#850); orange (#462). Bobbin threads match the top threads.
Stitch - automatic pattern #24 – a leaf stitch. I varied the lengths and width of the rows of stitches. As I went down the rainbow of colours, I made sure that I over stitched the colour before. Foot on and feed dogs up.
I liked the effect of this piece with the selected automatic stitch. Rows are not as straight as they should be!!!!
Building layers with primary and complementary colours.
Page 6 - Yellow / violet
Fabric - Unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt and medium weight pellon (I was having such trouble in preventing distortion of the fabric!!!)
Threads - Aurifil 100% cotton – 12 weight … there were no colour numbers, however, I did use the 3 in 1 Color Tool. Yellow - a tint of golden yellow (#24); Violet - a tone of pure Violet (#13). Bobbin threads are Gutterman threads to match top threads.
Stitch - leaf stitch (#24) - I changed the length and width of this automatic stitch. I laid all the violet rows first and then started adding the yellow rows. I did stitch over the violet rows. However, the violet rows are definitely dominant. I framed the piece with violet top and bottom. Foot on and feed dogs up.
I liked this piece.
Page 7 - Red / green
Fabric - unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt and medium weight pellon.
Threads - Aurifil 100% cotton - weight 40/2 . Spring green (#114 2BD) - shade of # 4 on the 3 to 1 Color Tool; Fushia ( 2535 1EO) - shade of #16 on the 3 to 1 Color Tool. Bobbin threads are Gutterman threads to match top threads.
Stitch - Automatic stitch #11 - varied the length and width of the stitch as well as stitching rows over other rows. I particularly liked the wide red row when I double stitched it --- a complete fluke at the way it worked out!!! - especially on the right side of the piece. I also varied the stitches by going from right to left and then left to right!!! Foot and feed dogs up.
I liked this piece ….. although my rows were again not very straight!!! I had to add in some bits!! (I could probably fix this if I stitched each row one after another instead of doing several rows of one colour with spaces and adding the second colour in the spaces!!! )
Page 8 - Blue / orange
Fabric - unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt
Threads - Gutterman threads (100% polyester). Blue (#251); Orange (#462) Bobbin threads same as top threads.
Stitch - Automatic stitch leaf stitch (#24). I varied the length and width of the stitch. I stitched the orange rows first and filled in with the blue rows overlapping in several places. I really liked the freedom of the pattern when the length was set at it’s maximum. Foot and feed dogs up.
I really like the effect of this automatic stitch as I used it in three of the examples!!!!
Colour Grading
Page 9 - Red
Fabric - unbleached cotton (calico)
Stabilizer - white felt and medium weight pellon
Threads - 1. darkest - Mettler - wine red (#060). 2. #1 and Guttermann – dark red (#430). 3. Gutterman – dark red (#430). 4. Mettler shade of red (#60). 5. Pure red hue - Guttermann (#410). 6. #5 and DMC bright pink (#602). 7. DMC bright pink (#602). 8. Pink – no clue what brand it is!! 9. Gutterman – pink (colour # not available). 10. Mettler pink (#0903). 11. Trident pink (colour number not available!) 12. #11 and Gutterman – white (#20)
Bobbin threads - Black, red and white.
My stitches and rows were a bit better in this example. I finally chose length – 0.4 and width – 5. I varied the tension between 2.2 and 3.2. For the 1st and 3rd row there was only one thread used in the needle. I should have used two or overstitched to cover the spaces. Used foot and feed dogs up.
Monet Colour
Page 10
San Giorgio Maggiore Venice at Dusk by Claude Monet
Monet was the founder of French Impressionist painting where he expressed his perceptions before nature. He would paint in the moment – outside for what he saw and not in a studio and not from a photographic copy.
I found the following colours in a part of this painting. Dark red, red, orange, yellow, medium blue, light blue, willow green, black brown, and off white.
Page 11
For this rendition, I used water colour crayons (Staedtler) and then added a bit of water with a paint brush. Not a great success.
Page 12
For this painting, I used Golden Fluid Acrylic Paints. The colours are Pyrrole Orange, Naphthal Red Light, Diarylide Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue, Hansa Yellow Light, Cerulean Blue Deep, Permanent GreenLight, Carbon Black, Titanium White. I did a bit of mixing of colours to get the brown and the pale blue otherwise all the other scrumptious colours came out of the bottles!!!!
Page 13
Fabric - Black felt
Stabilizer – chair dust cover
Threads – Aurifil #12 weight – 100% cotton - there are no colour numbers on the spools!!!! I will try to describe the colours used using the 3 in 1 Color Tool. 1. red (#19) brown - red tint plus grey . 2. Orange (#21) – pure. 3. Orange red (#21) – pure. 4. Orange red (#20) – tint. 5. Yellow (#1) - shade 6. Golden yellow (#24) - tint. 7. Spring green (#4) – pure. 8. Blue (#11) – tone. 9. Blue(#11) – tint. Guttermann threads – yellow (#850) and a pale yellow (# 807). Used orange (#462) and blue (#251).
Stitches – For this piece, I lowered the feed dogs, used a free motion foot, and the embroidery hoop. I used the straight stitch going back and forth left to right. Half way through, I turned the piece 90 degrees and continued straight stitching up and down. There is lots of stitch layering. I also was copying the patterns found in the actual painting and in my rendition of the actual. Then I read the description not to copy!!! Sorry about that!!!! I started with the dark tones and then added layers ending up with the lightest tones on top!!!
Page 14
Fabric - Transfer painting on bridal satin #1 from Chapter 1.
Stabilizer - medium weight pellon
Threads – similar colours to the above sample but all were Gutterman threads (100% polyester) and not the heavier weight threads of the Aurifil line.
Stitches – same as above using an embroidery hoop. There is not the same amount of stitching and I didn’t use the darkened piece to the right as in the original. I liked the effect of the painted background. I also noticed that the machine needle caught threads of the bridal satin. I did change to a new needle before beginning this piece.
Page 15 Sample using all the colours stitched together with two threads in the needle.
Fabric - poly cotton (pima) that has been transfer painted.
Stabilizer – medium weight pellon
Threads - Gutternan threads (100 % polyester) - Red (#410); Blue #251); Yellow (#850); Orange (#462); Violet (#945); Green (#752)white and black.
Stitches - free motion using an embroidery hoop. I mixed up the colours using two threads in the needle. Also added black and white to a couple of the colours. The centre bit had lots of over stitching!!! I think I need to get bobbin threads that are lighter in weight and not just the regular 40 weight Gutterman threads!!
The END of Chapter 9
