Mini Samples
Page 1 Stitch and a blob.
All the samples and projects in this Chapter are completed using free embroidery, feed dogs down, using an embroidery foot on the sewing machine, and a straight stitch. There were occasions where I wished I had an open toe foot so I could see where I was coming and going a little bit easier!!! I need to get one!!!
Threads: Where I used Aurifil – 100% cotton – it was the # 12 weight - there were no colour numbers for the #12 weight; For all the black felt samples, Black Guttermann thread was used in the bobbin.
Stitching: in all the stitching I attempted to ensure that I was true to the stitch chosen.
Sample 1
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil –- turquoise (tint) ; Aurifil – magenta (hue); 100% rayon embroidery – magenta; WonderFil metallic – gold 8858.
Sample 2
Fabric and Stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil – turquoise (tint); Aurifil – red orange (hue); WonderFil – metallic – silver 881; Gutermann – metallic – blue green 143
I had difficulty with this sample. I did 3 rows of metallic stitching on the opposite diagonal. I looked too messy so did more over stitching in the original direction with the heavier Aurifil threads.
Sample 3
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Fabric and Stabilizer - black felt
Threads: Aurifil - magenta (hue); Aurifil - chartreuse (hue); WonderFil - metallic - gold 8858; Guttermann – metallic – burnished gold 24; 100% rayon embroidery – magenta.
I did a lot of overstitching to decrease the intensity of the bright chartreuse thread. This looks like wavy shadows in the water!!!!!
Page 2 Stitch and a squiggle.
Sample 4
Fabric and Stabilizer – black felt
Threads – Aurifil – spring green (tint); Aurifil – magenta (hue); 100% rayon embroidery – magenta (hue); 100% rayon embroidery – spring green (tint).
I liked the effect of the finer threads over the heavier Aurifil threads.
Sample 5
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads – Aurifil – blue (tint); Aurifil – orange (hue); WonderFil metallic – copper MT7722.
Sample 6
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil – yellow orange (tint); Aurifil – violet (hue); 100% rayon – violet (tint0; WonderFil metallic – shiny gold 8858.
Stitching – I laid down the yellow orange first and then all the other threads crossing and crisscrossing.
Page 3 - Round and round, back and forwards.
Sample 7
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil – magenta (tint); Wonderfil metallic – gold 8858.
Stitching. For the top part of the sample, I did overlapping circles, whereas the bottom part I echoed the circles on top of the original ones.
Sample 8
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads: WonderFil – metallic gold 8858
I liked the effect of the gold thread on it’s own!!!
Sample 9
Fabric and stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil – golden yellow; WonderFil metallic – red MT7714.
Stitching – tried to do this on the diagonal. I was not very successful so I cut it out as a square. There are two rows of red stitching; one going in the same direction as the yellow stitching and one in the opposite direction.
Page 4 Doodle and Stitch
I took two patterns from this page and stitched them on to a transfer painted bridal satin from Chapter 1.
Page 5 Stitch and Doodle samples
Sample 1
Fabric – Bridal satin form Sample #5 listed in Chapter 1
Stabilizer – black felt
Threads: Aurifil 100% cotton 40 weight – orange (hue); Aurifil 100% cotton 40 weight – blue (tint); WonderFil metallic – dark blue 8850; WonderFil metallic – orange 7713. Bobbin thread – Guttermann – black.
Stitches – some difficulty in stitching circles from side to side and then straight stitching in between. My right angles were not always 90 degrees.
Sample 2
Same fabrics and threads as for Sample 1 above.
Stitching – I like these two samples and that the colours of the fabric and the threads are somewhat similar.
Page 6 More Doodles
These patterns are from Zentangles – a great source for doodling!!! I like the bricks in the middle as well as the flower on the bottom left of the page. How I would use them I do not know!!!
Page 7 More Doodles
Page 8 Shapes and colours for the resolved sample (‘Pottery’ by Patrick Caulfield)
I printed off two copies of the picture. There are variations in size, colour and value. Every time you look at the piece, there is a different shape, a different colour, a different size. Some of the shapes are similar but exaggerated in another way. There seems to be no focal point. Yellow takes you through the piece from the bottom up the right hand side and red goes up the centre and to the left. . Blue is spotted through out in the pure hue as well as a variety of tints. Then there is violet, shades of green, different colours of pinks including some peach. There are no shadows. The piece is very complex in many ways.
Page 9 Shapes from the “Pottery” piece.
Everytime I looked at this piece I found another shape. All the shapes came in a variety of sizes.
Page 10 - Lines and Shapes
I drew 4 sets of lines and shapes and chose 2 of them to stitch.
Sample 1
Sample 2
The photographs a bit out of focus on this page!!!
Page 11 More lines and Shapes.
Sample 3 (first stitched sample)
Sample 4 (second stitched sample)
These exercises were not as easy as I thought they would be. I was trying to achieve different shapes and make it interesting with colour and patterns in the shapes. I am not sure if I succeeded. I painted the examples using Golden Fluid Acrylics (Quinacridone Red, Primary Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, Dairylide Yellow, Permanent Green light).
Page 12 Stitched Sample #1
Fabric – black felt
Stabilizers – black felt and Avalon Madeira stabilizer tear away cotton soft white (Art 9436)
Threads : WonderFil metallic – silver 881; Trident – red;the rest were Gutterman threads – blue 251; yellow 850; orange 462.
I was not happy with this piece. I used silver metallic thread to follow the lines and I did too many. There is a confusion of threads in the middle. Also, I should have outlined the shapes in their selected colours and not silver. The blue blob was too big for the piece. I really liked the the orange blobs. Also my threads should have been more vibrant …. I should have used metallic or rayon instead of 100% polyester. (the actual piece is quite dull – the photo enhancer on the computer programme increased the colour intensity). I really like how the stabilizer worked. So easy. This was one case where I would have preferred an open toe foot for the machine instead of the embroidery foot that I have. It is a clear plastic one but hard to see through to the stitches.
Page 13 Stitched sample # 2
Fabric and stabilizers – same as for Sample #1
Threads: WonderFil metallic – gold 8855; Mettler silky sheen rayon 1912; rest of the threads were WonderFil 100% rayon embroidery; green 4125; orange; blue 3123; yellow (no colour numbers for orange and blue).
Stitching – I liked this piece better than sample #1 in a number of ways: fewer metallic gold stitched lines, the blobs were outlined in the colour intended, the rayon threads were certainly superior to the polyester threads. The green blob should have had more overstitching around the edges. It is hard to distinguish the stitch formation on the red, blue and green. The shapes of the blobs were different shapes and sizes. I seem to have two of each colour and maybe I should have made the green blob orange. Also the yellow thread is not very yellow… it should have been a brighter or darker version.
Page 13 A drawing of resolved piece.
I spend some considerable time deciding how I should tackle this piece. I had fun doing it. I used Golden Acrylic paints to colour in the fruits. (same colours used for the samples above)
Page 14 Resolved piece
Fabric – transfer painted cotton polyester
Stabilizer – white felt and Avalon Madeira stabilizer tear away cotton soft white (Art 9436).
Threads – Aurifil 100% cotton 12 weight – green (shade). The rest of the threads are listed under the individual fruit. All the Aurifil threads used in the pieces below were 100% cotton 12 wt. In most cases where I used metallic and rayon threads, I stitched with both in the needle. I did try to put one of the finer threads with the Aurifil with little success. The bobbin threads were all Guttermann threads and they matched the fruit colours
Stitching. I kept faithful to the selected stitching pattern for each piece of fruit.
Pumpkin
Threads: Aurifil – red orange, orange; Wonderfil metallic – orange (tint) 7713; WonderFil rayon – orange 1137.
Apple
Threads: Aurifil – red violet, pale green (grey); 100% rayon embroidery – light grey. wine red.
Pear
Threads – Aurifil – yellow (tint), yellow green (tint); WonderFil metallic – gold yellow 888; 100% rayon embroidery – yellow
Banana
Threads: Aurifil – yellow green (tint), yellow, golden yellow (tint); WonderFil metallic- gold 8858; 100% rayon embroidery – yellow.
Grapes
Threads: Aurifil – violet; WonderFil metallic – silver 881; 100% rayon embroidery – violet (tint).
Strawberry
Threads: Aurifil – green (tint), red; WonderFil metallic – red MT7714, green (tint) 3142.
I used the doodle on page 4 for the main part of the strawberry.
Pomegranate
Threads: Aurifil – red violet; 100% rayon – wine red.
Orange
Threads: Aurifil – red orange, orange; WonderFil metallic – 7713; WonderFil rayon – orange 1137.
Kiwi
Threads: Aurifil- spring green, yellow (tint); WonderFil metallic – dark green 7725.
I used the doodle on page 7 for this piece.
THE END OF MODULE ONE!!!!!
