Module 2 - Chapter 8 - Paper Manipulation

 

I had a lot of trouble with folding bits of paper into complicated patterns.  My grand daughters origami book had lots of pictures but it was all written in Japanese.  She could follow the pictures but I could not.  I went to simpler designs and used the internet!!! 

Page 1  Where do ideas come from? 

 

I started out with a ;picture of Bird of Paradise and tried to draw it!  I like the blue petals on the spikes!!!

 

Page 2.  

Pictures of a lily, Datura and a tobacco plant.  Here there are turned up petals and some long stamens on the lily.   I am not sure why the tobacco plant is included!!!

 

Page 3.

Sunflowers and anemones with irregular petals.

 

Page 4.

Twisty Wisteria pods from the garden with the seeds long gone!!!  

 

Page 5.

 

Some sort of bulbous plant in water!!  Interesting folds of petals ….  like a arum lily. 

 

Page 6.

A large beautifully decayed magnolia leaf with lots of small holes and ragged edges!!

Some curled up oak and maple leaves.

Page 7. 

I really like these dried up rose hips!!!  They have lots of character.

 

These are dogwood seed heads.  Very intricate designs.

 

Page 8

These very dry ochras was used in a project in Chapter 4 of this module.

Here is another ochra with an attached leaf!!! .

 

Page 9.   Paper Folding!!!  I noted at the beginning of the chapter that this became my nemesis.  I even had trouble following some of the teabag folding from the internet.   I decided to decorate the bits of paper with stamps.  I have so many stamps and they very rarely get used.  So I had fun.  Some of the projects were stamped on one side only.  I should have done both sides!!!

 

Take a square and draw diagonal lines from corner to corner.  Fold the corners into the centre.

 

Take a rectangle and fold the bottom up to one third from the top.  Fold down the flap.  (an envelope)

 

Take a square and fold the paper along one diagonal from corner to corner.  Fold each side piece into the center folded line.  Fold down the top flap.

 

Page 10    Now the simple folded shapes???

An airplane.  Take a rectangle and fold it in half.  On the short end, fold down the two corners to meet the fold.  then make two more folds on each side towards the folded half.  And there you have an airplane that will fly!!! 

 

This is the Pentagon fold.  Start with square paper.  Fold left to right on the diagonal and unfold. Fold left side and right side of the paper towards the centre crease to get a tapered shape.  Fold the tip of the triangle up. Turn over.  This is the Pentagon fold.  I seemed to have created a lopsided Pentagon.

 

Page 11

A variation of the Pentagon fold.  Instead of folding the tip of the triangle up, fold down the flap at the top of the triangle.  Now fold up the tip of this triangle to from a trapezoid.   This is the reverse side.

 

Then turn the trapezoid over. Fold the top (wider) edge down  to match  up with the bottom edge.  The tip of the triangle will stick out below the trapezoid. 

 

Page 12

Fold the paper in half diagonally both ways. Open up and fold each corner into the centre. Then turn the paper over and again fold each corner into the center.  Take a pair of corners opposite each other and pull out and there you have the above bit of paper folding.  (not very accurate foldings!!!)

This is looking down from the top!!!    

 

Page 13    Curling Papers     These were much easier to do!!!!

 

Paper Loop  -  I  decided to cut the strips in curvy lines instead of straight lines. 

 

Mobeus Loop.  The paper is heavily stamped with one of Sherrill Kahn’s stamps. 

 

Several Mobeus loops joined in a circle one after another.

 

Here the Mobeus loops are joined together in an irregular pattern.

 

Page 14   Cut and Curl

I cut the paper strips in different widths and then formed the circles in varying places along the  strips. 

 

For the next cut and curl, I should have stamped both sides. 

Again the strips are at different widths, though not as much variety as I could have done.  The curls are rolled to either side of the uncut strip.  The first picture is taking from the side while the second picture is showing the uncut strip. 

 

Page 15   This time there are 2 uncut strips, one at the top and one at the bottom.  I stamped both sides of the paper and the results were very effective.  I really like this lantern effect!! 

A side view with all the strips poking outward!

 

A picture from the top!!

 

Half of the strips poking outward and the other half poking inward.

 

From the top.

 

All the strips poking inward!  I should  made a definite inward fold and the variation of the lantern would have been more effective!

 

From the top with all the strips poking inward.

 

Onto to Chapter 9!!! 

Module 2 - Chapter Seven - Developing Stitched Textures

 

This chapter was great.  I did have a bit of an issue with what I was going to do with the final project.  That always seems to happen to me. 

Page 1   Couching yarns continued   -  I had such fun going through all those funky yarns and strips of sari silk that I seem to have been saving for years!!!  Used regular presser foot.  Feed dogs up.  Everything stitched on in vertical strips.

Fabric -   black felt

Stabilizer – medium weight tear away

Top thread   -  Thread Studio, 100 % rayon, variegated bright colours – Carnivale

Bobbin thread -  Guttermann 100% polyester  - dark green

Yarns -  I tried to stay with red/oranges and aquas.    I slipped in a bit of orange/yellow to help make the piece “pop”! The wide piece of pale yellow/orange could be out of place!!!  I used sari silks, sari yarns, eyelash knitting yarns, and a variety of other knitting yarns.  Many of the “yarns” were twisted, some were multiple threads to make that unit wider and more effective.

Stitching – zigzag stitching for all attached pieces.  I varied the length and width of the stitches.  I like the knobby bits at the top as well as the dangling fringe at the bottom.  I simply love bright colours!!!

 

Page 2    Couching yarns continued.  This time the “yarns” were manipulated in different ways.  A variety of automatic patterns were used to attach the pieces and to give further dimension to the over all effect.

Fabric – Black felt

Stabilizer – medium weight tear away

Threads – top thread  - (a.)  Gutterman, 100% polyester – colour #10, black.     (b.)   Wonderfil,  Gold metallic,  colour #8858.  (c.)  Thread Studio, 100% rayon, variegated aqua/blue/green, colour Barrier Reef.     (d.)  Embroidery Thread, 100% rayon, colour – shocking pink.  (e.)   Gutterman, 100% polyester, colour #440  wine red.    Bobbin thread – Gutterman , 100% polyester – colour #10,  black.

Yarns – For colours, I was attempting to use magenta/fushia with some shades of magenta.  Then went to greens and aquas and a bit of off white.  Then, of course, in came that bright yellow orange sari ribbon yarn that I just had to add as a BIG accent!!!   I also used some twisted dyed cheese cloth, knitting yarns and some very hairy sari cords.  I also knotted a piece of sari silk, twisted some sari yarn before stitching. 

Stitching – I used several automatic patterns as shown by the picture below.  Also made good use of the zigzag stitch for the bright orange/yellow globe and the squished ovals down the side. 

Before, I put in the yellow/orange sari yarn, I felt the piece needed a boost!!  there was too much black showing.  These were attached by the zigzag stitch using the metallic gold thread.  This was also used in stitching one of the wide fushia sari silks.  To mute the off white sari silk piece, I zigzagged a fuzzy knitting wool thread on top and also used an automatic stitch in the aqua/green/blue colour.  Again I left a fringe!   The piece is very Mexican!!!

 

Page 3   In the style of Bridget Riley. 

Fabric – white felt

Stabilizer – medium weight tear away

Threads -  Guttermann 100% polyester -  Colour # 10  - black for both top and bobbin threads.

Yarn – Treenway 100% silk – size 8/2 – colour black.

Stitching – zigzag length – 3.0.  width – 1.   “foot” on and feed dogs up.

This was somewhat more difficult to stitch to hold the cord in place and operate the machine!!  Stitch slowly was the key!!

 

Page 4   Layers and stitch.  All my pieces seem to be quite big  (this one measured 11 inches by 8 inches not including the fringe).   I know you suggested pieces at least half the size that  I did.  I guess I got a bit carried away!!! 

I raided my material stash and found out that I possessed a lot of reds!!  There are pinks, reds, red/violets from tints to shades to tones (dark copper). The fabrics are silks, cottons, satins, tulle, velvet.  Tearing of strips of fabric instead of cutting gives another dimension to the piece. 

Then came the stitching.

Background fabric  - black felt

Stabilizer -  medium weight tear away

Threads – Top thread -  Thread Studio, 100% rayon, variegated thread colour Barrier Reef,  aqua/blue/green.  Bobbin thread – Aurifil 100% cotton 40/2 wt. colours  dark pink and red/violet.  This combination of threads was used for both phases of the project.

Stitches – used a variety of automatic stitches with a variety of length of stitch.

 

On top, I used sari silk threads, 100% silk boucle threads (sometimes tripled), a kitting yarn that was variegated with fancy loops (called Vespa).  Some of the yarns roamed across the underlying background.   Each of these threads were zigzagged down!!!  

 

This shows the back of the piece with all the completed stitching.  The next picture is the completed piece with all the cords and threads applied.  

   I really like this piece!!

 

Page 5     Bits and bobs.  My garden picture is as follows.

My chosen photograph showed a big splash of colour near the centre along with other colours in and around the garden.  There were also a variety of greens through the picture.

Page 6    Construction of the piece!!! 

I chose one of my green transfer painted pieces of cotton polyester. The piece was not dark enough for the background so I used 5 different green coloured pencil crayons to increase the greenness!!!!  The stabilizer was a piece of white felt. 

These are the fabrics I chose.  I used sari silks and threads, boucle yarn, silk scarves picked up in Asian markets that have been waiting around for a purpose, pieces of satin type linings.

Page 7

I first sprayed the background with 505 sticky medium and started to place the various small pieces in their predetermined places.   I soon found out the 505 was not going to work very well.  I believe that  I cut the pieces too small and they would not stay in the place where I wanted them to be!!!   I covered it all with a very fine nylon scarf.  This worked perfectly.    

 

The final stitched piece.  The feed dogs were down.  Regular sewing foot was used. Tension was released on the presser foot.  Matched the bobbin threads to the top threads.  In each of the colour sequences, I used two different shades with a couple of variegated threads.The stems of the lilies were zigzagged in place.  I tried to do leaf and flower shapes as I stitched.  Granite stitch was used for the white flowers.  For the Lilies, I should have stitched the yellow orange before the yellow!! 

Threads -  Greens -  Guttermann 100% polyester – dark green;  Thread Studio, 100% cotton,   variegated green .

Reds – machine embroidery, 100% rayon, #1155    A5-8158, wine red in colour;  DMC, 100% cotton, colour # 602, shocking pink;  Coates, 100% cotton, colour   #5.6494 , dark pink

Blues – Aurifil, 100% cotton 40 wt, colour # 2780 21C, dark royal blue;  Wonderfil metallic, colour #8850, dark blue.

Yellows – Embroidery thread, 100% rayon, yellow;  Korean 100% rayon, colour  #2022, yellow orange.

Thread Studio, 100% cotton, Valdani #M49, variegated sand colour.

 

Page 8    Using design source to inspire texture.  I chose a horse chestnut in a naturally opened shell. 

The chestnut was smooth and shiny.  The shell was rough with lots of bumps.  The variation in the split shell was white striated/ridged edges.

 

My drawing of the chestnut. 

In order to accomplish the textures, I decided to enlarge the original drawing. And then I photocopied a chestnut leaf to add a further dimension to the piece.

Page 9    The base fabric.

First of all, I decided that I would choose a greenish background.  I wanted to use felt.  So I did some transfer painting using cyan blue and yellow onto white felt.  To soften the edges, I turned the painted paper around and about the piece of felt.  Also, before, I had gone too far, I cut out  a typical chestnut leaf shape and placed it on the felt and did some more ironing.  Next, I thought that I needed a darker colour for the background of the chestnut.  This time, I cut a stencil of the above chestnut shape, and took another painted paper with the colours shown.  I believed it worked well!!  The only criticism that I have is that the proportional sizes of the leaf and the chestnut are not equal.  But I think that is OK.     So now I am ready to stitch!! 

Page 10     My completed piece.

Fabric – transfer painted felt

Stabilizer -  unbleached cotton. (I possibly should have used a second piece of felt)

Threads – Aurifil 100% cotton 12 wt .  - colours -  red brown, medium brown, orange brown (no colour numbers).  Aurifil 100% cotton 40 wt. – colours – #1114 2BD,  spring green;  #5016 2AE, medium yellow green;  #2315 2BF, pale shade of yellow;  #2372 1CD, medium brown;  #2468 2CD, dark wine red;  Thread Studio , 100% rayon, colour #2188 -  very dark wine red;  Thread Studio, Illuminations, Black Jewel metallic thread, colour  Shiraz.

Stitches – for the smooth chestnut I used the two shiny threads (metallic and 100% rayon).  There is slight undulation of the surface where I used a couple of rows of straight stitches leaving the in between bits free to puff up on their own. 

For the light coloured part and wanted to emphasize the striations and so I filled in these parts with straight stitching following the curve of the sections.  To delineate the chestnut from the shell, I added a row of this same thread at the bottom of the nut. 

For the husk, I stitched a zigzag (width – 1; length – 3) around the outside and along the cracks.  Where the husk was broken, I did a couple of zigzag rows.  For the rough spots on the bottom of the shell, I used the same zigzag as above but going around in circles (like a granite stitch).  For the rest of the raised bumps, I used straight stitch going around and around in circles with an occasional flip out of the roundness in the shape of a tear drop.  These all were varied in size.  Then I took a lighter colour of thread and stitched tear drops on top ….  all going in various directions.   The bobbin threads were the same for husk and the nut.  I only matched the off white thread of the edges of the husk for I wanted mostly the light colour to be visible.   Therefore, the bobbin thread for the teardrops was the same colour as the rest of the husk. 

The leaves were straight stitched with a coordinating colour thread (1114).   The bobbin thread was the green that was on the yellowish side ( 5016).   I added a second leaf off to the left of the nut.   I had trouble marking the second leaf so it is a bit strange.   You will notice a few black dots where I tried to control the shape of the points on the leaves!!!  I know I should have made a first stitching from the back. 

This piece finally came together and with each stage, I did some changes.  My original thought was to do the stitching all on the green.  I could not see a satisfactory end to this.  I did like the red brown colour of the chestnut and I felt I was successful in transfer painting over top of the green.  The next problem was the nut was not isolated so I stitched the pale shade of yellow to delineate the nut from the husk.    I like this piece!!!