Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Distant Stitch Machine Embroidery Level 2 Module 3 Flight of Fancy Chapter 2 Plain Edges

 

   Straight an Curved Edges stitched onto a background.

  Page 1.    Cut edges – straight - using twin needle

The background fabric was a piece of transfer dyed cotton polyester using reds and orange paints. The working background piece consisted of 2 pieces of organza (red and green) with adhesive webbing between, trapping small straight sided scraps of blue, red to yellows, yellow to green organzas and gold lame snippets.   A piece of white felt was used as a stabilizer. 

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The shape I used was taken from the green frontal section of the kite owl from Chapter 1.    Using a cardboard template,  I  traced around 4 arrow shapes on each side of the square of background fabric with a soldering iron.  The organza was attached to the background fabric by a single row of stitching around the cut out shapes.   The cut out shapes were then flipped over and attached to the background piece by simulating straight stiches with the soldering iron.  

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For the remaining appliqued  pieces, I used another piece of transfer painted cotton polyester created from the same paper used in the piece above using less heat.   The middle shape is just the pointy bits of the original shape!!!   I liked the colour combinations.   Directions of the appliqued pieces were deliberate. 

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I tried to use the twin needle but soon found out that turning corners was quite difficult.  As you can see in the above photograph, the bottom right had corner shape was my try out.  The rest of the appliqued pieces were stitched twice with a single needle.  Around the outside edge, I did use the twin needle. 

Threads. 

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1. Valdani #M37 – 60 wt – 100% cotton (from Romania) colour – variegated gold/yellow/orange/red orange/ dark red.

2. 100% cotton – tones of red. 

3. for the bobbin  - 100% polyester – light grey

I enjoyed putting this piece together. 

 

Page 2    Straight edges  -  Satin Stitch 

This time for the background fabric,  I stitched rows of automatic stitches (leaf stitch #24) on a piece for velvet.  Used a piece of black felt as a stabilizer. 

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For the designated shape, I still used a part of the frontal section (centre dark green bit) of the kite owl and cut out five different sizes.  Each piece was fused down and then stitched using the satin stitch.  I left the foot on and feed dogs up.

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Thread -  Thread Studio – 100% rayon, variegated Warrandyte blue to copper.  Bobbin thread was black Gutermann – 100% polyester.

I like the way the thread colours blend in with the fabrics. 

 

Page 3 – Curved edges - twin needle

For this piece, I used the teardrop shape of the scales from the folk art fish from Chapter 1. 

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For the background fabric, I ironed a piece of painted fusible webbing onto a piece of transfer painted background. 

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This time I floated the individual shapes rather than join them together.  The piece was stitched with foot on and feed dogs up.

Using the twin needle on the curved pieces was certainly much easier task than the straight arrow shapes in the first piece

To tie the floating pieces together, I twined stitched the background in vertical rows.  I did this after I had attached the teardrops.  (I am afraid it was an afterthought!!   It did improve the piece.)

Thread -  Thread Studio – 100% rayon – Cradle Mountain – variegated green to light green to light beige to medium beige.  Bobbin – Gutermann – 100% polyester – mid green.

I liked the piece. 

 

Page 4  -  Curved edges - satin stitches.

For this piece, I used the tail of the smallest fish inside the big fish from the folk art piece above.  For the background fabric, I ironed on fusible webbing and then attached a variety of black fabrics.  Stitched a grid in black to hold the fabrics in place.  For the pieces to be appliqued, I chose a painted fabric that had salt added during the drying process. To hold the elements in place, I put transfer adhesive on the back of each piece.   I then satin stitched the pieces onto the background using a variegated thread.  The feed dogs were up and the foot was on.  I had to stitch very carefully and very slowly.  2016-07-18 11.18.53

Thread – Thread Studio – Carnivale – 100% rayon -  variegated in rainbow colours.

I agonize over how to place the various elements of each piece.  I am not sure what is a pleasing arrangement.  Whether they should overlap or sit alone?  Large to small groupings?  Large on the bottom or on the top?  Should some or all of the shapes be touching or not?

 

Page 5.   Torn and Frayed edges – fabric

For this piece I used wheat pasted fabric painted in blues and greens stamped with bubble wrap.  I ripped the whole piece into strips and then let the fraying hang out!!!   The pieces were then interwoven.  I ironed transfer webbing onto the centre of a piece of white felt and attached it to the strips to hold them in place.  I then decided to tear some strips of coloured cheese cloth.  I tore wide strips, cut them into narrow strips, and hand fray the cut side.  Some cheese cloth strips were tucked under cloth strips.  Once I had set a design, I stitched a grid.   Replaced the cheese cloth strips and stitched them down using an automatic flower pattern (#22).   I  cabled stitched a craft cotton on top of everything!!! 

To finish off the piece, I had to fussy cut the white felt between the strips of wheat pasted fabric.

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Threads – Thread Studio - Barrier Reef – 100% rayon – variegated blues to greens.  Sulky – 100% rayon – 932 1065 bright orange.  100% Craft Cotton – size 8 – variegated orange to yellow using orange Guttermann thread on top. 

I like this piece.  I took a while to finally decide what to do.  I seem to agonize over each and every piece!!! 

 

Page 6 – freyed edges – paper

For the frayed paper project, I used a dinner napkin.  On one half I stitched a small grid using Thread Studio – 100% rayon – Warrandyte – variegated blues to red browns to beige. 

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I then washed away most of the paper leaving shadows of the leaves and the darker panel. 

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On the second half of the napkin, I separated the the top tissue and placed it on white felt that had fusible webbing.  On the dark brown section I stitched 3 rows automatic leaf stitch pattern (#24) and one row on the beige section.  I scrubbed out several sections between the three rows of leaf pattern and stitched  free motion with the automatic leaf pattern still in place (feed dogs down).  I added another cut out leaf from tissue tex sprayed with a bit of gold and beige paints.   I stitched around the leaves and some of the veins as well as a rolling pattern around the outside of the leaves.  I used Wonderfil – metallic red Col. # 8836.

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I took the grid half of the napkin and placed it over the stitched napkin.   The pieces were reversed. The leaf shadows were hardly discernable.  I was also hoping the red metallic stitching would show up better.

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I enjoyed the challenge of creating different pieces!!!  A good chapter for me.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

My fancy bowl!!!

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Distant Stitch Level 2 Machine Embroidery - Module Three - Chapter One - Flight of Fancy

Page 1.  Sources
I started with Kites




Page 2
And then went to butterflies ….. soon realizing these are not fanciful …..  although they are designs of the real thing.
















Page 3   
Then I went to Folk Art.   I really like this collection of fish but soon found out it was hard to adjust to a design for sewing.   I expect I could have used the tear drops some how. 







Page 4
Now this fish had lots of potential!!!!! 




Page 5
This folk art scene could provide lots of designs but I didn’t colour the picture. I like the drawings|!!! 



Page 6
This folk art piece was the start of the first stitched fabric for backgrounds
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Page 7
The FIRST coloured piece below is done with Prisma pencils.   I chose to use the True  Blue and the Peacock Blue interspersed with Scarlet Lake for the darker tones.  Then I used Chartreuse and Non-Photo Blue for intervals throughout the piece as mid tone colours.  For the lighter tones in between everything, I used Deco Blue and Blush Pink.  I left out the white.   I didn’t like the final result.
For the SECOND drawing, I used water coloured crayons and pencils as listed above (I hope you can read the writing!)  The blue peacock colour is much too bold and takes over the sample. The red and the pink came out well.  There was not enough mid-tone and light tone blues.  I was not able to get the variety of colours as with the pencil crayons. 



Page 8
I chose to use the water colour pencils to create a design using the above folk art picture.  I liked this one better.  



Page 9
The first picture is the transfer painted paper with the printed  piece of bridal satin below.







Page 10
The final stitched piece.



I used free motion zig-zagging for the whole piece with dropped feed dogs.   I felt it worked better and covered the printing well. Used a piece of felt as a stabilizer.  I layered the stitching as listed below.
1. very pale pink – 100% rayon embroidery thread
2. pale blue – 100% rayon embroidery thread
3.  mid- pink – 100% rayon
4. shade of mid-blue  - Aurifil 100% cotton – colour #4140
5. dark red - 100% rayon from Thread Studio – colour  #1658
6. dark royal blue – 100% rayon
7. yellow green  - WonderFil 100% rayon – 40 weight – colour #4152
Bobbin threads - used cottons and polyester threads to match the top thread.




These are the threads used in this project. 
I liked the final  effect of the stitching with the bits of coloured painting showing through. 



Page 11.  Second Stitched background
I chose the collar piece of the fish on page 4 above.   Below is a free hand drawing with a possible idea of how to fill in the spaces. 




This is reverse drawing which I traced onto a piece of tear away.




Page 12. 
The resulting piece.
 



I used a piece of black felt with a stabilizer of tear away.  This time with the free motion I put the length at 0.  I reduced the pressure of the presser foot. 
Cable stitched the major lines
1. straight curved lines – lime green pearl cotton #3  -   top thread was lime green 100% rayon – Thread Studio
2. Triangles and half circles  – violet pearl cotton #3 – top thread was Aurifil 100% polyester – variegated blue violet to red violet – colour #5870
3. Seed like structures between the yellow green lines – Treenway  silk fine cord –  variegated  red violet  - top thread – as for the Triangles and half circle outlines
Rest of the stitched pieces
1. centers of triangles and half circles – Aurifil #5870 – 100% polyester – variegated tints of blue violet and red violet
2. triangles in the spaces beside the seed like structures between the yellow green lines – variegated WonderFil 100% rayon – variegated greens – colour 8224
Fun piece to do!!!


Page 13   Automatic patterns

The first piece was done a piece of velvet with a stabilizer of white felt.




1. top left -  Flower pattern (#22)  - stitch length 6.0 – stitching with the nap gives a better result.    Top thread – variegated 100% rayon – Carnivale from Thread Studio.  Bobbin thread – Aurifil red violet for all patterns
2. bottom left -  leaf pattern (#24) – stitch length 4.0 and width 5.  Top thread – variegated yellow to yellow orange – 100% rayon – Thread studio – colour – Gold. 
3.top right -  tulip pattern (#20) – stitch length 3.0.   Top thread – variegated tone on tone reds - 100% rayon – colour Ruby – Thread Studio.  Alternating rows using mirror image.
4.bottom right – diamond pattern (#11) – stitch length 4.5 – Aurifil  100% cotton – same colour as base fabric – #2468.  mirror image of each stitch row.
|I thought the effects were good.


Page 14.  More automatic stitches





1.  heavier material used for upholstery -  flower pattern (#22) – top thread – Tubino –  100% cotton - yellow orange – colour #2554.   bobbin thread – yellow.
2. natural wild silk fabric  - leaf stitch pattern (24) – stitch length 4.0  - top thread 100% polyester – shiny light brown.


Page 15.   Sheers – strips.




I laid the torn strips of organzas on top of the white felt and used a heat gun.  Several of the pieces were melted together.  I added some more bits and pieces to intensify the colours.  Created a great effect but I had forgotten to add the fusible webbing.  So I stitched them down using invisible thread.

 






The piece at the top was the first layer of organza strips.  I added a few more strips and used the heat gun to attach them. Really looks totally different with considerably more distortion.
  
Both pieces were squared off with the soldering iron ….  although the second one is a bit lop-sided and one side was not touched!!!     I really like the final colours of the two pieces.


Page 16.     Sheers – snippets






Red piece of organza at the top and pale green below.  The gold bits really show up in the photograph for both sides.  I have done a lot of work using this technique.  I have Margaret Beal’s books.  I finished off the edges with her special soldering iron.


Page 17.    Black Snippets.




Fabrics used.  Velvet (really shows up), shiny bridal satin, polyester lining, cotton twill, mesh, screening, gauze all stitched onto black felt as a stabilizer.


Page 18.      Angelina



Used pink and silver Angelina onto black felt.


Page 19.  Painted fusible webbing.




On the left is a small left over  piece of the white felt that had been spray painted using stencils (created in a workshop with Dale Rollerson ).  I pained a piece of fusible web in a colour to match.  When I ironed the web onto the felt, not all of the fusible came off.  I liked the result and so did not proceed to do another one.  Thread - WonderFil – 100% rayon in a shade of red violet.  Stitch length - 4.0 .


Page 20.  Printed and stitched background.



The Folk Art fish on page 4 was used for these two stamps.  The one on the left was the motif in the center of the picture and the right motif was the end of the fin. 


Page 20. 



I chose a piece of snow died 100% cotton fabric that I had made when we had a couple of hours of snow still on the ground early this year.   The piece was stamped in a the pattern above.  I had trouble with the paints.  I tried several of my paints and none of them worked very well so I must admit that I painted over with a paint brush and it shows!!  I thought that my opaque fabric paints would work but they didn’t and neither did the acrylic paints.  I will keep trying.  Maybe my fabric was too porous!!! 
I stitched a pattern around the stampings using Aurifil 100% cotton with magenta shade #2455 for the top thread and a darker shade of magenta #246 in the bobbin.
YEH ….  this chapter is finally finished.  I think!!!