Chapter FIVE - Drawn Thread Work / Part 1

This is a photo of a first collection of dyed cloth for drawn thread work. My colour scheme for this Module is green/red and the cloth was originally white and meant for Hardanger. I found this a bit unconfortable to work with, possibly there are too many threads in a cm even if they can be drawn quite easily. I think I am going to look for a less dense fabric for my next experiments! For the third sample I drew an increasing number of threads, for the last one I used the Fibonacci series from Module Two (I love it!)

Friday Five: Laminating Experiment (I know, I know it's Monday)

At the end of an absolutely frantic September I finally recovered the time and nerve to get back to my attic and resume my papery attempts. I had small quantities of paper pulps in different shades left over from previous experiments still waiting for me in the freezer, so I thought, why not make use of what I already have and make a very thick laminated sheet . Easier said than done: it took me two hours to laminate sheet over sheet and two weeks to have it bone dry with the help of all the sun I could get under my Roman sky which is much. The final thickness was over two centimetres and my A5 supersheet was light and felt a lot like wood! This is how it looked like: I said it looked like because it doesn't exist any more as such. I cut it into smaller pieces of different shapes and sizes by means of a jeweller's saw and finished each of them with sandpaper. Thanks to their laminated edges they look like booklets, but funny ones since it's impossible to open them. I played with different arrangements, flat, on the edge, overlapping them, and took photos. Here follow some examples. Perhaps these small unopenable books might find a place in the final piece for this Module. I'm thinking of ways to do this ...

Friday Four: New Papers

No big progress this week, only new paper samples. I feel that with paper making the learning curve is steep, it takes time to try out the different techniques and to produce decent samples (if at all). But it's fun - and messy. This is an attempt at a fringed sample. I like the idea but this first one did not come out as I wanted. Colours are dull and I peeled my threads back too soon. I shall try again. Embedding with wires and wire mesh

For this sample I embedded one of my Solufleece grids from Summer School into a newly formed sheet of paper. The glue in the Solufleece made the paper stronger, so this might be a good idea to use again.

These are rough attempts at embossing paper. Another technique to try again in the future

And finally a try at a simple collage with coloured paper pulps. I used thin strips of card to create sections on the mesh and spooned pulps into them. As you can see from the sample some areas tend to separate on the edges.

Perhaps the pulps were too dry when filled in and/or the pulps out of the liquidizer were not smooth enough. Another possibility would be to couch a first sheet of paper and pour the coloured pulps onto it. I think this might work and improve overall adherence.

Friday Three - First attempts at paper making (Module 4, Ch. 4)

My vacation are over, so I thought it's now time to get back to some real work! I took out the paper pulps I had prepared from the freezer and had a first go at making paper. I had already ventured in some experiments some years ago which didn't amount to much except for a huge splashy mess in the kitchen and, more usefully, a small wooden frame I had built from scratch. I simply stretched in a new mesh cut from a plastic fly screen and was ready to go for the scary process again. After some failed attempts - too little pulp, too much pulp, paper pulp unhappily sticking to the mesh instead than to the kitchen cloth and so on - I finally had my first batch of sheets stretched out in the sun. And 40° degrees being 40° degrees they were bone dry in half an hour! Here is a sampler of simple undyed papers - white and speckled packaging papers - plus one dyed crumpled one. For dyeing I used Procion cold-water dyes and soda ash as a fixative and it worked out fine, the only problem is that it is difficult to judge the colours when wet since they get so pale once dry. Some papers were casually embossed by the kitchen cloth underneath. As to the pinky sheet I crumpled it when still wet and left out to dry. This photo and the next are the same sheet ripped and shown from the front and the back. I had formed some smallish or mishappen sheets in different colours and thought it would be better to laminate them together. I rather like this effect and wish to make more experiments with the sandwich method!

My first try at casual embedding: fabric snippets and threads

Here I used a circle stencil to apply pulp to a formed sheet. The problem is that the blue circles tend to separate from the background. Perhaps the pulp was too dry when spooned over? New experiments to come in the next weeks.

A happy week end to everyone! Here in Rome it's still so hot, I do hope in some fresh air soon ...

Friday Two: Module 4 - More Grids (Chapter 3)

I have collected some grids to use for this Module on a booklet with mesh, net and grid samples glued or stitched to both sides, front and back.

I have also made some grids from scratch.

For this sample I cut a plastic bag into strips and fused them with an iron. I put the grid on some Solufleece and loosely machine stitched everything together.

For this other grid a cut a kitchen sponge cloth and weaved the strips together, then overstitched them. I dabbed acrylic colours on top to partially hide the pink.

This is another mesh made using the Solufleece method but laid flat instead of moulding it around a form.

Electric wire knitted on big needles:

In this sample I have built a very loose mesh by interlacing copper wire in a casual way. To create variations in colour I have briefly held the copper on a flame.

For these samples I used brass wire and knitted it on the round for a 3D result. This type of sample could also be flattened out and make a double grid perhaps with a third layer sandwiched in between or some wire or thread could be used to stitch/connect the two grids together (I am going to try this later on).

Friday One : Module 4 - Paper and grids

A promise is a promise, so this is my first Friday Post after Summer School. These are some coloured paper pulps ready for making new sheets next week. I shall put then in the freezer and take out as needed. The dyes do look so very strong but I know from past experience that they fade a lot when dry. And these are some grids I machined using the solufleece method learnt at Summer School. I left the first too dry flat and I moulded the other ones. I am thinking of using them later on in Module 4 for combining with paper.

Module 4- Chapters 1 and 2

CHAPTER ONE Media Research This is a photo of some items I have collected so far for future reference and work on Module Four. The collection is still growing and I'm using it mainly as a mental note of material that could be used. I have mostly included the following: - Papers that might be recycled - used printer paper, envelopes, different types of tissue papers/paper napkins, old grocery notes, used watercolour papers, oriental papers, used gift papers etc. - Different kinds of clips, strings, rubber bands, labels, packaging material like bubble wrap, chopped plastic and straw, an office multistamp - Electrical and computer cables as a reminder of the fact that media and communication at large are getting more and more immaterial (online newspapers, emails, internet etc.) The two following images are collages of photocopied materials that might be further used. These are only copies since the originals are too precious to be directly recycled. They include handwritten notes I am particularly fond of (my grandma's writing on the yellow paper in the second photo), collectable old envelopes/stamps, details of famous dada paintings using letters/numbers.

Lettering Research

I have organized my material in several groups.

Images in photos 1 and 2 have mostly a sort of urban/modern feeling in common.

They include neon lights, light sculptures, advertisements, graffiti, maps etc.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photos 3 and 4 show basically a collection of typographic/graphic examples Photo 3

Photo 4

Photos 5 and 6 gather old lettering styles and some calligraphies Photo 5

Photo 6

Photos 7 and 8 show some examples of different alphabets - old like Phoenician, Hebrew, Hyeroglyphic, Cuneiform and current like Arabic, Chinese, Japanese - and letters artistically combined Photo 7

Photo 8

CHAPTER TWO - LETTERING DESIGNS

Writing a letter with the computer

For this exercise I used PaintShopPro and tried its different drawing tools

I then applied some "special effects" to my scribblings

Writing a word without the computer

I chose FUTURISM - FUTUR as a word to put into repeat since 2009 celebrates the centenary from the birth of this artistic movement that is still inspiring and alive today in so many ways and under different forms.

From top to bottom:

Black ink dragged with an edge of card, drops of bleach on dry ink;

Futurism written with a Chinese brush, then rewritten with a wooden skewer and bleach;

Black ink strip, writing with a matchstick and bleach;

Word with the edge of a plastic card dragged on the flat side, then overwritten with the point of the card and bleach;

Blocks of ink with a card, then bleach dropped in a continuous line.

From top to bottom:

Serrated edge of plastic card;

Stamped using a "cuneiform" style;

Serrated edge of bristol card;

Word created by repeatedly stamping with an office stamp;

Stamping with a short edge of card.

Examples of "futurism" written dragging a black oil crayon on paper lying on different types of mesh.

From top to bottom:

White oil crayon dragged on paper lying on a metal mesh, then black ink swished across;

Careful dragging of a card to form precise "futurist" style letters;

Stamping with the botton of a plastic earplug (the type they give you on airplanes);

Free-style lettering using a Chinese brush.

Two examples of the same word repeated several times.

Black paper, letters formed in a "pointillist" style

Black ink background, overwritten in bleach, finally drippings of watery acrylics

Pattern making with lettering using the computer

Here follow some examples of patterns created on the computer when repeating the same word in different ways.

I especially like the rhythms created by enlarging small details.

Pattern-making with lettering without the use of the computer

Photo 1

Background in watered down black acrylic - PVA glue freely squeezed and let to dry - Overpainting of squeezed letters with metallic acrylic colours in different golden shades (I used Lumiere colours which are simply fantastic!)

Photo 2

Futurism written diagonally with a white oil crayon overpainted in watered down black acrylic - Strips of different writings cut in strips and applied, some folded - F repeated in geometric crossing patterns -Handwriting in ink

Photo 3

Futurism written several times with edge of card, with overlaps - Rewritten in bleach - Doodling in empty spaces with pen and ink

Photo 4

Sketch paper covered with acrylic gesso then combed with a plastic fork - Stencilling in of Japanese words with metallic Lumiere colours - Further writing crossways in pen and ink.

My intention was to reproduce a rough wall covered by different handwritings.

Photo 5

Another "piece of wall", this is more rugged and battered, I used gesso as before followed by black wax crayon and more Lumiere colours in the attempt to reproduce a graffito style wall in neon colours.

Photo 6

In making this sample I was thinking of Arabic handwriting even if the alphabet used is Latin.

Fluid writing with a Chinese brush - Further small writing in bleach within the words formed - Filling in with lettering doodling - Last layer of drops of different colours using a toothbrush to fuse words together.

Photo 7

Background obtained from dragging a black crayon on a gessoed/PVA glued surface, bleached letters cut up and pasted onto it.

Photo 8

In imitation of an urban graffito. Background is a rough gessoed surface overwritten with oil pastel and charcoal, then "sprayed" with some gold.

Photo 9

PVA dripping on a blackish background, then overpainted in metallic green after drying.

Photo 10

"Futurism" written several times over with a black oil pastel dragged on a meshed surface, empty spaces filled in with black and gold, then paper turned 90° upwards.

Photo 11

Word Futurism formed from separated letters pasted on a white background, then some letters echoed by radiating lines, empty spaces filled in by black points/golden stampings.

Photo 12

Papers first written all over and then cut into strips and glued on a newspaper background.

Resolved sample

On looking back at all work produced for this Module my attention was caught by this low relief 3D design idea in dyed papers. After my work- and labour-intensive neckpiece I longed for something easy and relaxing to do, in a happy-go-lucky mood. I chose this variegated dyed piece of cloth and freely sew it on some muslim.

These are some cut up strips of monoprinted fabrics prepared back in Chapter 3 that have been pinned down in loose spirals in preparation for stitching:

The strips sewn on with the thread ends still showing:

I have now added some beads and hand stitching:

I inserted some simple toggle buttons under the "bridges" formed by the fabric strips and then added some acrylic painted leather scraps:

Some more leather decorations, and different types of threads stitched in loops on top. As a last thought I "wrapped" an orange and a variegated thread around a slightly off-centre leather bead and towards the four corners of the sample to create a focus.

I finally backed the sample with a soft machine-boiled blue felt. The sample measures 27 x 24 cms.

A different view

And now let's start work on Module Four!!!

The final neckpiece

So at last here it is. I think I can call it off if Sian agrees. I made some additions/changes from Stage Five. Right side: I added more beads on the ridges of the wavy element because I wanted them to come out more; I also added a second copper fan to the brass one and created a beaded core between the two with the aim of improving focus in that area. And I decided to turn the point of the embroidered element upward so as to obtain a stronger spiralling effect around the neck. Left side: I thought that the pointed end was a bit dangerous for the skin/clothes and unnecessary, so I turned it on itself creating a new loop. I like it better now. On the neck: I wrapped a shining multishade embroidery thread since that area looked to me still a bit dull. I think that this thread added to the woollen one makes the neckpiece slide better and be more confortable to wear. Back part : Finally I turned the neckpiece over and sewed a self-dyed soft velvet on the back of the embroidered part since some metallic threads were scratchy on the skin. The velvet also pads this part and helps keeping it as a whole. I stitched folds and ripples on the velvet to encourage the upward movement toward the neck. Front view Right view

Left view

Back view

Details

And this is the neckpiece seen from the back with the addition of velvet on the left.

The neckpiece keeps its shape but is not rigid and can be wrapped around the neck a bit more or a bit less since the copper of its structure maintains its flexibility. It weighs 190 grams. I wouldn't say I could wear it in the supermarket but on a special evening one never knows ...

Making of final accessory for Module 3

After reading Sian's comments and suggestions on the mock-up I thought it was time to go on and work on the real thing. I reconsidered my earlier drawings and as I had already done for the mock-up I formed and arranged my spirals/swirls directly on the dress-form. My first step was to create the wire structure for the neckpiece and in so doing I aimed at following Sian's first tip to aim at more focus in the overall composition. I still liked the idea of an asymmetrical structure and I wanted an initially "heavier" side like I had done in many of my preliminary drawings. The main problem was to find ways to create a balance on the "lighter" side in later stages. Stage One I decided to use the 2 mm silver plated round copper wire I had already investigated and bent it mostly using my fingers with the occasional help of a round-nose pliers. I then hammered the final structure flat to obtain an irregularly square wire and also in order to work harden the metal and so strengthen the whole thing (this is a jewelry technique which I learnt recently). Here it is. Stage Two

Since I wanted a warm and slightly golden patina on the wire, I dissolved some liver of sulphur in hot water and left the structure in it for half a minute.

Using a smaller wire I made coils and blocked with them the main joints of the structure, crimping them on and around overlapping points. At this point the loops and shapes were stronger.

Following another suggestion by Sian I started wrapping different threads on selected areas of the structure in varying thicknesses.

You may see below a general and a detailed view of how the neckpiece looked at this stage. I had the feeling that the metal and wrapped parts still looked a bit separate and needed other elements that helped to connect them.

Stage Three

The following photos show these new elements added.

I used different beads, fabric pieces, thin copper/brass wires both on the metal and wrapped areas.

Stage Four At this stage I felt I needed something more on the lighter weaker side. I thought of creating just one special big "something" instead of the several buttons/brooches of the mock-up.

After playing around with different ideas (an elaborate piece of metal, a large button, a special clasp) I thought that a fabric element might match better with the wrapped woolly areas.

I made a sandwich of a self-dyed bluish silk prepared earlier in this module, metallic and embroidery threads, sequins, pieces of other fabrics and two layers of hot-water soluble fabric on top and bottom and machine-embroidered them all together. I cut up the embroidered fabric in smaller pieces and zigzagged around all of them.

This is how they looked with the hot-water soluble still showing.

And here are the same pieces after submerging them in hot water for a brief time. The dissolvable fabric has shrunk and they have now a bumpy texture with folds and valleys.

Stage Five

The next two photos show how different embroidered pieces were sewn together to form a sort of brooch on the right side.

I have also added a piece of forged brass under the small last loop. I hammered and worked folds in it on an anvil, drilled holes and stitched it in place.

I now hope to get my neckpiece finished and make a final post about it next week. I can't bear to look at it any longer, it's been too long!

Design ideas and development for a final accessory for Module 3 (better sooner than later, but better later than never!!)

Following Sian's suggestion at Summer School I started playing around with a spiral wire structure I had built for presenting my tassles and looking for ways to develop a neckpiece design from it. I love the idea of making a neckpiece that is daring, even a bit dramatic in a fun way, but still wearable, not too heavy or unconfortable to carry around. My other starting point was to use metal like I did in my structure to give it stability and a jewel-like shining appearance with the addition of fabric buttons or some other sort of fabric elements. I had already drawn a few tentative sketches of how the neckpiece might look like on a very basic bodice and on reconsidering these together with my tassle structure I started to see some things in common.

A neckpiece mock-up

I first tried to select a specific sketch from which to develop a design but after some unsuccessful attemps I soon decided it was better and much more satisfying to work directly on my dress form and shape a mock-up in a more dynamic and 3D way while looking at all my sketches lying around me as a group and moving freely from one to the other for inspiration. To find my structure I tried out several cheap wires (from gardening type - too tender - to electrical cable - too springy) and I finally used an economical hardware wire that kept its shape well but wasn't too difficult to bend. I then sprayed it with a gold car paint to obtain a warmer colour, more in keeping with my colour choice for this module.

To obtain my "buttons" or other decorative elements I combined old pieces of embroidered fabrics, padded them, added various metallic bits, threads, self-made beads etc. just to gain an idea of what the final neckpiece might look.

Here follow different views of this mock-up. It can be worn by simply passing it on the head.

A couple of more detailed views

A closer investigation of materials suitable for the neckpiece structure

Before going on my first thought has been to investigate which final metallic materials are most suitable to build a strong and pleasant structure for my spiralling neckpiece.

I wanted a more precious but not too costly wire in view also of my lack of experience in scary real jewel making, so after checking prices on the internet I left out gold, gold-plated silver, fine/sterling silver wire and opted for silver-plated copper wire which has many good qualities:

it's relatively cheap, very flexible, forgiving and easy to work with, is available in many different thicknesses and, of course, still retains a bit of magic thanks to its silver layer.

A good thickness is the 2 mm wire. I used cylinder shapes (tin cans etc.) and a pair of jewellery pliers to assist my bending. In the first photo, silver has its original colour, but in a jewellery book a found a magical product to create a warm patina, its name is liver of sulphur and is used by restorers to obtain different shades of golden to bluish to dark brown to pure black for antiquing frames and other objects (second photo).

I'm now thinking of modeling my neckpiece structure on the tailor's dummy in a rather free way and of adding decorative bits later, perhaps working them directly within the empty spaces obtained instead of creating them separately and attaching them afterwards as I did on the mock-up.

I believe this would help in obtaining a more organic neckpiece and would also strengthen the whole framework by creating additional joints.

So far so good, hopefully it won't take years to get finished. I know, I should definitely move on ...

Beads - Part One (Module 3 - Chapter 8)

To my collection of traditional beads for this chapter like sequins, rocailles etc I added some beads from sundry materials and others made from scratch and coloured to match my colour scheme for this module. Here is a selection, from top to bottom and from left to right: First row: plastic hair fastener coloured and cut up - gizmoed copper wire - wiremesh - polystyrene chunks Second row: coloured leather - mosaic glass tiles - plastic straws - washers Third row: these are pieces of coloured polyester films I used for monoprinting my fabrics for chapter 3 - fire-coloured copper foils - plastic bag And here is my bead sampler. I used a self-dyed silk as a background and my idea was to sew beads in a wave pattern but I doubt these waves can still be seen. Below is a general view followed by more detailed views taken from each corner.

I'm afraid my edging and trapped bead samples will be ready only after summer school since in these last few days I'm trying to collect my ideas for an accessory and be able to discuss them with Sian, hopefully ...

Finished Tapestry

And this is my finished tapestry, ready for hanging. (I posted about its beginnings on Jan 25). I mounted it on a gallery canvas painted in acrylics for the Tapestry course exhibition of end of year, but I'm thinking of making a plexiglass case later and have it somewhat suspended inside. Will think about it. Front view Side view

It was fun to make but I will think twice before embarking on a new weaving enterprise at least for the time being! It DOES take an awful lot of time ...

Buttons - Part Two (Toggles)

Before tackling fibers I tried out basic toggle shapes in strips of my coloured papers. After these first attemps I gave it a try in fabric and produced some samples. Sample 1 - Felt toggle (11 cm) Self-dyed boiled felt, edged with irregular stitches and beading and one big acrylic drop hanging from the middle.

Samples 2 and 3 - Tower toggles (both 8 cm)

For the sample on the left I used strips of different dyed fabrics and a crown of bugle beads,

while the second one was edged with free scalloping stitches and has a head made by a bought Chinese knot.

Sample 4 - The wiry one (14 cm)

For this sample I wrapped some dyed paper silk I still had from Summer School in 2006 (remember?) around some spiky fibers I found in a mattress shop, which I dabbed in golden acrylic at the ends to make a sort of "beading". The copper wire has two different thicknesses and I obtained the spiralling by means of a gizmo device.

Sample 5 - The jolly sample (21 cm)

This was made for fun by wrapping and trapping fabric strips, felt, yarns and other small bits around a painted wooden skewer which I left as a core.

Buttons - Part One

This an overall view of my buttons so far. It includes simple and complex shapes and Dorset buttons. Sample 1 (left): Empty oval cardboard wrapped, with pompon fitted in the central hole. Sample 2 (right): irregular shape covered with self-dyed boiled felt.

Sample 3 (left): Three hand-felted "stones" overlapped and made in a package.

Sample 4 (right): Composed shape of triangle with monoprinted fabric and hand-felted "stone" with felted ears attached.

Sample 5 (left): composed shape of flat form and small circular shape, hand-felted slice fixed on the edge

Sample 6 (right): cord sewn around self-dyed fabric

Sample 7 (left): monoprinted fabric with wrapped wire and long-neck machine tassel attached

Sample 8 (top right): wrapped tube with painted wooden wheels at the ends

Sample 9 (bottom right): monoprinted and embroidered fabric

Sample 10 (top left): square cardboard shape wrapped with hole filled in by embossed copper shim, padded underneath

Sample 11 (top right): self-dyed fabric with Christmas decorations and wire

Sample 12 (bottom): Suffolk puff with wire wastes making a central button, laid upon crimpled wiremesh

Sample 13 (left): a toy wheel with spikes woven with three different threads

Sample 14 (right): a traditional Dorset button

Sample 15 (left): a composite Dorset button with large ring in the centre surrounded by 8 smaller rings, fixed and wrapped together

Sample 16 (right): a ring made by twisted wire, crocheted wire centre, wrapped in thread

The long way from tassels to buttons

More than one month went by since my last upload! But I've been working behind the scenes or more or less so. After much wondering about a way to present my tassels I came up with a structure that is light enough to travel with me on the plane to Bristol. It will have to be checked in since I don't believe I could convince airport personnel that it's not a weapon of some kind. It's made in wire, it's rather rough and basic but can be bent and folded on itself with all tassels attached. Tassels will probably come out a bit bruised from my baggage and will certainly need some attention. And here they are! The photos are really bad and I hope something can be made out of them. After making this structure I went off track for a couple of weeks and ventured into the dangerous realms of wire and made experiments with crocheted and wrapped jewelry etcetera and obviously felt terribly guilty about it. But every C&G student knows that there are temptations out there and everywhere.

I finally got down to assemble all my materials for making buttons. Beside rather obvious choices there are some improbable ones, like a couple of contact lense cases, old eye powder containers, a kitchen basin strainer, an ear plug box and caps and lids of forgotten objects.

Three new tassels

For these new tassels I tried to think of materials other than threads to make tassels.

This first sample looks like a jellyfish to me. For the skirt I cut up some plastic see-through straws in pastel shades and threaded them like bugles with some real beads in between as colour accents.

For the head I rescued a Christmas decoration, dabbed it in gold here and there and added other beads to create a visual link with the skirt.

This other sample was rather fun to make. After using crochet chains for wrapped cords I thought I could use them also for tassels, but this time I wanted to try a metal wire. I chose a 0.2 mm copper wire and crocheted a very long chain with plastic beads every five or more stitches.

I then fixed the neck with strips of metal foil coloured on the gas stove and passed through a crimper, a technique learnt at last year summer school workshop with Maggie Grey.

For this third sample I made up pompons in different sizes (I used the biggest one for the head), prepared a good number of felted beads plus some small tassels and bits of dyed fabrics. It was a rather long but rewarding process.

I then threaded everything on long wool yarns and made up the tassel.

Module 3 - Chapter 6 Simple Tassels (part 1)

My first attempts at tassels. I mainly worked by hand, in some cases I first formed the neck by machine and further embellished my tassel. Lacking in finger ability, I tried to make up for it by varying materials to my heart's content! Here is a first couple. On the left a simple machined tassel, neck wrapped by a cord leftover and skirt knotted here and there. On the right a head knotted several times over with fabric scraps added in between knots. Tassels 1 Two other tassels: On the left several yarns zigzagged together, forming a bow as a head and a multi-coloured thread wrapping a very long neck. On the right a fancy yarn sewn by machine, folded over to make the head, empty head stuffed with more yarn and addition of touches of colour to skirt. Tassels 2 On the left a tassel with head consisting of smaller tassels with hanging loop formed by a piece of twisted cord. On the right a tassel with beads and a cord finished off by a Turks' head knot. Tassels 3 And my last two tassels for now. On the left a skirt made from chain stitching with my overlocker, neck further embellished with pearls and lace scraps. On the right a machined tassel using rat tail and leftovers from machined cords. Tassels 4 Further tassels to come whenever they get ready!

Before getting on ...

Thinking about a practical way to keep all my cords together and bring them to next Summer School, I decided to use an insertion stitch and make a long felted cord mat. This is how it looks when rolled up with some cords peeping through. Some sort of spiral perhaps? (am I a little obsessed)

And this is not Module 3-related, it's an old collaged sheet from the Foundation Module (The Wall) ...

I'm using it as a base for my first tapestry. I placed my sheet on the back of the warp threads and I'm following the design (more or less)

This is a detail .

As Sian suggested, I think I'm going to use weaving in some parts of my Module (buttons perhaps and/or the resolved sample).

Module 3 - Chapter 5 Cord Making (second part)

Twisted cords Sample 1 From left to right: Two thick cotton twisted cords, laid side by side - Chiffon strip, synthetic thread, wool thread - Chenille thread Sample 2 From left to right: Wool roven, golden fabric strip - Machined cord, curtain fabric strip - Three pearl cotton twisted cords, laid side by side Sample 3 From left to right: Tulle net, fantasy thread, copper wire - Fabric strip, cotton thread - Fabric strip, cotton thread - Tulle net, wool roven, hairy thread, ribbon - Raffia, machined cord Sample 4 From left to right: Woolen, synthetic threads - Machined cord - Felt strip, fantasy thread Wrapped cords Sample 1 From left to right: Fabric strip wrapped twice with gift ribbon and loosely machined cord - Machined cord made from gift paper and thread wrapped onto itself - Felt strip wrapped with copper wire and metallic thread - Machined cord from wool roven wrapped by machine with copper wire snippets - Machine wrapped drinking straws Sample 2 From left to right: Wool roven wrapped with cotton thread - Machined cords wrapped by machine stitching with snippets blocked in between - Crocheted chains wrapped together Sample 3 From left to right: Loosely machined cord wrapped with copper wire, chiffon wastes knotted - Two crocheted chains wrapped together Sample 4 From left to right: Machined cord wrapped with crocheted chain - Woll thread wrapped with twisted cord - Machined cords wrapped together

Module 3 - Chapter 5 Cord Making (first part)

Finally I had the time to assemble and scan all my cords! I must say I absolutely loved making cords and found them seriously addictive. I had a feeling you can never exhaust this subject ...

I made no photographs of single machine stitched cords since I incorporated them all in more complex ones. I thought I loved the idea of mounting them on self-dyed fabrics in my two chosen colours for this module (blue and yellow/orange), so I dyed some commercial felt and threw all of it in the washing machine in order to get a more "natural" textured look.

Knotted cords

Sample 1 - Simple knotted cords

From left to right:

twisted cords (pearl cottons) - machined cords (wrapped tulle net) - two simple machined cords side by side - loosely knotted machined cords (mousetail, tulle net, plastic string) - machined strips of scarves

Sample 2 - Half knot cords

Sample 3 - A simple half knot cord and two wrapped pipe cleaners

The pipe cleaners hark back to last summer school (Maggie's workshop)

Sample 4 - Half hitch knot cords

Sample 5 - Another set of half hitch knot cords

Sample 6 - Half hitch and Turks head knots

I think it took me a good whole day to figure out the Turks knot! I only managed when I fixed pins on a hard surface and looped my cords around them.

Plaited cords

Sample 1 - Four-strand plaits

From left to right:

A B B A (wool threads) - A B A B (wood thread, fabric, pearl cotton) - A B B A (machined cords, fantasy thread)

Sample 2 - Four-strand plaits

From left to right:

A A B B (flat ribbons, metallic thread) - Spiral braid A B B A (wool thread) - A B B A (machined cords, cotton threads)

Sample 3 - Three-strand plaits

From left to right:

A B A (twisted cords, wool thread) - A B C (cotton threads) - A B A (fabric, machined cords) - A B C (machined cords)

Sample 4 - Various plaits

From left to right:

6-strand plait, loosely braided (cotton threads) - 5-strand plait A B C D E (cotton threads) - A B C (machined cords, beaded thread) - A A A (machined cords with knotted wastes of fantasy thread)

This is not mine!

This beautiful tapestry is by Annalia Ferreri and she won the first prize at an Italian exhibition. This lady lives and works in Rome and I'm proud to say that she is my teacher! I discovered her at a local Adults' University organization and signed up for her tapestry course. She uses a very basic frame as a loom and she simply wraps it up many times to form a warp yarn. She then weaves in and out whatever weft material she fancies by simply using her hands or a mattress needle and voilà!

I had two lessons so far (once a week) and I'm enthused. Here is my frame to practice the different stitches, with a detail of sampler. We are told that before Christmas we'll start working on individual projects ... I'm starting to think of ways to integrate weaving into my Distant Stitch course and the other way round.

Module 3 - Chapter 4 Decorate with Stitchery (second part)

Monday morning, staying at home and waiting for a worker to come and repair my dishwasher. He was supposed to come at nine but in Rome appointments are rather a vague thing and there is not much you can do about it (call them? answer: we're almost there; call them again? answer: sorry madam there is a demostration going on in front of Parliament, we do what we can; call them again after an hour? answer: we just got an accident with a motorcycle and are waiting for the police to come ... yell? not possible, their mobile phone is now switched off).

So here goes the second batch of samples for chapter 4, the machine stitched ones.

SAMPLE 6 (22 x 24 cms)

In this first free machining sample I tried out several stitching possibilities:

free straight stitch telephone wire like in orange as a background, whipstich in orange, cable stitch in yellow/blue and finally free zig zag stitch to fill in spaces and underline whipstitch/cable stitch shapes.

SAMPLE 7 (18 x 22 cms)

Background of this sample is random-dyed cotton cloth.I first applied an orange dyed light cotton on top using reverse appliqué by free machining and then couched a woollen variegated yarn also by free machining obtaining two layers of spirals. I finally distressed the orange margins somewhat.

This other sample combines machine and hand stitching. I use free machined whip and straight stitch and added spirals in hand running stitch and irregular satin stitch, plus a appliquéd spiral.

SAMPLE 8 (20 x 22 cms)

And finally a first experiment in wet felt making. It was less messy than I thought and it didn't take all that long. I prepared a background felt with three layers of wool rovens and placed some knitting yarn on top, poured hot soapy water on this sandwich and massaged through a sheet of bubble wrap for ten minutes. I rinsed it well, massaged some more on a washboard and dried my piece of felt. How proud!

When dry I put some coloured accents and needle felted them, finally I drew on the whole surface by free machining spirals in zig zag stitch.

SAMPLE 9 (23 x 25 cms)

Module 3 (Spirals) - Chapter 4 Decorate with Stitchery (first part)

Today I'm uploading the hand-stitched samples I prepared during the summer. I scanned them all so hopefully they are clear enough, photos do somehow seem to come out better but I'm far from proficient in that area too (sometimes I think I should take a basic course in digital photography ... )

This is a first hand-stitched sample on dyed muslim. I darned multicolour pearl cotton, stranded cotton and metallic thread and then couched some orange and blue ribbon to give more definition.

SAMPLE ONE (18 x 16 cms)

This is another one. I used one of my monoprinted fabrics and simply back-stitched big spirals in pearl cotton. SAMPLE TWO (13 x 20 cms)

The background of the third sample was obtained by hand needle felting together two layers of cheesecloth dyed bright orange (bottom) and burgundy (top), with the orange threads becoming enmeshed into the top layer. When I did this I was obviously thinking of the fantastic effects we obtained during last summer school with the embellisher. I don't have one yet so I used felting needles but it's a totally different story ... Then I couched spirals in knitting variegated yarn and within these spirals other chain stitch ones in variegated pearl cotton No. 8.

SAMPLE THREE (20 x 25 cms)

Since I had the felting needles at hand I made another background. The bottom layer is blue self-dyed cotton with a yellow scarf applied on top and distressed.

Spirals in golden knitting yarn and tubular blue/light blue cotton.

SAMPLE FOUR (25 x 25 cms)

And finally a small sample to try my hand at machine stitching.

I whipstitched and zigzagged small spirals without a frame (I avoid using frames whenever I can) and finished by hand/machine couching two different knitting yarns.

SAMPLE FIVE (18 x 18 cms)

Module 3 (Spirals) - Chapter 3 Monoprinting on Fabrics

I was finally able to assemble my monoprinted fabric samples in a few collaged computer images using Paint Shop Pro. The background is not monoprinted, is a computer image.

In most cases I created monoprints in two to four successive layers on self-dyed fabrics waiting every time for each layer to dry. Samples vary in sizes but are on average 20-25 cm on each side. My colour choice for this Module is blue-orange with variations.

I used Liquitex acrylics slightly thinned with an acrylic painting medium to improve brilliance and flexibility and brushed them freely on polyester films, then scraped them with everything at hand (scrapers, pens, feathers, fingers, spoons , forks etc.). The dry films are quite nice in themselves so I've put them apart for later use (beads perhaps?).

And here are two more fabric collages

Please come in!

Hallo! Finally I'm taking my first swim out in the vast ocean of blogging after all the idle talking done about it at Urchfont. But now vacations are over, friends have left home, kids are on their way back to university and there are no more excuses ... In the next few days I'm going to upload the work I've being doing on my Module 3 (Spirals) but for today I would like to show some glimpses of my very special room under the roof.

How are you all? I would love to have you here in Rome for a chat and a cup of tea or better still for a glass of wine before dinner (remember?) ... but missing that would you like to have a look around? This is the area where I like to spend my time whenever I can. Here I keep all the odd bits and pieces of my old and new passions - dangerous and less dangerous, messy and less messy, dry and wet, bulky and so tiny that you keep losing them, you all know what I mean. I painted all my furniture in light blue and yellow thinking of winter days when light falls early.

But please come closer ... This is the area where I keep my Distant Stitch things, there are the books I'm using (on the little table on the right) and boxes full of fabrics and threads under the other tables. And of course Sian's module open at left ... This is my thinking/sketching/trying out/assembling area, with samples hanging around or in boxes and folders.

And here on the right is the stitching area with my Bernina and my Pfaff overlocker (this is a new animal and I'm still learning how to cope with it). My dear Barbie and Midge are sitting patiently beside and keep a friendly eye on me. They are still wearing their Sixties cocktail dresses and high-heeled plastic pumps from the old days. There is also a wet (and quite dirty) area with a basin where I can use dyes or dare other scary operations without too much trouble. So long for this time. I shall take another swim soon, promised!