Sunday 26 June 2011

Chapter 5 slips from stitched surfaces, the surfaces first!

'Make expanses of stitched surfaces from which to cut your 'slips' from' the module said and so i did! the first one above was made onto a layer of lilac felt, placing various pieces of 'materials' onto it before stitching. in order to hold them in position i bonded them to the felt first. i used bits of left over felt, paper coloured with chalk pastels, nylon net, organdie, cotton lawn and tissue paper strips. i placed a layer of lilac coloured tissue over the top and stitched basic zig zag and 'straight' stitches through all layers. i then tore off areas of the tissue to reveal the colours below. since working with tissue i realise like paper in general it gives different effects depending on which way you tear it. with the above piece the 'grain' went with the lines of stitching to give clean tears.
couldn't resist playing with letters and thinking of 'black' tulips so the next piece i made was worked entirely in paper, on a layer of white waxed tissue, layered with random newspaper letters from the word 'tulip' (also waxed) and then a layer of black tissue, all stitched through fairly randomly with lines imitating those seen on tulip petals. i then tore off the tissue in areas to reveal the letters. with this one i was tearing against the grain which produced bits that reminded me of parrot tulip tops. a layer of aqua wax was worked over the top. both pieces roughly 20cm square. i have since cut them up and made various 'slips' with them which i am bringing to summer school.

Friday 10 June 2011

How can a 'slip' be re-invented! Chapter 4

it seems ages since my last post but i have been busy! Chapter 4 asks how you can re-invent the slip. the plan was to choose a simple shape from my study of tulips to use as a slip, so far so good, i did a page of ideas then changed my slip shape so i did another one (above), then as you can see when i actually came to work the slips i had changed my mind again! but the ideas are still the same! i am hoping when this is posted it will be possible to read!
this chapter is all about stitched slips, hand and machine stitched. i don't have a computerised machine which was one of Sian's suggestions so my slips are quite basic but bright which i think is more ME anyway! the shape i eventually chose is very simple because i thought their construction would be quite busy. they are 12cm long. so (above) top row from left to right:1. part of a counted thread cross stitch 'don't slip up', 2.part of a flier which happened to have a tulip printed on it stitched onto vilene with long stitches, 3.layers of felt and organdie with lines of machine stitch left with loops, 4. layers of organdie and tissue stitched and tissue ripped away then painted, 5.felt base with layers of foil wrapping straight stitched, 6. as 4, 7.pieces of thread and fabric with tissue stitched together, 8.more layers of felt and organdie hand stitched randomly, bottom row left to right, 9. layers hand chain stitched together, 10. random hand stitching on organdie and felt, 11. layers encapsulated in plastic, 12. felt,paper,silk heavily stitched by machine and then attached to each other with zig-zag stitch.
i decided to attach the slips to a piece of paper sprayed with a mask of tulips (they are getting crispier with all the spray paint they have been subjected to!).
all attached with various methods, 1. a displaced slip shape, 2. more zig-zag stitch and 3. likewise attached with more, 4. a row of onyx beads, 5. has cake decorating stamens couched across its width, 6. has a mirror square securing it in place and 7. three strips of plastic looped over the slip.
8. in contrast to the random stitches has been secured using a rigid grid of cross stitches, 9. more random hand stitches, 10. stitched over with the same, 10. invisible floating attachment, 11. wiggly line of chain stitch. i might keep the next lot to bring to summer school. looking forward.