Rediscovering Embroidery

It is autumn in Brisbane. The frangipani have lost their leaves and are now knobby little stumps blindly probing for more warmth.  Some of the natives have got gold, pink and orange flushes on their leaves, so I am collecting interesting ones to photocopy onto fabric and press. The papaws are ripening on the trees and you can hear the fruit bats squabbling over them at night. The days are warm and the evenings cooler.  There is less chance of rain.  And I can work on the verandah or in the shed quite comfortably.  A lovely season, as autumn is in most parts of the world.

The return to, for me, a more bearable outdoor temperature and humidity had me sun printing a bit of white cotton I had left over from a previous project.  This is a great activity for artists and non artists, children and adults alike, for all you need is a bit of pale silk or cotton with a weave that is not too open.  An old shirt that you want to give a new look to will do.  Wet the fabric and lay it down in the sun. Mix some screen printing ink with water and slosh it on with a sponge or sponge block.

 Now place things on it - keys, leaves, flowers, cut outs, sticks, scissors, circles.  If it is windy you will have to weigh them down with tiny stones.

When the sun hits the fabric, it will dry the uncovered bits first.  This sucks the liquid away from the wetter bits that are covered by the leaves etc.  When the fabric is dry, if you take off the items you should have a pale bit under the items, so you will have the outline/ shadow of the item.  It really is like magic.  Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm, I used a very light colour and inadverently chose a site without much direct sun so it took ages to dry.  Then when  moved it to a sunny part, I decided it was going to be too pale, and instead of starting all over again, I sloshed on some darker liquid on some bits.  Then the sun went out.  So, in the end, I had a very odd bit of fabric, with some dark bits and some light bits.  This is the result.

Still, I got some nice details from it:

And, as I am going to cut it up, it isn't a problem.  Enough of the printing worked for it to be a good background for a lot of  machine embroidery.  Next time, I think I will look up,  and check the direction the sun is moving, before I start.  Mistakes are great for teaching you what not to do.  Plus, they sometimes create something better.

I've been tidying up my stacks of work and putting aside those I am unhappy with to transform into something else.  Collage, mixed media, a paper quilt, overprinting, part of a book.............  It is fun trying to see a piece with new eyes.  I reinterpreted this old print with colour:

  I have also been reacquainting myself with  Sandra Meech's wonderful series of  books- I particularly like "Connecting Art to Stitch" for ideas- Cas Holmes "The Found Object in Textile Art" and  Gwen Hedley's "Drawn to Stitch". These books have given me lots of ideas.  As a result, I did some test machine embroidery on a scrap of cotton adhered to a sticky label, and liked what I saw:

Then, using that experience, I tried the same on some of my left over hand dyed paper.  This is the result:  a paper quilt. 

Very rough and ready, but I love it!  I'm running out of hand dyed paper as a result.  I'll have to start preparing my witch's brews again!

My other fabric quilt using hand dyed fabric is coming along.  I have adhered all the leaves and have  machine embroidered them on with satin stitch. I have also run some strips of machine embroidery along the quilt.  Now, all I have to do is to back and edge it.

A third quilt is in the making.  I have started photocopying my nudes onto fabric and like the results, but have decided I need to draw and wash some more nudes to have enough to make a quilt.

I have finished a knitted top for a hare, am sewing up some new hares, and am knitting a new top  for the doll.

And, I have been inspired by a jacket one of my fellow artists brought into class.  She embroidered it when she was fifteen and it is amazing:     

 

    I must get back to hand embroidery one day!  I adore it! but.....my eyes aren't what they used to be.