Sample 1 is made using one of the pre-set embroidery stitches on my Bernina. Although I was unfortunately not able to make it any larger, it does mimic beautifully the pattern on the little fishermen's chapel on page 34. The small hand-stitched areas are based on the pattern on the stone doorway at Ely (page 29). I particularly like the way that the two areas in variegated thread (bluey-purple and slivery grey) seem to float above the flatter areas of colour.
In sample 2, I started by using another of the Bernina pre-set stitches which reminded me of the pattern on the doorway referred to above. However, when stitched onto a grey felted background, made using wool tops and the embellisher, all the definition was lost so I stitched the grid and flower pattern over the top using free motion. This sample reminded me how satisfying it is to stitch onto felt, whether by hand or machine, as the stitching blends in and a pleasing texture is created.
Sample 4 again uses the pattern from the doorway, this time in a more stylised form, sewn in various thicknesses and types of orange thread. The background is again felted using the embellisher, this time into a more structured light and dark grey grid pattern taken from the fishermen's chapel on page 34.
In sample 4, I wanted to use some more creative techniques. I happened to be looking through "Raising the Surface with Machine Embroidery" (Maggie Grey/Valerie Campbell Harding) and it suggested the good effects which can be achieved by sewing onto tulle, so I decided to try it. I held the doubled up tulle quite tightly and slowly stitched a rough grid using a narrow zig zag stitch. I also sewed a similar grid onto some rather garish orange Kunin felt and used free motion embroidery to put flower shapes inside the grid. The picture below shows the back of the felt:
I had already painted some Bondaweb with Jacquard Lumière (indigo) and planned to use this with the tulle and some silvery grey sheer to knock back the orange and make an interesting surface for further stitch. However, all did not go to plan. The felt just would not distress beyond a tiny crinkle, by which time the tulle and sheer overlay had been all but obliterated, even when heating just from the back. Whilst I quite like the effect, it was not what I was expecting or aiming for.
The silver grey sheer, a tiny piece of which in its original state is visible in the bottom left of the photo above, distressed to quite a dark solid mass. The indigo blue painted Bondaweb is clearly visible but few traces of the tulle remain.
I finished the sample by mounting it onto a piece of blue-grey hand dyed fabric and hand stitching in a similar grid and flower pattern using various thicknesses and colours of perlé cotton, stranded cotton and stranded silk.
The sample is ok but the orange is rather too dominant. I remember now that I have had trouble with trying to distress this Kunin felt in the past. However, I do like the effect of the similar colours layered on top of one another.
Sample 5 refers back to the brass screen on page 35. It is hand dyed cotton on a piece of wadding, with the fan shape made from wrapped chain stitch and the textured background from parallel lines of running stitch, pulled up a little to create ridges. The rings are cut from one of the papers prepared in an earlier lesson.
