Surface Stitchery/Embroidery #2

Continuing on with a discussion of how line in embroidery can serve to embellish textiles, Cindy Griselda has hand stitched multiple lines in running stitch that parallel, cross and conflict with the fabric pieces in her wall quilt.

Joanne Bast has used multiple parallel hand couched running stitches in the wales of corduroy to entirely form the design of trees in "Porch, Pines and Potted Plant" on a piece of plain fabric.

Straight rows of parallel stitching done on the sewing machine provide additional interest in a Cindy Grisdela pillow.

In the fabric pictures "Lavender in Provence" and "Maryland from Above", Betty Ford has machined repeating areas of straight stitching following the hand dyed fabric shapes to enhance her landscapes.
Fran Spader's wall quilt has several areas of repeating lines, some straight and some in circles following the shapes of the fabric inlays.

Floris Flam's fabric collage also uses machined straight stitching. But here, the rows cross fabric blocks tying them together into a larger visual piece.

Stitching need not be in straight or even curved rows. The eyeglass cases by Elida de Sousa Moore below show machine stitching in an organic all over manner. Sewing machines also have built in pattern stitches that may be used as lines of embroidery as in the barrette by Joanne Bast.

Surface Stitchery/Embroidery #1

Hello, This is Joanne Bast, back as blogger for the month of April. I see that the vast variety of fiber techniques to be found in the Fiberart Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA discussed so for have spanned the gamut from weaving and spinning to quilting to silk painting to beadwork to fabric collage. I would like to continue on with an explanation of surface stitchery otherwise known as embroidery. My old college dictionary defines to embroider as to ornament, to embellish, to add fanciful details to. Stitchery has long been used to beautify items from the common every day functional to the strictly ornamental.

Embroidery is usually considered as work done with a threaded needle. In the embellishment of items, one way that embroidery can be used is to add or emphasize line. Embroidery may be done by hand or with the needle of a sewing machine.

Julie Booth hand stitches fabric pieces onto one of her totem figures with decorative thread in such a way that visible stitching outlines each piece.

Two of Julie's Totem Figures.

Lines can follow and enhance the patterns of the base fabric. Using a sewing machine, Eileen Doughty outlines the motifs that she has printed onto her fabric journal covers, purse and fabric boxes.

Floris Flam stitches rows of parallel lines to emphasize the landscape effect of her wall quilt "Blue Hills".

In Betty Ford's "Red and Yellow Grasses", stitched lines follow the growth of the fabric strips to give a linear and waving feeling.

Ruth Blau uses lines of machine embroidery in contrast to the edges of fabric patches to embellish her hand woven tote bag.

The elements of a felted necklace by Ann Liddle are stitched using different line configurations.

Dorothy Miller uses a wide machined zig zag satin stitch to give a stained glass effect to her pieced evening bag.

Hand and machine stitching need not be mutually exclusive. In the pink bag below, Dorothy uses machine satin stitch to outline the large fabric color blocks and a running hand stitch to emphasize the small circles.

Sewing machines also often have built in pattern stitches that can also be used to separate and outline areas of design.

Floris Flam has satin stitch outlined the edges of petals as well as used finer stitched lines to develop internal structure in her fabric bowls.

Couching is a method of embroidery where one thread (usually either too thick to pass through the fabric or too dear to waste any on the back side) is held in place by overstitching with a thinner thread. Merle Thompson has used couching to add linear interest to a satin purse.

There are many ways in which embroidery may be used to add linear decorations to fiber work. In future posts this month, I will continue to explore embroidery as a fiber embellishment technique. Monday April 11 is also our next jury day. By the end of business on Monday, the gallery will be filled with all new goodies. Stop in and enjoy. Joanne

Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery Holiday Jury Day

Monday November 15 was the jury day for our Holiday Treasures Show. The Potomac Fiberarts Gallery is a coop gallery that exhibits about 10 entirely new shows of fiberart each year. At the end of a show, all work is removed from the gallery and new work is submitted to a jury process before entering the gallery for the new show. Each piece is individually juried to maintain quality and relevance to fiber or a fiber technique.

The gallery is first emptied of all outgoing work.

Then the gallery is cleaned and prepared for new incoming items.Display committee member Paige Garber is sweeping the floors as Clara Graves prepares hat racks.

The jury tables are set up in the corridor outside the gallery. Racks and bags contain members work awaiting checking in which is done on the tables to the right and left. The center table seats two members of our jury committee who collaborate on passing decisions on each item. While the jurors present for the holiday show are our own members, several times a year, we invite guest jurors to gain a fresh insight. The holiday show is also our largest show in terms of number of items entered. Therefore this jury process is repeated at a second location with a second set of jurors and accessory people. I will only be showing you one. The jurors are ready to go.

Incoming work awaiting jurying.

Members Lynn Hoffman and Bev Ringel check items against inventory sheets.

Roz Houseknecht hold incoming art pieces up for the jurors to see.

Jurors Carol Holmes and Janet Stollnitz make tough decisions.

Works start coming in to the gallery.

The jury process continues.

The gallery fills.

By about 2-3PM, the jury process is finished and the gallery opens for business with a fresh new selection of fiber art and art to wear selections. Scarves and shawls:

More scarves, jackets, vests and other wearables:

Wall Art:

Purses, hats, gloves, handmade books, pillows, and more:

Jewelry, brooches, earrings, barrettes, bracelets, necklaces:

Jewelry cases for the special pieces:

We are open 10AM-6PM daily and weekends, Thursday 11AM-9PM. There will be a special Holiday Open House throughout the Torpedo Factory Art Center on December 2 from 6-9PM.We welcome your visit. Until next blog when I will continue my discussion of stitched beadwork with an introduction of brick stitch. Joanne