Surface Stitchery/Embroidery #5

Embroidery has been seen to embellish fiber/fabric works by adding line and/or pattern. An additional way that embroidery can enhance fiberart is by creating texture.

In hand embroidery, texture may result from directional stitching as well as lumpy stitches such as those that produce loops or knots. Couching can also be used to hold down textured threads like thick and thin yarns, bouchles, eyelash yarns. Couching may be done by hand or machine. A third possibility is to use stitches to attach three dimensional objects such as beads, buttons, wads of fabric or found objects.

In machine embroidery, the stitches are formed by two threads looping together within the fabric--one from the spool on the top and one from the bobbin below. In a normal sewing line, the tensions of the top and bottom threads are balanced such that only the top thread is visible on the surface of the fabric and only the bobbin thread is visible on the back side. If the tension is not balanced, loops and nubs of thread can be produced either on the top surface (tighten top and or loosen bobbin tension) or on the bottom (loosen top and/or tighten bobbin tension). Either top or bottom can become the "right" side of the finished piece. In addition, thicker threads may be wound on the bobbin so that sewing may be done with threads too heavy to pass through the eye of the needle. In this case, the bottom will become the "right" side and the design must be stitched from the "wrong" side.

Julie Booth uses directional hand stitching to add texture to the lips and eyes of her totem dolls.

Direction of stitching also figures in the machine embroidery "Three Apples" buy Joanne Bast to differentiate the texture of the painted windows from the cement sill and the apple skins.

When the background strata is thick, stitching lines compress areas and puff out others as in the wet felted wool wall hanging "scaling the Great Wall" by Joanne Bast or the needle felted bracelets by Paige Garber.

Hand stitched seed beads, sequins, buttons, wire curlicues, carved stone flowers and/or fresh water pearls embellish felted brooches by Zita Simutis, Anne Sanderoff-Walker, Paige Garber, and Joanne Bast.

Olena Lar, one of our newest members stitches beads and stones onto a leather slave bracelet ring combination.

A textured evening bag by Beverly Baker combines couching and beading.

Ann Liddle and Eileen Doughty leave thread ends to texture necklaces of felt and paper.

Machine couching of a thick and thin yarn embellishes a purse by Dorothy Miller.

All over couching of a textured thread in a wall hanging by Fran Spader.

Couching only a few of the painted squares on Janet Barnard's scarf emphasizes shapes.

Anna Ebersole stitches bits of fabric and threads to form a 3Dimensional wall piece "Dragonflies".

Joanne Bast stitches leaf veins on a barrette using perle cotton in the bobbin from the wrong side and then turns the piece over to add the freeform stitching from the right side.

Eileen Doughty contrasts the texturing of freeform machine stitching with the straight stitching of the tree trunks in a blue satin bag and a Washington city scene.

Joanne Bast uses loose bobbin tension to pull loops of thread up from the bobbin to texture barrettes and to add dimension to the flowers in the window boxes of the machine embroidery "Red Window".

Mother's Day is fast approaching. Come on in and see the variety of fiber work available in the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery for gift giving. Hand made items become heirlooms to be treasured by generations and not duplicated. April is coming to an end and I will soon be turning the blog posting over to Floris Flam. I hope to blog once more before the week is out. Until then, Joanne

Surface Stitchery/Embroidery #4

One does not have to use combinations of thin straight lines to produce pattern in embroidery. Embroidery books are full of a multiplicity of hand embroidery stitches that can be used to produce patterns. Stitches exist that have threads that loop and cross leading to a wide variety of patterns.

Many sewing machines are also programed with a selection of decorative stitches. This is a selection of stitch patterns that can be found on an older model mechanical machine followed by examples of these stitches sewn out. Stitches can be further affected by changing the stitch width and or length.

Current electronic machines have 20, 30, 50 or more screens of possible stitches. Some produce patterned lines, some individual motifs and some an all over patterning.

By overlaying stitch pattern lines over stitch pattern lines, a surface pattern can be created.

The following are examples of pins, barrettes and earrings by Joanne Bast that use overlapping preprogrammed machine stitches to form an overall pattern.

Pattern stitches are preprogramed into the machines and when selected, stitch out using the ordinary sewing set up which involves an attachment called a presser foot which pushes the fabric to be stitched down onto a set of teeth called feed dogs. The feed dogs surge forward and are what moves the fabric so that the stitches do not end up all on top of each other.

Feed dogs:

Presser foot and feed dogs:

Sewing machines can also be used in a free form manner by dropping these feed dogs. When the feed dogs are not in play, the fabric does not move automatically, but can be moved by hand forward, backward, side to side, diagonally, back and forth or in circles. An open presser foot called a darning foot is often used in producing freeform machine embroidery.

Feed dogs retracted:

Darning foot with retracted feed dogs:

Freeform stitching:

Freeform machine embroidery may be done in an open fashion so that the fabric shows through or may be stitched so compactly that the stitching entirely covers the underlying fabric and forms a thread painting as in picture below "I'm So Sorry" by Joanne Bast.

Have a Happy Holiday weekend. Joanne