More layers of text

In my last post I showed you the fabrics I had printed.  I also dyed two other pieces of calico.

I dyed this piece to use for a different non-text related piece of work - a companion piece to my river hanging.

I used the same colours on another piece of fabric.  I wrote on it first with masking fluid - the sort used by watercolour painters.  This will be another piece in my series based on chains. I used my pantoum poem: Dancing in Fetters

Unfortunately the masking fluid doesn't peel off fabric like it does off paper but that's okay.  However the second problem was that the lettering doesn't show up with the ochre dye as it's too pale.  You can see it if the fabric is held up to the light but the hanging is going to have wadding and a back.

I drew round the letters with an Inktense pencil so that once the wadding and back is on I can see where to stitch.

Next job is to start on this piece of work and use the fabrics from my previous post.  I have two more days of Summer School this week in which to get going.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

Satin Stitch Chains

This week I have been mostly satin stitching chain links!

In a previous post I showed you the start of the next piece in my Dancing in Fetters series.  I had used a thermofax screen to print chain links ready to stitch.

I started with the broken chains and some thin variegated thread.

In close-up these look like seagulls!

I used a solid colour Paintbox thread for these chains.

And then an Anchor 6 strand embroidery thread for the heaviest chain.  The problem with this was that there were 12 threads to push through the fabric where the needle eye was threaded.  A sore thumb and finger was the result!!

However, it was worth it to see the weight of the chain lighten and break across the 3 sets of footprints.

And so - it is finished.

I'm calling it 'Dancing into Freedom'.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

And it's done

Although I still have to work out how to store this piece and I may need to add some stitch to ensure the woven strips are in the right place on the chain!

However: here it is

And the next piece is underway. It is also part of the Dancing in Fetters series.  This piece is about 'dancing' out of captivity into freedom.  The white footprints on the right are freezer paper to stitch around and then pull off.  The other footprints are various dyed fabrics and bonded onto the calico. The music notes are also bonded dyed fabric.

Close-ups

I added the chains with acrylic paint through a thermofax screen.  I'm going to fill in the outline with satin stitch.

Another close-up

I had bonded the backing fabric to some thin wadding and machine stitched the turnings.  I bonded the front to the wadding.

Thank you for being here today.
Bernice

In progress

Lately I have been working on a new piece in my Dancing in Fetters series.  It is very different from my usual style.

It had been suggested to me that I use metal chain for this piece.  However I found that this would be too heavy to hang on a wall.  I bought this plastic chain which I thought would be easy to paint with acrylic paint.  How wrong I was!

However after several coats of paint - I lost count of how many - I was eventually satisfied that they looked suitably rusty.

I am using my Nonet poem again.  Each strand of chain has the number of links that matches the number of syllables in the line of poetry.

 

 

Much to my husband's bemusement - and that of the Evri delivery guy - I bought a piece of driftwood off Etsy.

The inspiration for having a piece of wood was this photo I took in Tasmania

It seemed to me that it was easier to buy the driftwood than try to distress a new piece of wood.

I wrote the lines of the poem on strips of fabric.

And wove the strips through the links.

I pinned the strip chains and then stitched them.

I heated some copper shim to discolour it and cut it into tags.  I printed the words of each line on the tags.

 I've yet to attach the tags to the chain.

The last thing will be to attach the finished piece to the driftwood.

Then on to the third piece in the series which will much less mixed-media and much more textile!

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

The first of a series

You may remember the Nonet I wrote called Dancing in Fetters.  I also wrote recently about the zoom workshop I did with Julia Triston.

One of the exercises was to write words on a piece of paper and cut it up and reassemble it.

Instead of the textile I was going to make, I started a new piece by writing the whole of the Nonet on a piece of calico.  I used a thermofax screen I had made some years ago of chains that I had drawn.

I cut this fabric into squares and reassembled it using the sewing machine.  The letters show up more as letters than marks as in the original paper collage.

I printed out various sizes of a treble clef, stave and music notes to see whether this was what I wanted on my hanging.

I settled on a size and drew it out on Stitch 'n' Tear.

I straight stitched the stave on the machine and tore off the tissue.  I hand stitched the treble clef.  I then satin stitched on the machine over the top of the straight stitch.

I drew the music notes on bondaweb befor ironing it onto fabric.  I cut out the notes and ironed them onto the hanging.

I used calico to make the binding.

I had some fabric in my stash that was a perfect match for this piece as it looks like bass clefs.

So, Dancing in Fetters 1 is finished.   Now on to Dancing in Fetters 2.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Text in Textiles day 2

Another 9am start!

Julia had invited us to send photos of our work from day 1 and of previous work which we discussed.  Hearing Julia's comments about my work and other people's work was really inspiring.  Even when your work is totally different from another person's work, hearing suggestions for the way forward for them often sparks ideas for me.

On this second day we concentrated on using dissolvable fabric.  I handstitched 'in fetters' using backstitch and then went over it again with chain stitch.

 

 

The result was too heavy and thick for where I intended putting it on the smaller collage. So instead I wrote the words on tissue and chain stitched the words directly onto the fabric.

In conversation with Julia, she suggested I might add musical notation.  I drew the notes on acetate and laid it over.  Although the placement is random, the sizes are too regular so this needs more thought.

I also tried laying the acetate on top of the larger collage.  As before needs more thinking.

As I said at the beginning, hearing suggestions both for your own work and others, sparks ideas.  I have at least 3 ideas for pieces about dancing in fetters beyond my original idea.

This is one of the ideas based on the nonet I wrote.  I was thinking about making the links with wrapped cord but Julia suggested I might make it with metal chains.  Interesting.  A visit to B&Q looms!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice