Restoration & Degeneration

An eclectic mix of stitch, machine and hand, traditional crewel yarn on stainless steel mesh, silk and papers couched to vintage slate roofing tiles...

Specialist Professional Practice - Learning Agreement

The start of my final year three, project

Restoration & Degeneration

Synopsis of Study

I will create a project outcome of embellished, stitched textured textile design / craft pieces.  I will be using my preferred textile techniques of hand and machine stitch, along with fabric manipulation and embellishment. 

The overall assignment is inspired primarily by the preserved Norfolk Bed Hangings at Ugbrooke House, Devon; embroidered by Mary Howard nee Blount, Duchess of Norfolk in the 18^th century.  

What?

The samples will be created from natural and manmade fibres, hand dyed and embroidered by machine and hand.  They will include appliqué and other fabric manipulation techniques.  I may also use complimentary techniques such as screen printing, stump work, and devore; as well as looking to incorporate other more unusual stitch methods such as pulled thread embroidery, Yorkshire buttons, amongst others.  

I plan to also create commercially orientated digital printed fabric for interiors to compliment the stitched pieces.  From an overall design perspective want to challenge myself to move away from pattern repeats, which I consider to be my comfort zone, and seek to create more fluid and linear pieces of work.

I will use natural fabrics: linen, cotton and silks; as well as some transparent fabrics, for layering and possible 3D structures.  Colour tones will be derived from my visit to Arundel Castle.

I will take inspiration from artists such as Helen Chadwick, Frida Kahlo, Damien Hirst, Gunther von Hagen, Karen Nicol, Michele Carragher, Alison Mercer, Alice Kettle and Alison Willoughby.

Why?

During the summer holidays, the subject of Mary Duchess of Norfolk was bought to my attention by Nicola Gentle a Textile conservationist.  Mary is my 2^nd Cousin 8 times removed.  This subject is a further extension of previous burial, genealogical and historical inspired pieces I have worked on. 

I wish to use this initiative to further develop my textiles skills.  In particular for my intricate hand embroidery pieces, I would like the outcomes to be less sterile with a more fluid design, in comparison to the work produced for the FdA Professional Project (Eadgyth’s remains). 

In particular, I want to concentrate more on the creation of base fabrics, as well as the sewn stitch and surface embellishment.  I would like to experiment further to combine hand stitch and fabric manipulation.  I hope to make my stitched pieces more tactile incorporating elements of 3D as well as 2D.  I intend my stitches to be larger in scale than the projects in year two, seeking to use other thicker threads and alternative stitch mediums to create stitches with.

I hope these new aspirations will reflect my continued textiles journey and create a new and exciting collection of work.

How?

The work will be presented as a textile collection of mounted stitched, manipulated and embellished fabric final pieces.   I intend to create a collection of 10 to 12 intricate complimentary samples for the hand in.

I anticipate that the collection will comprise of one or two main stitched and manipulated pieces, along with several supporting / complimentary samples.   I intend the samples to be textural in nature and reflect the historical influences of the Rococo and Baroque period.

The pieces are aimed at the design craft market (designer / maker), although they will be presented within an interiors setting.  The final samples will be presented with supporting work in my sketch book containing all investigative and exploratory work and experimental pieces, digital work.  Although I am not able to access Mary’s bed Hangings as a primary resource, I have been given a selection of photographs. 

I intend to collect primary inspiration from visits to Arundel Castle (the ancestral home of the Duke of Norfolk), VAM (Room 52 Music Room commissioned by Mary) as well as other Rococo and Baroque art pieces.  I will submit mood boards to demonstrate colour and collected inspirational imagery; and a final client board.

The samples will be photographed and presented in a contextual scenario.  I will also prepare a completed plan of project objectives and deliverables vs. target, bibliography, costing summary and a written evaluation. 

Deer oh deer

Summer holidays have a significant impact on any creative activities.  However I have found time to knit this stag head for my Mum and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary.  I believe my Dad may have coveted antlers on the wall for many years, and I think this is the closest he is going to get!

 

This pattern is by Claire Garland free from Ravelry and can be found at  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/my-dear---a-deer-trophy.

 

 

 

Production Line

Ellis asked me to make some little pencil cases / make-up bags to give to her friends at school, asa this is the last few weeks of their term together.   Makes a nice change from hand stitching, these hotch potch designs were made up en masse from a pack of Moda quilting fabric layer cake 'Dilly Dally'.

 

 

Drawn Thread Embroidery

I've been experimenting with some other traditional hand stitch techniques, with the aim to learn new techniques and to then consider how these methods could be used and applied in a contemporary manner. 

 

Drawn thread embroidery is a counted thread technique, one of the oldest forms of openwork embroidery.  The work involves the cutting and removal of some of the threads in the fabric which are then stitched to create patterns, positive stitches and negative spaces.

 

The sample I created is stitched on an evenweave linen fabric of 28 threads per inch.  Evenly woven fabric is essential for this method to work as you have to count the number of threads to cut, sew etc.

I have to admit this method is a bit of a killer and a strain on the eyes!!  Although I like the outcome I would like to try it on a fabric with a lower thread count, and even further wonder if it would be possible to stitch metal gauze or similar to create 3D pieces.  

 

Here is the sample, one photo with a 50p piece to illustrate how small and intricate the sample is! 

 

 

 

The New Crewel

I've been experimenting with crewel embroidery technique, using crewel wool thread, rather than stranded cotton which I am used to.  I thought I should familiarise myself with this style of embroidery having referred to my projects as worked in this manner.  Crewel embroidery is defined as a type of surface stitching worked in crewel wool; the embroidery is much thicker and heavier than other types of embroidery, and the stitching lies above the background fabric, not just on it .  Having read up on this, I think purists would also say that it should be stitched on linen fabric!  I never realised that the Bayeux tapestry is in fact the Bayeux crewel embroidery, although it doesn't have such a good ring to it! 

I taken have some exercises from the book 'The New Crewel' by Katherine Shaughnessy and practised some of her designs which are conpemporary in nature,  although I feel a little limited on the range of stitches used.

 

 

Inspiration

I wonder why I search for unusual inspiration for my projects when sometimes things are right under my nose...in the garden!