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!

 

 

Mary, Duchess of Norfolk

I'm not very good at updating my blog, but this is a brilliant example of why I should......  One of my previous textile pieces was based on my family ancestors, the Blounts of Sodington.  Whilst googling, Nicola (her job description is Research & Conservation of Historic Textiles) found my blog and contacted me.  She sent me a copy of the article below which is a historic embroidery by Mary, Duchess of Norfolk who was a Blount descended from the same Sodington line as me!  In fact Mary and I are second cousins 8X removed (but I didn't get a title)!  How fantastic is this?  Before I've even had the chance to see these embroideries in real life, I've already had tonnes of ideas and inspiration for next years projects (even if I had said I was trying to avoid historical influences - for a change) but I can't resist this!

Professional Project - Done!

Apologies the blog has gone pretty much the same direction as normal home life, limited cooking, no cleaning and just loads of hand stitiching.  In summary this is about teeth, bones and isotopes!

 

 

 

Professional Project

My Learning Agreement for this years final project!

 

I have decided to create a submission of textured and layered design craft pieces, based on the life and death of Eadgyth, a Medieval princess.  I will be using my preferred textile techniques of hand and machine stitch, along with fabric manipulation and embellishment. 

I plan to create a collection of stitched textile and manipulated fabric samples.  Within these I intend to incorporate some of the textile ambitions I had before I joined the course, juxtaposed with a selection of techniques learnt during the FdA years one and two.                         

What?  I have chosen to base my project on Eadgyth, a historical Medieval English Princess and German Queen who lived in the 10th Century AD.  The story of her life journey, the rediscovery of her remains in 2010; and the subsequent scientific identification of her mortal remains, will provide me with the parameters and scope for my project.  I intend to design and create a collection of textile craft pieces inspired by Eadgyth’s story.

The sample pieces will be 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, flocking, and devore.  I also intend to experiment with alternative methods, including fabric decomposition by burying or rusting. 

I will use natural fabrics: linen, cotton and silks; with natural muted colour tones based on Medieval artwork. 

I intend to create a series of highly textured pieces, using multiple layers of fabrics and materials and overlaid techniques, to create surfaces incorporating a series of images and text; representing the life, death and identification of Eadgyth’s remains.  I will take inspiration from artists such as Shelley Rhodes, Alison Mercer, Cas Holmes and Gwen Hedley.

Why?  The subject matter of Eadgyth’s life, death, burial; historical insight; juxtaposed along with the modern day scientific methods of identifying her remains provides me with a wealth of broad and varied inspirations and resources to draw upon.  This subject is an extension of previous burial and historical pieces I have worked on.

Before I joined the course I had a vision of the type of samples I would like to create: very organic in nature, using multi layers and images and surface techniques.  For this project I want to explore the fabric surface creation aspirations I had envisaged, applied alongside further experimentation and application of several techniques learned during the FdA, and by doing so bringing these two elements together to create a new and exciting collection of work.

Although I am not able to access Eadgyth’s remains as a primary resource, I intend to seek out human bones and teeth at Dorchester County Museum or Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford for sketching and idea generation.  Additionally, I intend to visit Cathedrals associated with 10th Century Monarchs at Malmesbury or Winchester; as well as looking generally at effigies and sarcophagi from this period at the V&A Museum and Christchurch Priory.   I hope to also look at chemical compositions of Isotopes, teeth and medieval diet which all aided in the identification of Eadgyth’s remains.

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 14 intricate complimentary samples for the hand in. Samples will be no larger than A3 and 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 Medieval times overlaid with modern scientific elements.            

The final samples will be presented with supporting work in my sketch book containing all investigative and exploratory work and experimental pieces, digital work.  I will submit two mood boards to demonstrate colour and collected inspirational imagery; as well as my visualisations of my chosen design craft samples photographed in an appropriate Cathedral, Church or medieval building; I will also prepare a completed plan of project objectives and deliverables vs. target, bibliography, costing summary and a written evaluation. 

Come Tie with Me!

Quick kill collaborative project with other students from Fashion and Architecture.  Our subject TENSION.  We chose to create a small oasis of colour on Poole High Street, asking them to join our initiative and tie pieces of fabric to lamp posts, benches and trees.

 

 

 

Contemporary Textiles for Professional Practice.

Hand-in on Monday, all finished bar the final review of my written evaluation. Hurrah, always the best and most satisfying part of a project!

Hand and Lock Prize for Embroidery Design 2013

‘The Past is the Future’ | Group One | Tudor England & 1970’s Rock Concert

 

I selected the brief from Hand and Lock Prize for Embroidery Design 2013 as I felt it was the most suitable to, and in line with my preferred study pathway of fabric manipulation and stitch. In order to meet the set brief for the Contemporary Textiles for Professional Practice module, I planned, designed and executed final samples that explored and embraced the defined and influential elements of both the Tudor age and 1970s Glam Rock era.