67
Fabric manipulation
Gathering
Cotton with a square grid
Drawn up
Stitched (with difficulty, see next sample)
68
Polyester Satin with a square grid
Drawn up
I found it very difficult to keep the manipulation in one place, and terribly difficult to remove the threads after stitching. I found some cheap not-bondaweb in a box, ironed a small piece on the back – it doesn’t stick very well – backed that with some equally cheap sheer, and then stitched the sample. It won’t matter if the backing comes off.
Threads withdrawn
Stitched
Sheer with a square grid
69
Silk noil with a diagonal grid
This was a trial of marbling using oil paint which went wrong. The wrong side was better, so I worked on that.
Drawn up
Bondaweb and sheer on reverse
Threads withdrawn
Stitched
Polycotton with a twisted grid
Drawn up
Threads withdrawn, bondaweb etc added, and stitched
Close-up
70
Gathering using a heat-shrink thread
Grid using Madeira heat-shrink smocking thread on polyester satin
After ironing: the thread shows up on the darker parts, and I doubt if it could be removed (I didn’t try). It worked well, and may have uses.
71
Gathering using elastic
Transfer-painted poly-cotton with shirring elastic. I like the effects of practically everything else better.
Smocking
Lino-printed cotton with machine gathering stitches
Threads drawn up
Both my machines have a pattern for smocking: this is it, and very effective. (My most long-time friend from primary school, whose mother was a translator for Simplicity Patterns, was looking at this earlier today and wanting to know how I did it. She needs a new machine! Hers does zig-zag and blind hems only, she has 6 grandchildren, 4 under school age).
72
Gathering onto fusible webbing/transfer adhesive
Procion dyed muslin and rug canvas
Bondawebbed onto polycotton
Stitched (I really liked this method)
Tea-dyed scrim bondawebbed to Tyvek
73
Calico using Texture Magic and a steam iron: an expensive but quick way of producing texture
Ruching
Using a gathering foot on Sari ribbon
74
Pleats and Tucks
Pintucks
Dyed muslin using two different twin needles
The wrong side: I really like this result
A finer muslin, to see if it would work as a shadow
Not really, the other sample is better
Back of the bag from Module 3
75
Pleats and tucks
Marbled poly-cotton with machine patterns
Stitched tucks
Wave pleats
Holes – Grids on scrim
Foot on
Foot off
This was very soft scrim – more like muslin – and although I managed a grid, it was very difficult with the foot on. I found a thicker one, and withdrew a few threads. It really depends on the result required.
76
Procion-dyed scrim with threads withdrawn and foot on.
Foot off with cords
77
Stitching to create Texture
Blodau yn y cae
Coloured muslin, cut holes, cords, machine stitches, eyelets, free machining – large granite stitch, tailor tacks.
This is another Blue Peter piece combining the previous technique and some of the following ones.
Original source, which was enlarged and traced – I forgot to reverse it.
Cable stitch cockerel head
Procion-dyed calico, (I happened to have some in the same colours as the original background), coton a broder – black and hand dyed, perle 8 in two colours and Lana. I was rather pleased with this, and may frame it.
78
Ne-ne neck markings
Poly-cotton with whip stitch in metallic and rayon embroidery thread
79
Utility stitches to create Texture
All on badly marbled calico, using rayon machine embroidery threads
a) Pattern 3: Vari-overlock
b) Pattern 8: Double overlock
c) Pattern 24: Honeycomb – smocking
80
Couching
Top to bottom:
Knitting yarn couched using zig-zag stitch
Knitting yarn couched using straight stitch
Very thick yarn couched using straight stitch
Fancy tubular yarn with knots
Handmade cord with knots
Close-up
81
Top Left: Single layer of looped yarns
Top Right: Multi-layered looped yarns
Bottom: Fancy fringed yarn free machined
Close-up
82
Design using couching:
Early Misericord from Ripon Cathedral showing Fox and Goose
This is a couched version of the Misericord from Ripon: just the goose body in Nene shades. I couched a piece of stretchy, tubular yarn into the shape of the goose, outlined the wing feathers using double kitting yarn, with a bunch of knotted threads down the right hand side, and the body is layers of looped yarn diminishing in thickness upwards.
Close-up of upper body
Close-up of lower body showing tubular yarn (a bit like feathers, I hope)
83
Use of Tailor-tacking foot
Top to bottom:
Single layer, satin stitch length
Double row
Double layer attempt: unsuccessful as the foot kept getting caught in the previous layer.
(See also Blodau yn y cae centre bottom green with feed dog lowered)
Needles Only 