Overview
The
difficulty for me in organizing this course, was not what I wanted to share
with you, but how to edit what I wanted to share. I have been exploring and experimenting with
my two loves, paper and stitch for a while now, trying to find what appeals
most to me, where my creative bent lies.
I’m coming to think I have a rather split personality in that regard.
I’m
attracted to very precise stitching on paper, geometric and linear as well as a
very random and almost raw or organic stitching. I find white on white appealing
and Zen-like while appreciating the shock value of a single vivid colour on
white. There is beauty and soul in a
limited, muted colour palette. Manipulation
of paper can add dimension as well as texture to a stitched piece giving
complexity versus simplicity. Adding
metal opens up new areas to explore.
There are no boundaries. I am
only now beginning to narrow down some of the elements that strongly appeal to
me.
What I am
hoping to do in this six week class is
show you some of the paths I’ve travelled; expose you to techniques I’ve come
across in my journey (and wherever possible provide you with references and
video links to those techniques) and show you some of the work of the artists
who’ve inspired me.
Not every
technique will be of interest to every person and not every style will
appeal. I’m hoping that you will take
what appeals and follow that path. Every
creative journey is unique and meanders in its own way. It’s my hope that over the next six lessons you
will discover some interesting paper/textile artists and add to your own repertoire
of skills.
Lesson 1
You can look
at stitching on paper from a couple of perspectives: hand stitching, machine
stitching, and a combination of the two
Points to
consider when Hand stitching
- · Paper
is not forgiving – when you make a hole to stitch through, it’s permanent –
there is no unpicking your work. The
only thing you can do it live with it or cover it up with more paper.
- · The
thicker the paper, the harder it is to sew through but the more stable the surface
- · The
more layers you have, the harder it is to sew through
- · The
thicker the thread, the larger the needle eye, therefore the larger the hole
required
- · When
you have thick paper or a lot of layers of paper, it is hard to be spontaneous
with your stitches because the holes for stitching usually need to be
pre-punched for sewing
- · When
pre-punching holes, do so on a soft surface – a layer of foam or several
newspapers (something that has a bit of give to it)
Tools for Stitching Paper: A Flashback to the Past
Beginners Hand Stitching for Paper Crafts - YouTube
Simple Geometric Stitching on Cards -
YouTube
Points to
consider when machine stitching
- · Use
a longer than normal stitch length – stitches that are too close together will
simply perforate the paper making it easy to tear along the stitch line
- · Dedicate
one needle to working on paper – paper will eventually dull the needle and you
won’t want to use it on fabric. (mark it
with a bit of marker or nail polish so you can tell which one is for paper use)
- · Free
motion embroidery is possible on paper – making an outline of an image or
adding text on multiple layers or backed with thin muslin
- · Tension
is not always the same for paper as for fabric so test on a scrap (standard
procedure)
Fundamental tips for machine sewing into paper - YouTube
Free machine embroidery....on paper?! - YouTube 10 min starts the actual construction of the collage to be stitched.
Artist Links
Karin Lundstrom instagram
Lars Christensen gallery link
Izzy and Gina -- In Stitches podcast series
Bits and Pieces -- looking at ephemera that we can make for our pieces
Books
Mixed Media Master Class with Sherrill Kahn (50+ Surface Design Techniques for Fabric and Paper)
Cut,
Shape, Stitch: Working Creatively with Cutting Machines by Maggie Grey,
Samantha Packer and Paula Watkins
Long
Diaries, Tall Tales: Making Narrative Textiles by Maggie Grey
Paper,
Metal, Stitch by Maggie Grey and Jane Wild
Surface
Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed Media Techniques by Darlene Olivia McElroy
and Sandra Duran Wilson
Stitched
Textiles: Seascapes by Amanda Hislop
Textures
from Nature in Textile Art by Marian Jazmik
Stitch,
Cloth, Paper and Paint by Angie Hughes
Storytelling
with Collage by Roxanne Evans Stout
Paper
Quilting: Creative Designs using Paper and Thread by Bridget Hoff
Templates
The pink and
purple card needs three lines of holes. The
top line has 11, the middle line has two groups of 4 and the bottom line has
11.
The second
card has five lines of 11 holes each. A
single strand of bright (in this case, it was neon) embroidery thread, is used
for each colour. You start with the middle hole at the top to begin the first
of the 3 large closed diamond shapes.
You have a video link in your notes that shows you how to make this
design. It is a good lead into the kind
of work that Ness Donnelly does. Laura
Bassen, the creator of these cards follows Rachel Parker on Instagram. She did similar work.
This is how you would set up your stitching holes. Diamond 1 would be stitched in #1 holes, diamond 2 in #2 holes, diamond 3 in #3 holes and diamond 4 is in two parts. It starts open on the top row and crosses over at the center row and crosses back to the bottom row making a small diamond in the centre. The remainder of the holes simply go from the top of one side to the bottom of the opposite side. The video gives a complete demonstration.
