Hand Stitching Continued: Surface and Structure: Part 5: Manipulating Fabric with Stitches

Alice A: Pleated ribbon using Running stitch.

Well...I was going to write a post combining manipulating fabric with stitches and our final challenge project...a sculpture...in this one post...BUT again too much to share so I'm dividing them up!

This post focuses on using a few basic stitches to manipulate and distort fabric. The three that we focused on were Running stitch, Ladder stitch and Back stitch. We just touched on using Back stitch (for Smocking) and I hope to develop more samples to share with the Spring class (see below for a link to register for that class).

I wasn't surprised by the possibilities of manipulating fabric with Running stitch. But I was really surprised by what could be accomplished with Ladder stitch!! So much so that I personally plan to do a more thorough exploration in my own work.

Here is a selection of samplers using these stitches to manipulate fabric...

Alice A.: Pleating with Running stitch.

Alice A.: Manipulating fabric with Running stitch.

Alice A.: Manipulating fabric with Ladder stitch.

Alice A.: Combining techniques: Reverse applique window. Ladder stitch pleating that has been stuffed, Wrapped wire.

Alice A.: Detail.

Ann Z.: Playing with Running and Ladder stitches to distort fabric.

Marine W. combining Running stitch pleating with stuffed applique and stitching in a fabric collage.

Peggy G.: A selection of samples showing how Running, Ladder and Back stitches can manipulate fabric.

Susan P.: Ladder stitch spiral.

Susan P.: Ladder stitch and Running stitch pleating (front side)

Susan P.: Showing the stitches from the back side.

The next (and final) installment will focus on the creation of small soft sculptures, incorporating the techniques learned in class.

If you want to catch up on past posts about this class:
Part 1: Painted Backgrounds
Part 2: Layering Stitches
Part 3: Buttonhole and Needle Weaving
Part 4: Manipulating Fabric

I'll be teaching an evening version of Hand Stitching Continued: Surface and Structure, starting on May 3, at The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia.

Fall Hand Stitching: Line

Grace M using different densities of line stitches

Last week, students in my Hand Stitching class brought in their line samplers and challenges. So much talent and so many great interpretations! The stitches that they used were: Running, Back and Stem. I love seeing how each student played and stretched and explored!

Grace M.: Sketches in her journal. I ask students to use their journals to have a continuing dialog with their work.

Grace M.

Alice A.

Gretchen K.

Gretchen K.

Gretchen K.

Maria S.: Playing with Running Stitch.

Maria S.: Playing with Stem Stitch.

Maria S.

Maria S.

Marine W.: Playing with Running Stitch.

The students also started in on Pattern and Rhythm samplers this past week. I'm looking forward to seeing how those and their challenges come out. Stay tuned!

Let's Get Stitching!

Amy L.

I'm just SO excited! Why?... My new class in Hand Stitching started a week ago! Today (Class #2) I got to see some of the results...which I'm sharing here. I'm already seeing individual voices in this group of eleven talented students. They are a dream class!

Amy L.

Jan B.

Jodie F.

I put some parameters on our stitching samplers and challenges...black and white and gray. Students will stitch at least one Stitch Sampler and at least one Stitch Challenge piece from a list of challenges I've put together for each class. The end goal, is a very individual stitch book. Students are also keeping a journal so that they can "dialog" with their stitching experiences along the way.

Journal entry by Erika C.

Judy B.

Judy B.

Ann Z.

Fabrics designs using ink and thread/string by Ann Z.

We spent the first class painting and printing fabrics and starting in on the theme of Line with Running, Back and Stem stitches.

Lee W.

Lee W.

Peggy G.

Peggy G.

Sarah H.

Sarah H.

Today's class focused on the theme of Pattern and Rhythm and "looped" stitches: Fly, Detached Chain, Chain and Buttonhole. We had a great time today playing with variations.

Amy P-G.

Erika C.

Jodie F.

Lee W.

Next week's theme is Texture...stay tuned!

Stitch Challenge...Stitch for Five Then...

This Christmas weekend, we were visiting my mother-in-law in New Jersey. Since we were spending most of our time inside chatting...I was able to get a bit of stitching done too!

Here is the piece that I stitched. It is one of the stitching challenges that I'm going to suggest to the students in my upcoming Hand Stitching class. In this challenge you stitch for five and then make a change. The change could be a change in the direction of the line or a change in the stitch...or both!

I stitched five Running stitches, then changed direction and stitched five Back stitches. The background was hand painted and sprinkled with salt to get the gradations of gray.

At first I did all the stitching with two strands of white DMC floss but I found the result lacked the "punch" that I hoped for. I thought...maybe I should start over on another piece of fabric with three or four strands of white floss. But then I got the idea to shadow the original stitches with two strands of black floss. I think the result is pretty interesting!

It was fun to work out the changes in direction while stitching. I wanted to make sure that the stitched lines filled out the square area, but that they never crossed...sort of like building a maze!

Only two spots left in the class!

Thick and Thin...Following a Thread

So....following a thought thread from my previous post, I decided to play a little bit more with thick and thin lines of stitching using back stitch, stem stitch, and running stitch. This is in preparation for the Hand Stitching class I'll be teaching in January and February.

This time, I stitched with strands of white DMC floss on two layers of black cotton. First I drew a 4" square image area and divided it into quarters. I then drew a circle in each square.  I marked parallel stitching guidelines approximately 1/8" apart in each square. I used one strand of DMC floss for the "thin" lines and four strands for the "thick" lines.

Starting with running stitch, I stitched the background with the single strand of floss and the circle design with the four strands. I tried to have the lines of running stitch line up vertically to form columns of stitches. I really like the subtle "appearance" of the circle and that the further away I hold the piece, the more defined the circle becomes (sort of like a Pointillist painting!).

Running stitch. I tried to have the stitches line up in columns.

For the next square, I stitched the background in a thick stem stitch and the circle using only the single strand.

Stem stitch (left square)

Then it was back stitch, with the background stitched in a single strand and the circle with four strands.

Back stitch top left.

For the final square, I returned to running stitch. This time, the stitches in each line alternate (sort of like a brick wall), with the background stitched with four strands and the circle with one.

Running stitch alternating stitches with each row.

After creating this sample...a whole lot of  what ifs exploded in my brain!!!

I wish I had several more pairs of hands to stitch all my ideas! I'm glad that I'm keeping a journal to jot them down. But...I have to keep in mind that I need more class samples that cover a number of topics such as stitch length and angle etc. The funny thing is...I could probably teach an entire class using just the running stitch...there are so many possibilities!

If you live in the Washington DC area, registration for the Hand Stitching class starts at 9:30 AM on this coming Monday, November 9th!