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!

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!

Humble Beginnings

This week, I finally started working on some samples for my upcoming Hand Stitching class. I've had lots of thoughts bopping around in my head (and I've gotten many of those down on paper) but for some reason I just wasn't sitting down and starting to make samples.

I decided to start by reintroducing myself to three basic stitches that I use a lot in my work...back stitch, stem stitch and running stitch. One thing I really want to do is set limits...both in size and color. So, I am trying to stick with black and white to start. These samples use black DMC floss on a slightly off-white Prepared for Dyeing Kona cotton. I also have black cotton and will use white floss. And...I'll probably try white stitching on white cloth and black stitching on the black cloth. I do want to try out some different fabrics....linen, silk, felt and maybe a sheer of some kind. The students will have the chance to paint and print (black and white) some designs during the first session...just for some variety.

Back stitch: Changing the thickness of the lines.

But getting back to these samples... I focused on thick versus thin so I stitched lines that gradually used fewer strands of floss. I tried to keep the stitches pretty uniform in length. Stitching the lines using 5 and 6 strands was not very easy (especially trying to keep an even tension as I worked) and I think that the weave of this cotton may be too tight to comfortably accommodate that many strands. The linen and felt will probably work much better (more samples to come!). Even doing these simple  samples has got me thinking...about designs with lines that become thick and thin. I want to try that next. And then I want to think about and explore the concept of line. Using descriptors for lines...and then trying to stitch them (for example...can a line be angry?).

Stem stitch: Changing the thickness of the lines.

Running stitch: Changing the thickness of the lines.

So this is the humble start...

Hamsa Redux: Starting to Stitch

I finally had the chance yesterday to start stitching on the new (and hopefully, improved) version of the hamsa piece for F.I.N.E. We are having a meeting this coming Wednesday and this needs to be completed or at least VERY far along.

I pulled out my embroidery floss and started auditioning colors. I had a pretty good idea about where I wanted to go, but the subtleties of the colors required a bit of thought.

I also wanted to try some stitch variations for the eyes on the fingertips, including: back stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch and chain stitch.

I actually liked the look of the back side of the back stitch which appeared as a looser version of the stem stitch. Rather than working from the back, I decided to do a less regular stem stitch. The finished sample eye is what I'm planning for the final piece.

Here is the progress so far.

There is still much to do.

Yesterday's entertainment while stitching included watching/listening to Mystic River and part of The Shining...what a strange combination...wonder if it had any effect on my stitching!