Hand Stitching: Pattern, and Texture Beginnings

Kate G.: Challenge using commercial fabric as a jumping off point.

This past week in Hand Stitching, we started in on Texture. We talked about actual texture versus visual texture. We worked on some stitches that could be used for "seeding" as well as composite stitches.

Christina H.: Texture Sampler beginnings.

Kate G.: Texture Sampler beginnings.

Susan P.: Texture Sampler beginnings.

 I also got to see some finished samples for the previous week's theme, Pattern.

Kate G.: Pattern Sampler

Kate G.: Pattern Challenge

Christina H.: Pattern Challenge using commercial fabric as a jumping off point.

Susan P.: Pattern Sampler.

Susan P.: Pattern Challenge - spirals

Can't wait to see what students bring in for this week!

Story Cloth: "Introducing" Some Characters

Kathy B.

This past Wednesday, in To Tell a Story with Cloth, we invited some characters to enter our stories.
Students had the chance to carve print blocks, create craft foam blocks, emboss recycled aluminum pans for printing plates (a project from my book, Fabric Printing at Home) and design stencils.

Here are some of the characters that showed up!

Kathy B. carved this angry cat. She is continuing work on a series of hers and friends' pets who have passed.

Kathy B.'s print block

Kathy B.: Test prints

Hattie used her grandson's drawing to design her block of a Horned Owl.

Hattie's print block

Hattie B.: Print

Jan B.  played with different color combinations with her block.

Jan B.: Block and print.

Karen M. had fun designing this leaf block. She carved the same image, with subtle differences onto both sides of the block and plans to have fun printing them in combination.

Karen M.: Print blocks.

Kathy F. experimented with both carving a print block (the bird) and incising a foam block (frog).

Kathy F.: Test prints.

Kathy F.: Detail

Marine L. really got into the carving! Here are her blocks and prints.

Marine L.

Amy got inspired to create this bird block.

Amy P. 

She then found a photo of the shtetl where her relatives once lived. That block was designed from incised craft foam. Printed together they are the beginnings of a story!

Amy P.

Here are some demo prints I made with recycled aluminum printing plates.

Julie B.

Looking forward to this coming week and seeing the stories develop!

A Full Wednesday Part 2

Susan P.: Line sampler

I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and write about Part 2 of last Wednesday! In Wednesday night's Hand Stitching class, we worked on the theme of Pattern and Rhythm. I will be showing you some finished samples next week. Students brought in their Line sample and challenge pieces this week. Some great pieces and explorations...

Susan P.: Line sampler

Susan P.: Line challenge base on one of her Journal Prompt drawings.

Susan P.: Line challenge

Christine H.: Line sampler

Christine H.: Line challenge using her hand-printed fabric.

Christine is a painter so she decided to experiment with stitching into one of her painted canvases.

Claudia E.: Line sampler

Claudia E.: Line challenge. Claudia is interested in using stitching as a form of drawing.

Kate G.: Line sampler

Kate G.: Line challenge. In this piece, Kate distorted the Stem stitch.

Kate G.: Line challenge. I love how she shows movement in this piece.

One of my students, Peggy G., is taking the class for the second time and is doing it as an independent study. Her theme is clouds and she is looking at both actual clouds and interpretations of them in art, including Asian art. Here are a few of the fabrics that she painted and printed in Class #1.

Peggy is trying out a few ideas. I love the little sampler of different stitches in cloud shapes. She is going to use that sampler as a guide to experiment in a larger format.

Peggy G.: Trying out different stitches inside cloud forms.

Peggy G.: Detail

What a great idea sampler!

Great work Stitchers!

A Full Wednesday Part 1

Detail of gelatin print by Karen M.

A lot happened in my classes yesterday, so I decided to talk about the daytime class today and the nighttime class a bit later...

Yesterday was the second session of To Tell a Story with Cloth. This is the session where I introduce gelatin plate printing (monoprinting). I find that working with the gelatin not only results in visually beautiful layered prints, but also seems to connect one to the sense of touch. While smoothing a piece of fabric over the gelatin plate to pick up the paint, you can't help but notice the cool, soft surface. It's really comforting and sensual...and feels connected to childhood.

Karen M. really got "into" printing with the gelatin!

At first, students can be a bit tentative with their prints but then something happens...a freedom...and the prints really take off!

Karen M.

Karen M.

Jan B.

Jan B.

Amy P.

Amy P.

Kathy F.

Kathy F.

Lee W.

Lee W.

Marine L.

Marine L.

After lunch, I decided to present a brand new (to me) exercise in cut paper based on some of the concepts in Molly Bang's wonderful book, Picture This. I gave each student a piece of white and a piece of black paper. I then opened up a package of construction paper and also origami paper. The origami paper packet consisted of 100 colors in 6" squares. OH MY!!! Such a feast for the eyes...I gleefully spread the colors out on the table :). Then I asked students to choose to illustrate one or more scenarios or emotions. The scenarios included: 1. A parent protecting its young from danger, 2. Two lovers dancing, or 3. Children playing on a beach. I also listed a number of emotions including isolation, anger, love, joy, etc. The "rules" were to use white and/or black, and up to three colors. The paper could be torn or cut and emphasis was on the use of color, shapes and placement to represent the scenarios in an abstract way. My hope was for students to connect to something inside...again in a child-like way... and really see how moving colored shapes around could result in an emotional connection or knowing.

Amy P. : Scenario 1. Amy said that the purple color made her think of her mom..

Lee W.: Scenario 1

Karen M.: Scenario 2

Karen M.: The opposite of Scenario 2

Lee W.: Scenario 2.

Kathy F.: a version of Scenario 2. Representing her and her husband who have been married for almost 50 years!

Marine L.: Variation on Scenario 2. This piece represents her.

Marine L.: Variation of Scenario 2. This piece represents her husband.

Jan B.: Lifeline representing loves and losses. Jan said that this tint of violet represents death to her.

Jan B.: The Greatest Light Show on Earth! This is what her grandfather used to say when he sat out and watched lightening storms.

The visual results and discussions about how students felt about the process and what students saw in each others work was really enlightening! I am now trying to figure out how to incorporate more exercises like this one in a future class.

Thanks students for being so open to the process!