Project Tag: free machine embroidery

From little things…… Felt sculpture

From little things……
felt sculpture
From little things…..

Felt sculpture
17 x 15 x 15 cm

Wet felted using resist method, surface design techniques and free machine embroidery .

Merino wool, thread, water soluble fabric, hardener and paint.

A tribute to the miracle of the birth of a tree.  Growing from a small innocuous looking seed below the earth’s surface to eventually become a large life sustaining structure above ground. Despite frost and adverse conditions, it will sprout through the hard surface to create one of nature’s wonders. While beneath the surface, the support network of roots inversely echoes the tree that will be.

Sprouting from the pod
Roots inside
In the gallery
Closeup of roots
Sculpting with wool

Sculpting brings to mind pottery, but with wool it most probably applies to making any 3D object in felt. Images of pottery are a useful source of acquiring ideas for felt projects,  hence the inspiration for the sprouts on this piece. Many branched cords are individually attached to the pod at pre-felt stage, to create the illusion of sprouts.

The root component is made using intense free machine embroidery on water soluble fabric as in Barely there and Mists of Time. Once washed out and dry, a slight stiffness remains, which makes it easier to handle. Though stitching it into the inside of the vessel, is not something I recommend when it is so small!

The application of a dilute PVA solution creates a hard exterior that is synonymous with the hardness of a seed pod.

Firebird fantasy – Cornucopia

Cornucopia in textiles

Firebird Fantasy is  1 of my 14 pieces in the ‘Thread Connections’ exhibition, a collaboration between 2 fellow textile artists and myself. With  no limitations and just a germ of an idea  about making a cornucopia, this is the result. The asymmetrical shape of a cornucopia is appealing and my interpretation reflects a tubular flower that a mythical ‘firebird’ might feed on.

 Making the ‘flower’

Using paint to create a marble effect, ping pong balls become the inner ‘Seeds’. The throat of my ‘flower’ consists of multiple overlapping panels using matte natural fabrics, fibres and stitch. The outside consists of scales cut from a large sheet of  layered synthetic fabrics  which include organza and angelina fibres.  With the help of a heat tool similar to a woodburning / soldering iron, each scale is cut out separately.

In gallery
Side view showing scales
Inside – macro seeds
Hat pins at the end of the cornucopia’s tail
Inside showing overlapping panels
Profile showing overlapping scales on outside

The framework of this piece consists of cane with a covering of Plaster of Paris bandages. To be honest, now that I know more about armatures, I would create the framework quite differently! In addition, the whole piece uses glue of various kinds to hold it together. This creation is around 40cm X 20cm and due to its shape has 3 small rubber feet to stop it rolling around.

Pik-a-poppy – framed textile

Pik-a-poppy

Because this piece consists of relatively delicate elements, it is under glass to prevent damage, which makes taking photos a bit of a challenge. Pik-a-poppy expresses the fragility of poppy petals in stark contrast to their sturdy stems, leaves and seed pods.  Apart from the stems, the entire background is painted including the poppies and leaves.  The poppy petals are cut from 3 shades of red organza with a heat tool which seals the edges.  The painted area gives more depth to the layers of almost translucent petals that are then applied over the top. The stems are made with many layers of machine satin stitch which start off narrow, becoming wider, until a rounded effect is achieved.

Pik-a-Poppy – Sold
Closeup leaves – silk carrier rods
Layered organza for poppies
In gallery under glass
Silk carrier rods

As a by-product, silk carrier rods are pretty nifty for textile artists. They form as firm little cylinders around the carrier rods on the equipment used for unreeling the cocoons. They still contain a lot of sericin and can be used to make silk paper. In this project, they were hand dyed, split into thin layers, ironed and laid down with stitch to create the leaves. As the dye spreads unevenly through the layers of the carrier rods, different shades and mottling results, creating more variations.

 

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