Creative Embroidery update...

Well I knew starting out that I would not be the most prolific blogger...I've just realized my last post was 7 months ago!

So, to update....I completed my Creative Embroidery module last Spring and loved every minute of it. I persevered with my trials on sewing machines and am now in love with my Bernina 1008....it really is a no nonsense, sturdy and reliable machine. I've learned to keep needles sharp and not just replace them when they break!  

I continued with abbeys as my theme and produced a little collection of embroidered fragments. These were all made using free motion embroidery on soluble film.   There's a huge variety of soluble materials out there and some worked better than others for me....it was all a matter of trial and error.

                                             Sampling....free motion embroidery on linen...

                                         soluble film has been washed away...no hoop used

Initially I was working without an embroidery hoop as I found it awkward to use with the sewing machine, however, as time went on and my pile of samples mounted, I returned to the hoop as I found I had much better control over the stitch.  As a result pieces got smaller and smaller....this was not the way I had intended going....I had envisaged a larger wall hanging for my end of year project.   But the smaller the pieces got, the more I enjoyed working on them...

                                          I liked working with the soluble fabric above...it was
                                          sturdy and taut in the hoop and washed out easily,
                                          I have no idea what brand it was, it had the feel of
                                          perhaps a silk habotai.
                                       
       

The one below was more of a tearaway type of soluble...and it did just that!  Not so easy to work with, I think all the solubles have a different use....I was just playing with what I had to hand.

                                   

Here's a sample of the completed fragments.....lots and lots of stitch, worked over and over to give definition to the piece....

I then began work on some background ideas...stitching on layers of scrim and calico...painted over with gesso....

I added a couple of layers of colour....first a layer of procein dyes which happened to be on the table after a morning of silk painting...the colour wasn't very strong so I went over again with a layer of fluid acrylics....these gave a lovely vibrant colour...

I used insect/entomology pins to support the embroidered pieces.  I wanted to give a feeling of depth and used layers to achieve this.   The middle layer is organza fabric with free motion script added...this was something I played a lot with....I'll post more photos next time...