Couching

I decided to take the chance with this week's TAST to return to some of the stitches we have done in previous weeks and to use them to attach various threads on to a background.

A while ago I went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales exhibition "Goddess". It was a wonderful exhibition of art of the goddesses from India - sculptures, paintings, printing - a bit of everything. It was a inspiring exhibition. Since I went I have had a bit of a thing about the hot colours that they painted the walls of the exhibition - particularly hot orange with hot pink. So this week, I didn't feel I could put that off any longer.

As usual I had far too many ideas but settled on a postcard with a hot orange and pink background. This was fuchsia pink linen with bright orange and fuchsia pink sheer ribbons fused onto it. I thought that this shiny background would show off the matt wools I wanted to attach. Echoing the grid of the ribbons I used a variety of stitches to attach the wools. (chevron, single short tailed fly, cross stitch, buttonhole and couching stitch.)

My favourite is the contrast of the chevron stitch in pink and red over the purple wool, but I also like the orange buttonhole over the pink knobbly yarn - I like the texture produced. I think that I will also be using the background style for future fabric postcards.

Gum Leaves and Buttonholes

TAST Week 2 was Buttonhole stitch. Again, being new to this, I didn't know even this stitch!

Some months ago I was working on monoprinting papers and decided to see what would happen if I used my techniques with acrylics onto fabric. At the time I wasn't so pleased with the results - on fabric the colours and textures of the paint don't show up as strongly as they do on paper. I guess that the fabric is just not quite as absorbent.

The fabric was printed with layers of reds, purples and yellow - some with just paint and some with very watery washes. I like to use a stiff paintbrush for monoprints as I like the movement of the brushstrokes. One of the pieces I produced is shown above. (I do like it now!)

I ask myself each week what I can do with the stitch to show it off in its best capacity. I am also thinking about how I can use it as an excuse to experiment and learn new techniques. As I am at the very beginning of this process that leaves plenty of scope!

Since moving to Sydney, I have been enchanted by the eucalyptus trees (gum trees). They are the most beautiful trees. The bark, flowers and leaves never cease to intrigue me. I now have a house full of bits - piles of leaves and bark pieces on the bookshelves and gum nuts in our drinking glasses on the shelf! Fortunately, James loves them as much as me - and is also very tolerant!

I noticed that the colours of the fabric were pretty close to those of my latest leaf collection and decided to use buttonhole stitch to attach them. The scarlet red of the monoprint was just too bright though, so I fused gold sheer fabric over it to tone it down. It also acted as a beautiful contrast to the matt of the gum leaves. From a big pile I chose the two most ragged ones and stuck them to the backing with double sided tape to hold them in place while I stitched.

The buttonhole stitch came fairly easily and I found that I could get a good rhythm with it. I had originally thought to stitch all the way around the outside of the leaves, but they were so brittle that I changed my mind. A practical "what is the minimum I can stitch to hold them in place" approach followed. It was also a mistake to have the stitches facing in and out on the leaves - but I liked it and think it added to the effect. Stitching around the holes was also from a practical approach, both to hold the stitch down and to learn how to do buttonhole in a circle! My work tends to evolve through process. I have an idea to start with - a feeling of where I want to end up and then let the process find a way there. The creative process is a great mystery to me - but I know when I am there!

After finishing it is fused to dark red felt. I did think about doing red buttonhole stitch around the edge. I wondered if more buttonhole might detract from the design in the centre - so I have left it.

You just can't beat the wonders of nature, can you? I haven't done anything to preserve the leaves. I like the idea of work that is ephemeral. Just like real life - nothing is forever. But the memory can be preserved through a photograph...