a: Aquabond is a sticky soluble frilm. The front of the film is coated in a soluble glue and it is used to stick to 'tricky' fabrics e.g. knitted or delicate fabrics or velvet which might be prone to damage if using a hoop.
b: Romeo heavyweight is stable enough to use without a hoop. It is possible to draw a design onto the fabric with a water soluble pen or to put it through an inkjet printer when attached to a carrier sheet using low-tack adhesive.
c: Lightweight soluble film needs to be used in a hoop or used in more than one layer for greater stability. Again it is possible to draw or trace a design onto the film with a water soluble pen. It can be used underneath, on top of, or to sandwich embroidery or loose threads.
d: Solufleece is like a fine Vilene and needs to be used in a hoop or in multiple layers for greater stability.
Our next task was to work technical samples using each of the fabrics. I didn't work a technical sample on the Aquabond as this appears to have a particular use and would be used in connection with one of the other films.
Fig: 7:1
The top sample in the above image is worked on heavyweight Romeo, which I found was easy to stitch without a hoop, though I wasn't fond of the plastic feel. It also took quite a while to wash out. It does, however, make for a very stable sample.
The next sample is worked on Lightweight soluble film, which was stronger than I had expected when putting it into the hoop but it did tear under the needle whilst stitching. More like fabric than the Romeo and very easily rinsed away.
The third sample (4a in the image) is worked on Solufleece. I first tried this without a hoop as it felt like fabric but it puckered and gathered under the needle, giving a very shrunken finished piece.
The final sample (4b) is also worked on Solufleece, but this time in a hoop, which worked much better. It stitches like fabric and is very easy to rinse away afterwards.
We were then asked to work different stitches using just one type of fabric. I used Sian's key for the stitch methods:
1. Normal stitching; 2. Free machine stitch; 3. Open effect; 4. Dense effect; 5. In one direction; 6. In opposite directions; 7. In curved shapes; 8. Straight stitch; 9. Zig-zag stitch; 10. Cable stitch and 11. With trapped threads.
Fig: 7:2
Sample 1A in Fig. 7:2 uses 1, 6 and 9 - some threads were worked in a straight stitch, others in zig-zag, which made for a very stable sample.2A uses 2, 8, 6 and 3
3A uses 2, 9, 6 and 3
4A uses 2, 4, 6 and 8
5A uses 2, 7, 8 and 3
6A uses 2, 6, 8 and 10
Fig: 7:3
Sample 7A uses 2, 8, 10 and 11 ... and
Sample 8A uses 2, 7, 8 and 11
The next task was to produce a series of larger samples based on the drawings done in Chapter 1.
Fig: 7:4
When I began this section I realised that I had not yet worked a very solid piece of stitching so this sample is worked in crossing lines of straight stitch. I added the extra colours by way of contrast and thus it is really only loosely based on the original sample of acrylic paint sponged onto acetate. It is, however, an effective rendition of reflections on the sea's surface - especially echoing Van Gogh's painting (though it did use up a great deal of thread).
Fig: 7:5
I was unsure which way to mount this sample of spiralling straight stitch as I liked both sides equally. In the end I opted to put the reverse uppermost. I used a deep turquoise thread in the needle and yellow in the spool, and I think the reverse better echoes the frottage sample from Chapter 1, and again references the sunlight glinting on the water's surface.
Fig: 7:6
Sample 7:6 is worked with a spiralling straight stitch in a pale blue with meandering lines in dark blue which echo the ink marks in the painted sample. I really like the lacy effects achieved with this spiralling stitch and in different colours this could easily relate to jet trails in the sky. Using a cable stitch would further enhance that effect.
Fig: 7:7
Sample 7:7 is worked with spiralling zigzag stitch connecting snippets of crystal organza in a paler blue and accurately echoes the bubble wrap prints from Chapter 1. Again, they look a little like the ripples on the surface of the water in some of my original photographs taken from the ferry on the way to Bute.
Fig: 7:8
Sample 7:8 is meandering lines of zigzag stitch in a dark blue thread connecting fish-like shapes of hand dyed cotton fabric. More meandering lines, this time in straight stitch in a pale turquoise thread form a web (or net) of stitches to further hold the piece together. The inspiration for this came from the sample in Chapter 1 where acrylic paint was sponged over the edge of a torn piece of card onto acetate.
Fig: 7:9
The final sample is very much a case of waste-not, want not as this is the piece of fabric which the pieces for sample 7:8 were taken from. A much more solid piece which refers back to the oil pastel trapped between two piece of plastic and ironed in Chapter 1. As the fabric was going to hold this firm I just worked meandering lines across the piece to form lacy webs within the spaces.
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