So at one time you can see I was pretty full on with the leather punch – and a few years ago looked into buying a secondhand laser cutter, but various real considerations and practicalities finally prevailed, and I didn’t go ahead with it. I think I’d have had to do a lot of trophy engraving to pay for it …. Well, I like the organic, hand-cut look, anyway 🙂
Top – Sample from today – some fused shapes with a variety of edge treatments, and including some metallic stitches.
LL – from a poor quality photo but an adequate aide memoire – of a section of kuba cloth we saw in a Colombian museum.
LR – detail of a hand quilted wall quilt, 2010, using the traditional squares with squares motif non-traditionally.
To me they’re related, and link to the ethic of mending something valuable; on which theme I recently discoverd the beautiful Japanese craft of mending broken ceramics – kintsugi
I was digging around looking for the name of and basic working instruction for a loopy stitch I used in the ’80’s but never since. I’ve seen it or something like it so effectively used in Debbie Lydon’s works, and some other artists’ works. Despite fiddling with a needle and thread I’d forgotten how I did it, and looked around. First, the meagre offerings on my bookcase; I have far more comprehensive books in my collection in Australia, and now there is so much online, but I take these along to one of the workshops I teach. They’re well travelled and had a lot of use since I bought them in the late 70’s. But the stitch wasn’t there. However, in the front of each one I found this wonderful introductory quote: “Free Style Embroidery – The most popular type of embroidery is Free Style Embroidery. i.e., embroideries which are worked over a traced of hot-iron transfer design of from a stamped linen.” Goodness – the last traced linen embroidered doily I did was at age 12-13 in the late ’50’s, hand crocheted edge and all. I still have it and will phoograph and show it one day.
After amuch online searching I found that what I was looking for is the Ghiordes Knot – check out these images for a feast of potential including easy to follow step by step instruction. Images include a very few from free spirits, but mostly carefully controlled execution… as in this next link, containing perhaps the clearest basic step-by-step instruction in an article on the American Needlepoint Guild’s Stitch of The Month back in August 2006. Naturally, for a guild, it’s very precise and correct, and from the point of doing it on canvas and eventually cutting the loops once they’re all in place…. the equivalent to the ‘free style embroidery’ on linen !
I did masses of uncut loops, aka ghiordes knots apparently, c. 1986 in a piece for an exhibition of my creative embroidery. Of course, I don’t have an image within reach, and indeed I’m wondering if I do have an image anywhere – well, surely …. and that’s one more thing I’ll have to check next time I’m in my Aus sewing room, while photographing the last traced design doily I did.
My last post included a little square within a square, with holes. I found when using the ‘what if?’ principle that the leather punch would go through fabric, a pleasing little thing, and so I did another little square-within-a-square – I bonded it to paper – another pleasing little thing. It’s io nthe top row – don’t take any notice of the brown next to it, that’s just the benchtop.
OK this is just a sample, but I am pleased with the landscape texture quality of it. Bonding and free machine embroidery, cotton, bronze leather and shot nylon organza, and I forgot this when working with it, so the upper blobs are oriented differently to the piece with the cutouts, and whichever way you look at it the colour is different but related – interesting. Maybe useful some time.
As I’ve said before, they have been on my mind for years.
This couple of samples was cropped from a pic I took of several samples back in 2006. Hand cut black leather and punched gold leather – I know I had some big plan for this but the constant use of a leather punch leads to tired hands and arms, and I dropped the plan. A change of scale, though, and change of material… well there’s a lot of potential for both ideas.
And these sample snippets are from this afternoon’s experiments – grey nylon organza bonded onto the cream canvas – sure, the pic’s a bit dull but I know what it means. Down in the LH side are some triangular shapes bonded on of course but then hand stitched in various ways with several threads including metallic. I keep thinking of how people only repair precious objects, and ‘mending’ is a frequently used motif these days in mixed media and textile works – but I hope I can use ‘mending’ in a non cliché way – I’m working on it.
I don’t think it’s just the bold contrast why I like this little sample- approx. 4cm x 4cm suede leather piece, with a smaller square cut and rotated – those holes are smallest done by the leather punch I have. There’s no way I could do something with masses of these squares of leather – oh for a laser cutter here! But, perhaps another material … this idea has lingered in my mind since 2006, too.
