A productive day

Sample sample sample. 
It took a few hours to stitch 8 squares. Glad I sampled as this would not have been good to attempt a huge piece and then find so much a difference in the washed piece. 
I have found the cloth becomes more stable if you use 2 layers of the soluble fabric.I even did a test piece to check tension. I never do this. ( blush ) 
 

Tension sample: left side using size 100 needle, right side size 80 - much better.

The same 2 pinks in reverse. Then in different dirrections.

Pink sample

Add 2 greens. One looks more blue than green

A little closer

Oh dear, Now washed to dissolve the soluble fabric and lots shape, tension very different and now debate what direction to try next.

 

First sample done

Back to basics. 
Not that happy with the sample as I changed the way of working half way through. Not a good idea, I should have continued the way I was going for a  more consistent result. Lesson learned. 

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample before washing water soluble fabric out.

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample after washing water soluble fabric out.

The moment of truth, when you see where you didn't link the stitching.

First sample done

Back to basics. 
Not that happy with the sample as I changed the way of working half way through. Not a good idea, I should have continued the way I was going for a  more consistent result. Lesson learned. 

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample before washing water soluble fabric out.

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample after washing water soluble fabric out. 
The moment of truth, when you see where you didn't link the stitching 

Back at it

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Well finally time to play again. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Sharon Peoples the other day, her wealth knowledge is amazing. Sharon helped me work through some issues I had be procrastinating about for a long time. Thank you Sharon
So I am now playing with some samples and I have set my self some limits in size, no bigger than A4. This I hope will stop me over thinking things and allow play to begin again.

Sharon Peoples website 

Playing when I should be working

Free machine stitching, maybe tree maybe coral. maybe just a mess!

Free machine stitching, starting to fill in the out line

Traced drawing to play with

Todays play

So finally I am back at it. I have done a quick hour of play using the colour technique Ruth and I discussed months ago. And it has been months since I have had the sewing machine out.

Colour Sampling, mixing blue, yellow and pink (red) in different strengths and amounts

Colour Sampling, mixing yellow and pink (red)

Colour Sampling, mixing blue, yellow and pink (red)starting with yellow then blue and variegated pink on top

Yellow and pink, a think crochet cotton in the bobbin give a very different effect.

Stitching

A small piece I have been working on or an exhibition

Mooculta 46: 2016.  Eco dyed silk and silk threads, hand stitched

Mooculta 46: 2016, detail.  Eco dyed silk and silk threads, hand stitched

The memory of a land no longer accessible to you and dances in your memories of a time so precious it now holds a place in history that doesn't exist.

To find my place in a landscape and time,  I need to return to a place I have never lived on or visited, the land of my mother.

Stitching in Montana

It is quite surreal sitting in a snow covered landscape stitching silk dyed in Bourke. 

A bit of Bourke in Montana

I am working on an exhibition piece for a group exhibition, Covert. All the silks were dyed with eucalyptus leaves from Bourke. One small piece was dyed at Bourke. My landscape and family I have no more and "Covert" a return to them. 

Colour Play

Ruth came to visit and we played a bit with colour. I have an obsession with Chuck Close and his amazing knowledge of colour.

A quick sample and lots more work to do on getting my colours to work the way I want.

Belinda Jessup 2015, Machine stitched colour separation 

Belinda Jessup 2015, Colour separation sampling exercises

No machine work this week

So this week is back to the loom. I have to weave off the 4 blanket warp I have on the loom. One hour of play a day is not enough for this job. I will have to do at least 3 hours a day hopefully. I am hoping to get some time on the sewing machine. I am excited to play more with my pixelated image. My friend Julie Ryder has come up with a different way of printing the image so will also give that technique a try.

55cm woven and about bout 7mts to go, Belinda Jessup

at the ready! Belinda Jessup

100% wool warp and weft, the draft is a Brighton waffle weave. Belinda Jessup

Fractured image

Today I picked up a digital print of one of my rose images. ( Thanks to Chris for helping with the sizing and pixelating of the image)  It had to be printed in two pieces as I could not get paper big enough for printing in one. The over all image is 2500mm x 1650mm's. Now to start stitching it square by square.

Collecting my image from Office Works, Belinda

Collecting my image from Office Works, Belinda

Oliver the cat is not sure about all that pink! Belinda

Some of my one hour of play

This post for some reason was in drafts, it should have been posted weeks ago. 

As I began this project, I worked in a grid to sample and  progressed to circles. The circles are the size they are for one reason, it was the only size hoop I had. I have now purchased a new hoop as I can't find the multitude of hoops I know I have stored some where!

Belinda Jessup, Sampling in progress. 2015

Belinda Jessup, Sampling in progress. 2015

There is something therapeutic about circles but its now time to branch out and play in imagery and bigger sizes. So on to the rose drawing tomorrow.

As I look at your first post Ruth I  think that  painting would make a great embroidery!

Winding bobbins

I was just filling bobbins to start on the quick rose sketch I posted here. ( I know I should be finished by now) There was some thicker cotton wrapped around the old bit of paper in the foreground of the image below. The thicker thread is wound onto the bobbin and the image is stitched upside down. When I wound off the cotton I found the paper was an old envelope ( I can't make out a date)  with a King George V1 stamp on it so I am guessing the thread has been on that envelope from approx 1952 or earlier. Thanks Nancy for the bag of threads. So now I am thinking I need to keep all the bobbins etc that I empty of thread.

Bag of threads given to me for this project

Envelope has to be pre 1952 as the stamp is King Gorge V1 (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) I have covered the name and address as I don't know the recipient and they or family  could possibly still be at the address.

Pixels

My long term plan is to stitch a pixelated image. I colleague at work helped me play with some images to start the plan. I want to stitch an image approx 2mts x 2.5mts ( well that's what I hope I can do ).

Pixelated rose, rose from my own garden

Rose from my garden

Back at it

It's been a crazy week and I have not had an hour to spare to play. My play was with my camera while way on my whirl wind trip.
I am off to work today so will take time to play tomorrow. I am missing my play time and want to try stitching a quick water colour drawing I did weeks ago.

2 minute drawing, Belinda Jessup

in the beginning

This is blog a journey of experimentation in textiles and art, in the hopes it leads to a new body of work. A visual diary of sorts. Using one hour a day to focus our work and, two artists trying new things and lets see where it leads us.

I am exploring  the rose, I am looking forward to where this will lead me.

Belinda Jessup 2015, gold metallic thread, machine embroidery.

Belinda Jessup 2015, machine embroidery, each circle has taken one or more hours to complete.