Presentation

Stitch Workshop 2

Speed Dating

Each session we have had with Maggie we have done speed dating where we have done 4 different sewing machine technique in 30 minute sessions to practise these.

Pintuck Foot

Used with twin needle to straight or curved pintucks. Can be also be used with cord guide to cord the undersideof the pintuck giving a firmer finish. There are 2 size feet (narrow and wide) which must be used with the corresponding cord guide, twin needle and thickness of cord.

Machine setting

Tension: 8
Stitch: Straight
Length: 2.5
Width: 0

The first stage is to place the cord through the cord guide, and guide this through to the back of the machine. I then placed the fabric over the top of the cord. Put the needle down and start sewing.

Above is a couple of photos of me actually doing the technique. The one of the right shows me adding a second piece of cord next to the first. I made sure that I lined the needle up exactly over the top of stitching from the first.
I not only tried stitching the cords close together I did curves and also overlaid the cords aswell just to try different ideas.

Piping Foot

Used for both creating piping and stitching into a seam.

Machine Settings

Tension: 4
Stitch: Straight Stitch
Stitch Length: 2.5
Width: Adjust width dial to move the needle as close as possible to piping cord

I took a bias cut strip of fabric and then I fold it in half lengthways with piping cord running down the centre of it. I then placed it under the sewing machine foot. Making sure that the raw edge is on the right and the cord is on the left. I made sure that the needle was as close to the cord as possible and stitched all the way down using the straight stitch.

Once the piping is complete I then inserted it in between two pieces of fabric with all raw edges even. I then stitched down then making sure I was as close the the piping as possible. I then turned it inside out to show the result.

Corners

When sewing around a corner, snip seam allowance of piping up to the stitch line and curve around the corner making sure to stitch as close to the piping as possible.

3 Way Cording Foot

Has three channels under back of the foot to accommodate up to 3 narrow cords (purchased or hand-made). Cords are held in place by  black clip at front.

Machine Settings

Tension: 4

I placed the cords into clip on front of the foot and run through corresponding channel under the back of the foot. This held them securely in place as I stitched along them. When using 2 or 3 cords each is held in place by an individual stitch once completed.

Cording Foot

Used for stitching over plain and decorative cords. Two sizes can be used, narrow and wide.

Machine settings 

Tension: 4
Stitch: Zig Zag
Length: Any depending on desired effect
Width: Just wide enough to cover cord

Place cord in channel through the centre of the foot. The zig-zag can be used to just hold the cord in place, or to completely cover it. Increase or decrease the stitch length to cover more or less of the cord. This works better if a smooth cord is used. This foot can also be used without any fabric to bind a cord, although consideration must be give to what thread is used on the bobbin as it will show as much as the top thread.

Here is a few of the stitches I did with this technique. I really enjoyed the result of this technique as it lifts the fabric and gives it a nice raised texture. I looked at creating curved, straight and zig zag lines.

 

Digital Stitch

In the afternoon I switched over to the digital stitch workshop. This is where we took our own design and create it into a digital stitch piece.

The first thing i had to do was load my design up on Digitizer MBX and shrink it down to fit inside of the red square. I did make it even smaller than the square as when stitching out it would take a long time.

Today we were using the turning angle tool. This tool can be used to form stitches which can change direction within an object. The stitches can fan out or flow along an are. The turning angle tool has the option for weave, satin, motif, embossed and contour fill.

As my piece has so many angles I have to split my piece into sections. each one of these section I’ll use the satin turning angle tool to create each part. The picture below you can see the first section I did. I place the first point near the stem of the left and followed it down the first part of the left.

As you can see from the photo above the stitching flows nicely to the tip on the leaf. This is the desired effect for the rest of the leaf aswell.

I then went to the right of the section i just finished. This section of the leaf was a little more difficult, I had to separate this section into three sections to be able to get ever angle in. I followed the same procedure as the first section with started my first point at the stem and working around.

Above you can see each section in progress as I went around all the angle. I am really happy I have got all the shape of the leaf with the turning angle tool. I was getting stressed at first because i was trying to do it all in one go, but soon realised that I did need to break this section down further to achieved my desired affect.

I then started to then went to the left and started on the next section again like the previous one had to be broken down further or I wouldn’t be able to get all the shape right. I didn’t fill this in straight away as I was struggling to work out how to do the small section.

I then continued going to the right of the left of the leaf. This section I only had to break it down to two parts as this section had less curves. I used the same method as all the rest of the leaf by starting at the stem and working around.

I moved on to the last section, this I had to break down into three section as the was a little rip in the leaf, this made this section a little harder. First I looked at the little section closest to the stem and filled that. Then I covered most of the section of the leaf and to the remaining piece.

Above are the photos that show you how I filled the leaf with the stitching. I only have one more little bit to do before my design will be ready to print.

I went back to the middle section of the leaf and filled this with the stitching.

Here is a photo of the design without all the stitching so you can see all the point and sections it took to create the design. There was11 sections to this design in total. It took me a while to get the hang of the turning angle tool but I am happy with the result.

The next stage of the process was to save my design. Before saving it to my memory stick I had to link my memory stick with the digital sewing machine. Once this was done i was able to save my design onto the memory stick.

I then put my memory stick into the sewing machine and then turned the machine on. I then had to prepare the fabric. I chose my fabric and then cut backing paper to the size of the fabric. Then next thing to do was to put it in the stitching hoop and place it back on the machine ready to start my stitching.

The next stage was to open up my files on my memory stick and find my design, select it and then press start on the sewing machine and just wait for my design to be stitched.

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Here is a one minute video of the start of my design being stitched. As this was my first time using a digital sewing machine it was so interesting watching my design come to life.

Here is the final result of my design. The satin stitch worked so well with my design, there is a lovely shine to the leaf. The orange thread also looks lovely especially with the fabric I picked out. I am really happy with the outcome of the design. I would like to try feathering with this design and add a red at the bottom that gradually changed into the orange just like you see with some of the autumn leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dye Workshop

Reactive Dyes – Cold Water

(To dye mainly cotton, but also silk and wool)

In the workshop we were split into four groups. Each group was given a set of instructions to follow to make a dye bath. This was so that we could get through all of the techniques.

Our group focused on the cold water bath. These dyes can be used to colour a vast range of fibre types. Reactive dues chemically react with the fibre molecules becoming integral with them. They have excellent wash- and light- fastness properties. Procions were primarily designed to colour cellulose, although some types are suitable for silk, wool and various fibre blends.

INGREDIENTS

1 lt. Cold Water
0.25 teasp dye powder (procion M series)
4 dsp common salt (sodium chloride)
1 dsp Sodium carbonate (washing soda)

To obtain a really deep shade of navy blue and all the darker colours including black, it is necessary t double the amount of dye and quadruple the amount of salt. Up to a certain point the more salt you add the deeper the shade you are going to get

METHOD

-Fill dyebath with cold water.
-Mix dye to smooth paste with a little warm water
-Add the dye paste and the sodium chloride sol. to the dye bath. Stir to mix. Immerse the wet out fabric in the dye bath and gently agitate to avoid patchy dyeing.
-After 10 to 20 mins. Remove fabric from dye bath. Do not wring the cloth out. Put to one side.
-Add sodium carbonate to the dyebath and stir throughly. Replace fabric.
-Leave fabric in for 15 to 60 mins. turning frequently.
-Rinse fabric well in cold running water.

This was the piece of fabric that I left in our cold water bath for about 40- 60 minutes this was the outcome.

We then did quick dye session where we put three small swatches in each of the other dye baths so that we had a chance to try each dye technique. for each dye bath we did a swatch for 10 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes. Just to see how the colour changes for each one.

Acid Dye

Here is the result of the acid wash at them different times. You can see a gradual difference in the colours with the amount of time each one has been in the bath. I think if the fabrics were left in for longer intervals then you would see more of a colour change.

Dispose Dye

This was the dispose dye bath again with the colours you can see a slight change in them but not much. I would like to try them with longer times to really see the difference in colours.

Hot Dye

This was the hot water dye bath. The dye didn’t take well to the fabric there isn’t much colour to the fabric at all. It does have a slight blue tint but not much. The first and second swatch was 10 and 15 minutes but as there wasn’t much colour to these I left the last one in for about an hour there is a noticeable difference but it’s still not the desired effect I wanted.

 

Stitch Workshop 1

INTRODUCTION INTO DIGITAL STITCH 

The software we use to do digital stitch is called Digitizer MBZ. The first step is to load the software up. Once its loaded you then insert the image you want to work with. This was a piece Maggie had already prepared for us to work on.

I then shrunk the design so that it would fit inside on the red box on the screen. This is the stitch area. If I was to go outside of the red square my design will not save.

First we were asked to work on the top lefthand leaf in the corner of the image. I then selected the parallel weave fill tool. The weave fill is a basic stitch fill, this fill is better for medium to large objects.

 

 

To create a basic shape I need to put pin point around the outline of the shape. On the mouse if you use the left click where there is points and then click right when you are going along a curve. For the best result it’s best to use as few points as possible. If you add to many points this will make the shape uneven. Once I had gone all the way around the shape I pressed enter on the keyboard and this will fill the shape with the stitching.

If the shape isn’t perfect at the bottom of the screen is a button that will correct this.

Satin Fill

The next shape I was asked to focus on was the second left next to the first. First I deselected from the first leaf by clicking outside of the hoop. Where the weave fill icon is, in the bottom of the box is a small black triangle, then I selected the parallel satin fill. This stitch is much smoother and shiny, this stitch is better for small, or long and narrow shapes. I followed the same steps as the first leaf using the left and right click  to create points around the shape.

Motif Fill

 

I then looked at the paisley shape below the two leaves. This time i selected parallel motif fill. This is an open pattern fill, This means you can see the fabric through the stitch pattern, this fill is suitable for very large areas. You can choose different patterns to fill aswell. I then used the hand tool to select the paisley shape, double clicking it brought up the object details.
You can also change the position of the pattern by clicking layout. This will fill your screen with a repeat of the pattern in the paisley shape, there will be three blue motifs, by moving these it will change the design. Once I was happy I pressed enter to apply it to my design. This is show in the two photos at the top.

Outlines and Offsets

When designing you have to be aware of what is happening along the edge of your design when you use motif fill. This is because of the way the design is made, sometimes there can be gaps. To make sure this doesn’t happen you can add an outline. I clicked the outline tool on the bottom of the page.

This window can be used to add both ordinary outlines and offset outlines. I then chose the line type and then the colour, then I clicked ok.

 

Rectangles and Squares

 

 

 

Next I started working on the house. This is the one part o the design that is made up of more than one section. When working with a shape like this it is best to overlap them slightly, this ensure a neat join when stitching. For this part of the design I used the plain weave rectangle tool to create the walls. I did this by click on one corner(not letting go), then dragging it diagonally across the rectangle and let do. I did this for both the walls.

 

 

 

I then moved each wall to one side, so that I could see the windows again. I then selected a different colour and used the same tool as the walls to create the window. I then used the copy and paste icon at the bottom to create the rest of the windows. This proved much faster than doing each one individually. I then placed the walls back over the windows.

Circles and Ovals

 

I used the circle too to create oval window. I clicked on the centre of the oval (without letting go, dragged to the top and let go.This created a circle, I selected the circle and moved side anchor points inwards to create an oval. I then used the rectangle tool to create the door. I also created the walls of the tower section using the plain weave tool again.

Resequence

I had to move the middle wall above the door and window in the resequence panel so that the wall would be stitched before the door and oval window.

Change Stitch Direction

The three main walls have all been created using the same stitch, colour and direction. When this is stitched out all the walls will merge into one another. For me to stop this happening, I changed the direction of the middle wall’s stitch. I used the parallel fill ab in object details. The default direction is 15 degrees. I changed this to 105, to make the tower stand out from the other walls.

Embossed Fill

 

The last part of the house to finish is the roof. I changed the colour to a light grey and used the embossed fill tool to create this. The embossed fills are patterned stitches, these are great at adding texture to a design. Unlike the motif fill they are solid rather than open, these are suitable for medium size areas. I then chose the pattern.

Turning Angle Fill

The last section is the flower design which I’m using the turning angle satin fill. This is used to create stitches which change direction across a single object. It also allows you to fan the stitches out or to make them flow along a design. I started with one of the leaves. To create the point at the end of the leaf , I placed two anchor points (left click) almost on top of each other. Then I moved along the leaf to place the next pair (right click), I clicked first on one edge and then at the same point on the other side  I moved back across to the first side again and placed my next pair of points (right click) a little further along. Each pair should always start on the same side. Finally I added a last pair (left click), close together to create the point at the other end of the leaf. I then pressed enter on the keyboard to finish. The stitches should follow the curve of the leaf working across the shape at all points.

Contour Fill

If you want stitches to flow along a shape use the contour tool instead placing pairs correctly as above. I then completed the second leaf and stem like I did with the first.

Next I created the flower head using the turning angle satin fill as the stem. I worked across the design from one edge to the other. I made the points closer together at the bottom and further apart along the top edge. This gives a softer effect to the flower, but is only suitable for small shapes. (For larger areas, use a turning angle weave fill instead.)

MOOD BOARDS

 

FOUR

LONGINA PHILLIPS DESIGNS

Longina Phillips designs was established in 1988 and is now Australia’s leading creative print and design studio. Their creative design team creates new trend directions with consistently looking forward, pushing the boundaries of their textile design collections.

Longina Phillips Designs consists of a full-service studio offering three mainline collections, the Longina Phillips Designs Collection, The Print Room, and Made by The Print Room. As well are their collections, they have years of experience in fashion and design by offering tailored trend reports, custom print work, a Gifts section for limited edition art prints, and our very own Print School.

I wanted to include a small snippet that the company posted on their webpage of behind the scenes of the business. It’s a little insight to all the work that goes into their designs and the process each design will go through.

Longina Phillips creats and designs prints that they then sell them to small scale and large scale companies and businesses looking for prints for apparel and homewares. Once their designs are purchased by a business, they are sent the design as a photoshop file and then it is up to the customer to print it themselves/ how they like.

They only print their designs on silk as headers to show how it looks once printed for tradeshows and appointments with businesses who are interested in purchasing designs. This keep unnecessary printing down to a minimum as we only create designs as an electronic file.

One thing i really enjoy about looking at the prints created by Longina Phillips Designs is that everything is from nature. From flowers, plants and branches with leaves on them. That is an area I really want to be able to focus on in my studies, in particular the beauty of autumn how everything is so crisp. I love the colours that autumn brings. The flower I always relate to Autumn is the sunflower and this is another aspect I want to consider in my designs.

Credit:  https://longinaphillipsdesigns.com/
https://www.instagram.com/longinaphillipsdesigns/

 

Ausra Merkelyte

“I love to create things by my hands, slowly without a rush and impatience, following my mood and magic of a moment. All these moments make my life comfortable, soft and luxurious as a VELVET!” – Ausra Merkelyte

 

When looking through Instagram I came across this Textiles artist from Lithuania. A lot of her work is based on her love for nature. Originally Merkelyte was a lawyer but chose to give this up to follow her creative side and start some hand embroidery pieces. All of her love for nature is shown in her countless pieces that she posts on her Instagram daily.  She also sells a lot of her work on her shop on Etsy.

After deciding to follow her dreams and creativity  Merkelyte started designing and making soft toys with one of her friends. One of her passions was the different fiber arts started to grow. She now works from her home studio enjoying every project and every stitch.

A lot of her work mainly focuses on the dandelion. A very delicate and beautiful plant that can be passed by so easily without realising it’s full beauty. In Merkelyte work she create intricate stitched versions of the dandelion. They really show the beauty of the plant. The results of every one of her pieces is incredible every single piece having the same amount of detail and work.

I also came across some of her other pieces of work on her Instagram. The first selection was of simple stitched leaves using a blanket stitch to create these pieces. Mrkelyte choses to emphasise he structure of the leaf with all it’s veins that run through the leaves body.

Another collection of work I came across was that of clusters of flowers. All ranging in sizes but all sticking to certain colour schemes. The one I particularly like is the blues, the lovely pastel blood just create this calming feeling when looking at the piece. I also love the centre piece as I really like the contrast between the dark backing fabric and the bright colourful flowers, it really makes the colour pop.

Credit:      https://www.instagram.com/velvetmeadow/?hl=en
https://www.etsy.com/shop/velvetmeadow

RiflePaperCo 

 Rifle Paper Co. is a stationary and lifestyle brand. The company officially launched itself in 2009 with husband and wife team, Anna and Nathan Bond. The company only began as a small business based in their garage but has quickly grew with growing popularity. The couple believe that through their range of stationary customer’s personal stories and moments are best told through handwriting them.

 

 The roots of Rifle Paper Co. are stationary but as they grow they are expanding their product range and brand. The couple have also collaborated with other companies such as Paperless post, Puffin Books and Keds, these are just some to name a few. 

 

“We strongly believe life’s personal stories and moments are best told through the gift of a handwritten card or note, and hope that our goods inspire you to share these moments with others. Please let us know if there’s anything we can assist you with or ways that we can improve your shopping experience.” 

ANNA BOND
As co-founder and Creative Director, Anna Bond’s illustrations and designs have molded Rifle Paper Co.’s unique aesthetic. Born and raised in Summit, New Jersey, Anna got her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and made her way to Florida to work as an Art Director at a magazine. After a few years of magazine and freelance illustration work, she fell in love with stationery and began working toward developing a line of products. As Creative Director, Anna designs Rifle Paper Co.’s collection as well as oversees the creative direction of the brand including product development, business strategy, and marketing. She was also recently honoured as an ADC Young Gun and is featured in Grace Bonney’s book In the Company of Women. 

NATHAN BOND
Nathan Bond is co-founder and CEO at Rifle Paper Co. Originally from Orlando, Nathan left college early to become a full-time musician and toured in a band for nearly five years before leaving to partner with Anna to develop her growing stationery business. Nathan’s role is key to cultivating business relationships, managing quality manufacturing, finances, and overseeing the operations of the company. He was recently named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list of young game changers, movers and makers. 

 

Anthropologie

Anthropologie was founded in 1992 and since then has grown into a one of a kind places for customers who are looking to reflect their personal style through the selection of clothing, accessories, gifts and home decor. The company are proud of their partnerships with both established artist but also upcoming artists to bring their target market unique pieces that they will treasure. 

 

Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer that currently operates over 200 stores worldwide featuring a curated assortment of clothing, jewelry, intimates, home furniture and décor, beauty, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of URBN brands, which includes Urban Outfitters, Free People, BHLDN, and Terrain. 

For the team at Anthropologie they have a commitment to creativity and entrepreneurship. At the same time though they want to keep their target market and customers at the heart of everything they do to make the company a success. 

 

 

https://www.anthropologie.com/en-gb/?ref=logo

SWOT

Strengths 

I have always felt that being able to sew and stitch on a sewing machine has always been one of my strengths as it is something I really love to do.
I have also recently started to do hand embroidery which is becoming something that I would like to pursue more.

Weaknesses 

I have never really been able to explore printing techniques properly and would say it’s a weakness as I haven’t yet got the knowledge to be able to pursue this.
I don’t believe my drawing skills are the best and this is something that has always concerned me with wanting pursue art as a career path.
My biggest weakness is my IT skills when it comes to photo shop and stuff like that I have never been interested in that sort of thing I am amore hands on worker. The idea of trying to learn new things on a computer scares me.

Opportunities

I want to take my time to explore and go to more exhibitions to help with my creative flow and find new artist/ designers/ companies that relate to the sort of work I am interested in.
I want to put myself forward for workshops that are held to broaden my knowledge in different techniques that are out there.

Threats

Money is a big concern for doing any project as I could go into a project I’m really passionate about but then the only thing stopping me is the cost to have this project up and running and finished.
I worry about the time scale I have and how big I may plan my project to be but realistically not having enough time to finish the project.