Bowls

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I'm continuing with hand-stitching, using it to make new work that focuses on the shape of a bowl. I've used this shape before, working from about a dozen stamps in variations of a bowl shape that I used to make a screen used for cloth napkins. I've also used these stamps to make cards:

I decided to use the stamps as a base for stitching, rather than to do a drawing and then stitch it. Here are eight bowls stamped on tan linen. I used varying amounts of pressure, and I also varied how I applied the ink to the stamp--sometimes with a brush, sometimes with a sponge. (I used Versatex water-based screen-printing ink.)

And here are the same eight bowls, with three of them stitched (2nd row middle bowl, 3rd row first and third bowls).

Here are the three isolated; each is about 3x4". The third has just a small amount of red thread added to the stamped image (click on the image to see the detail). For thread I used some hand-dyed 20/2 perle cotton that I had on hand from other projects.

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I really like these, and will definitely do more. I like the way in which the somewhat unpredictable marks made by the stamping gives me guidance for the sewing--a mixture of spontaneity and intentionality that is appealing to me. I'm not sure what I will do with them. They would certainly work very well as the front of a card, but I'd like to also think about ways to put a number of bowls into a composition together.  I will be looking at Susan Moss's stitched drawings to further my thinking on this; her drawings are an inspiration to me for the possibilities of using thread as a drawn line.

And another tack: I also did multiple overlapping stamps on the linen, using uniform pressure. I did this with the intention of isolating various areas by cropping, to get possible compositions. Here's the stamped piece as is, followed by a few possible crops.

I would keep these as is, no stitching.

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Stitching

Early in October, I took a two-day hand-stitching workshop at the Pacific Northwest Art School with Christine Mauersberger, someone whose work I have long admired. The image above (about 6" high) combined two stitching exercises. The first was to stitch a circle. The second was to draw lines that captured a series of breaths, transfer the lines to the fabric, and stitch them. I decided to use this as an opportunity to try out a variety of ways of making a line with stitches. My enthusiasm for hand-stitching was re-ignited by the workshop, and when I got home I decided to explore further the variety possible in line-making. I started a sampler using all one type of thread, varying the stitches. I got up to about 45 and paused to do some further trials and a project. I'll pick this up again sometime later to explore further types of lines. (You can click on an image to enlarge it.)

About 45 different ways to stitch a line.

Close-up of top right column

One stitch, different threads

From the further trial of various threads, I chose a nubbly Tassar silk thread from Habu (the 4th one down in the image above) to stitch on a sleeveless blouse of mine. I very much enjoyed working on this, and I like the stitch I used for it. I think of it as a variation on my "conversation stitch," with the conversation not just between 2 or 3 stitches, but between each stitch with the one before and then after it and sometimes in groups. This kind of stitching actually takes more attention than aiming for a regular set of parallel stitches. It keeps my mind engaged as I work, and I'm happy with the look.   

detail of stitching

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front

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I got the idea for the placement of the stitching from a tunic that Christine wore during the workshop. The design was actually printed onto her tunic rather than stitched, but it really looked like stitching.

I am now on the lookout for other items in my wardrobe might benefit from some stitching. . .