Sketchbook day 1



Oh, dear! I'm soooo far behind! But here we go.....

masking tape



tissue paper

glue

emulsion paint

Chapter 9 - The Fibonnacci Sequence and Golden Section

Fibonnacci was a mathematician who devised a formula of proportion. It is a series of numbers which is the same ratio found in natural patterns such as sunflower heads, pinecones, leaves and trees.

The series is based on the sum of the two previous numbers, ie 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 8+13=21 etc.

The Golden Section comprises 2 small squares, side by side. Next to this is another square that is the same width as both tiny squares. Moving around the centre in a spiralling direction, is another square which is the same size as the previous two, and so on. By drawing a diagonal line across the shapes (see 2077) a spiral is formed, as can be found in fossils and shells.

The formula creates a series of rectangles in a beautifully proportioned arrangement and makes a good formula for designing with simple shapes.

Chapter 8 - Not What it Seams!

 extra fabric inserted into seam and frayed

 the reverse of the previous sample also gives an interesting, much neater 'piped' effect

 a further experiment with 'neat' inside a tatty seam / frayed fabric added to a 'neat' seam / 'neat' inside a tatty seam

 extra fabric frayed, then cut and pieced to experiment with joins

 wider fabric added and heavilt frayed. This could be knotted or beaded to give further interest.

 extra fabric added to seam, then cut into strips, The extra fabric was then cut at an angle, frayed, and machined down. The strips were then pieced together.

 short strips of frayed fabric sewn into seam.

knotted string

 

 folded triangles of contrasting fabric

 this zip would have had much more impact if it had metal teeth

 tabs; these could have cord running through - see below

 frayed scrim

 Ribbons

The top one is decorated with machine stitching, the bottom is different widths of fabric, layered and stitched together.

Cords

knotted,

 twisted & machine zig-zagged,

several fabric strips twisted & machine zig zagged (this was probably too chunky as the zig zag stitch was not quite wide enough to stitch across the twisted strips),

knots in a bunch of fabric strips,

twisted & machine zig zagged, then knotted

Toggles

Chapter 7 - Traditional 'Piecing' Methods

SEMINOLE PATCHWORK

initial paper experiments

fabric samples

Chapter 7 - Traditional 'Piecing' Methods

First Stage 

I made a few log cabin designs using strips of patterned paper.

 At first, I thought I was wasting my time doing samples in paper first. I wanted to jump straight in with my fabric samples, but, on reflection, I'm glad I put so much effort into this exercise. For illustration purposes, I think it is probably quite important to use different patterned papers for each strip of patchwork so that it is obvious how the pattern is formed, but I can see that there is no 'flow' of design, or pattern being created by the patchwork itself. In the fabric samples, I will use different patterned fabrics and tonal values to created patterns within the patchwork design. I experimented with this concept with the 'wonky patchwork' paper sample. I think it looks much more pleasing.

Photocopying some of my patterned and printed fabrics prooved to be useful in providing a better range of tonal values for my paper samples. When designing patchwork, I guess it would therefore be a good idea to photocopy fabric and piece it together in paper to check the design before cutting and sewing the fabric.

Second Stage

Log Cabin fabric samples

Spiral Method

Opposite Pairs (or Courthouse Steps) using thick and thin strips

Spiral method using thick strips on two sides and thin strips on the other two sides.

Looking back at previous chapters, I realised that I probably ought to experiment with tonal graduation, so I attempted this with the 'thick and thin spiral' method above, and the 'v' formation block (2051). Guaging tonal values of some patterns and prints was much more difficult than I anticipated, even with 'squinty eyes'!!!

Opposite Pairs (Courthouse Steps)

I bleached, printed and stitched some of my purchased fabrics to disguise the obvious prints.

I don't think I'll make a quilter! Some of the blocks were quite laborious and boring! Life became much more interesting though, when I started to use some of my own printed and dyed fabrics. The blocks seemed to come alive, particularly with the slight 'black & white' colour variations (ie., blue & brown!)

Triangle Log Cabin

Hexagonal Log Cabin

'V' Shaped pattern

The octagonal (pineapple) log cabin was a little more challenging. I used the 'foundation' method, in order to make sure all pieces were at 45 degrees to eachother, I drew lines on the base fabric with my quilters set square so that I could piece all the fabric in the correct position. This helped me keep the angles quite accurate, but the resulting block was bulky as I was unable to trim excess fabric from the seams and joins.

A 'quilty' friend suggested using 'Stitch & Tear'. This could have been used as a foundation fabric, drawing lines on it to position the fabric pieces accurately, but then it could be torn away, removing the foundation when the block was complete, enabling the excess bulk to be cut from the seams. (Thank you Jenny!)

Triangular corner pieces need to be added to the octagonal patchwork if the block is going to be pieced together in a flat quilt.

Crazy / Wonky Log Cabin

Chapter 6 - Further Experiments

 I was very disappointed by my Shibori results. The dye had seeped underneath stitching and threads, and, at best, the colour was a dark blue rather than black. I re-read Sian's instructions, and decided to give it one more try. This time I used Dylon cold water dye.

2058 was wrapped tightly with string, dipped in dye, and microwaved for 4 mins. I am really happy with the depth of black and the resulting pattern!

 

2059 was stitched in pin-tucks, gathered tightly, dipped in dye and microwaved. I think the stitching was probably too small to enable me to pull the gathers suffuciently tight enough, but even so, it gave a pleasing result.

2060 was stitched in random circles which were gathered tightly and microwave dyed. I think perhaps that the very dark areas were created where the dye powder hadn't quite disolved properly, so creating a concentration of black dye.

2061 was hand stitched in zig zag formation. Gathered tightly, then painted gently on top of the gathers with black dylon dye.

2062. Arashi Shibori, around a plastic drain pipe. Again painted very gently with dye, making sure that the fabric is not saturated with dye,

Moral of my story. A lot of time can be saved by reading Sian's instructions properly before embarking upon an exercise!