Samples 2016: 52, Grid/Sunset

Last sample of the year – I just have to play with soluble fabric again! I machined a grid of shaded orange on Solufleece. Then I filled it with raised chain band and running stitch/weaving using stranded cottons in shades of orange, yellow, pink and mauve.

 

I love how the raised chain band looks like little hearts when the fabric’s disappeared.

 

So that’s it – TEN YEARS of weekly samples completed, with a different theme each year.  I think it’s time I gave it a rest. I’ve tried before, but soon missed the project too much. I’m going to try harder this time, but who knows... Just as everyone else seems to be getting involved in weekly exercises, I'm stopping - ahead of my time, or just plain awkward?!

    



Samples 2016: 51, Concentric/Sorbet

Soft pastel shades of raspberry, lemon and lime - my least favourite colours, but the random sample generator demands sorbet shades.

 

Starting with a base of white cotton bonded to pelmet Vilene, I machine stitched yellow silk paper in a large ring then tore away the excess along the stitch perforations. Pink silk paper and green handmade paper went the same way.   

 

Then it was time to have fun with hand stitching for more concentric circles. I couched green chenille and yellow boucle yarns, and stitched a pink sequin in the centre. Chain stitch rings took longer but I think they were worth it. Plus a few tiny French knots and a little running stitch.

 

Only one more to go...



Samples 2016: Week 50, Angular/Wine

Burgundy organza, free machined in a pattern of overlapping triangles. I stitched the outer edges of the triangles in Burgundy thread and the inner ones in more of a Sauvignon!

Then I burned out the design close to the stitching using a fine soldering iron. Another lacy piece, so it's compulsory to take its photo with shadows ;-)
    

Samples 2016: Week 49, Jagged/Citrus

An easy tick, but this sample will be a useful reminder that stitches piled up in layers can be effective.

I used a built-in pattern, a sort of zigzag that varies "randomly", and stitched it in overlapping rows using zingy orange, lemon and lime threads on black fabric.

Samples 2016: Week 48, Chaos/Heather

A chance to go wild! I had a good rummage and gathered all sorts of purpley bits and pieces. Using the embellisher I covered a piece of wool fabric with scraps of scrim, sari silk and lace. Textured yarns went on too.

No machine stitch on this one - just random hand embroidery including detached chain, fly, cross, French knot and running stitches, in purple, green and white.

Not my usual kind of thing but I do quite like it... might work cut up for brooches?

Samples 2016: Week 47, Illumination/Earth

Had a bright (literally!) idea here to avoid using dull earthy colours again... the colours of planet Earth from space! So I got away with bright blue and green.

 

And then for the design theme, I used Blackpool Illuminations. So I was free to use my favourite FME on dissolvable fabric to make this lacy little sample. Freely stitched on hooped Solufleece, dissolved and pinned out to dry. Finally photographed raised on pins for yet more shadow play!

Samples 2016: Week 46, Holey/Bark

A vague brief... how to make it fun? I used the Flower Stitcher attachment to machine lots of satin stitch circles on Lutradur. A brown/rust/silvery grey "bark" palette of rayon threads.

Then I zapped it with a heat gun until there was hardly a trace of the Lutradur left, just enough under the stitching to hold it together.

Finally, if it's holey it makes shadows - so I had to photograph it raised on pins! 

Samples 2016: Week 45, Frosty/Berries

Don't you love those ferny, feathery patterns that frost makes on glass? As long as they're outside...

That was my inspiration for this little sample, although it's not obvious now it's made in warm berry colours. I used a built-in embroidery pattern on my Bernina, but stitched single "ferns" in different directions and overlapping. These auto stitches don't appeal at all when they're stitched out in a line as intended, but massed and messed about they're transformed.
      

Samples 2016: Week 44, Decay/Chocolate

With signs of autumn all around, a leaf skeleton made the idea of a "decay" design more enticing.

I free machined it on brown SpunBond (fine, ready-coloured Lutradur - not sure it's available any more?), stretched in a hoop of course. Not trusting myself  to get a recognisable shape freehand, I stitched round a paper template to start with. Finally I zapped it with a heat gun to get that authentic decayed effect! That bit's always fun.

My "milk chocolate" leaf skeleton is mounted on "white chocolate" calico with its edge distressed (decayed again, I suppose) by the embellisher.
     

Samples 2016: Week 43, Shiny/Spring

Shiny, hmm... first thought for something completely different was shisha. I dug out some very authentic (rough!) old shisha mirrors and thought about stitching them in spring colours.

Just in time I remembered - I did this for C&G and once is MORE than enough.

But sticking with the mirror idea I found some very shiny silver card and quickly zigzagged it in crocus-inspired colours. OK it's not one of my most memorable efforts, but I did save myself many hours of torture by swerving the shisha stitch :-)

The only pain then was trying to get a photo without reflections!

Samples 2016: Week 42, ZigZag/Lichen

Just fancied a bit of crochet this week, but I did make it difficult for myself by using the finest possible wool (mostly a DMC one meant for embroidery). Still enjoyed working a simple chevron pattern in lichen-y colours though.

I jazzed it up a little at the end with hand embroidery - orange French knots inspired by the bright (but tiny) fruiting bodies seen on some lichen, and some textured thread woven through for a bit more crunch. 

The sample is about 8cm x 6.5cm; I should give the sizes more often, sorry I forget, but they do all fit on A6/postcard. 

Samples 2016: Week 41, Geometric/Lollipop

Geometric design? A good excuse to play with dissolvable fabric, as if I needed one! Free machining it is then, on Solufleece. I made a simple network of triangles, with three different straight stitch fillings, then zigzagged over the outlines to make sure it held together nicely.

I guess lollipops could be any colour these days, but blue wouldn't seem right to me so I stuck with classic fruity colours.

An openwork sample like this just has to be pinned up for its photograph, I can't resist seeing its shadow pattern. Oooh...

Samples 2016: Week 40, Radiating/Aurora

Relaxing hand embroidery - through graph paper glued on the back of felt! As you do. I wanted the main aurora colour, green, to dominate but that didn't work as I imagined - should've put it in the middle and shaded it out in the opposite direction. This is what happens when I try to be more spontaneous, I should know better ;-)   

Samples 2016: Week 39, Curvy/Rust

Simple flowing curves, in rusty orange/brown shades on iron grey satin fabric. Quite pleased with the machine stitched bands - wide satin stitch in burnt orange, overstitched in a scribbly way with brown cotton (straight stitch). Hmm, might revisit that effect.

Fancy yarns and chenille were then chain stitched or couched down.
    

Samples 2016: Week 38, Spiky/Steel

My Flower Stitcher attachment seemed ideal for this, a quick way to machine stitch spiky balls like rolled up hedgehogs. I used a simple utility stitch, working two or three rounds at different diameters.

The thread was a nice shaded grey rayon, very steely, but too subtle for the camera to pick up apparently.
  

Samples 2016: Week 37, Bling/Mint

Well, this is horrible isn't it?! But I was never going to like "bling" as a theme, and I didn't have blingy materials in a subtle minty green, so here it is.

A sparkly pound sign seemed to fit the design theme. And "mint" is quite apt to go with it... groan.
   
I applied green (it is though you can't tell) metallic mesh by machine, then couched a thick thread round the edge by hand. Then I tried to sparkle it up with green star sequins and tiny metallic beads. My stash of shiny stuff is meagre, and I'm fine with that.

So, a tacky tick, but it's done and I'm moving on!   

Samples 2016: Week 36, Mesh/Ice



Mesh? A great excuse to dig out the dissolvable fabric! I laid down a grid of white pearl cotton and silver metallic thread first, with big hand stitches. Then I machine stitched some of the diagonals with shiny white rayon 40 on top and blue metallic on the bobbin.

After dissolving I pinned it out to dry - tedious but always well worth it.

Then as usual I couldn't resist photographing the finished sample raised on pins to get the shadows!
    

Samples 2016: Week 35, Cobbles/True Blue



All the toys are out again! Great fun to play with the embellisher and the Bernina - it's been too long.

So I flung everything on this - starting with blue commercial felt I added dyed nepps, assorted yarns and merino tops. Those were all attached by whizzing the embellisher all over. Then I meandered around with free zigzag and straight stitch.

I really liked the fabric I ended up with, so I took its picture to remind me to come back to this for jewellery or art. But then I cut it up into "cobbles" and embellished them onto navy felt.  

Samples 2016: Week 34, Happy/Traffic Lights

Happy? How about hearts and flowers, and celebratory stars? Ah what a coincidence, my Bernina happens to do those all by itself ;-)
 

On a background of black cotton drill over pelmet Vilene, I machined a tangle of overlapping motifs. In red, amber and green of course.

I don't use the built-in embroidery patterns much, but I quite like the effect when they're massed together, a bit distorted, worked in all directions and interacting with each other.

Samples 2016: Week 33, Slashed/Toy box

Toy box just has to be bright primary colours, right? Maybe not the obvious partner for "slashed" though... so I took the toy box theme into the design too, thinking about those shape sorting toys.    

I started with red, yellow and blue fabrics over green felt. Then I filled the simple shapes with patterns of parallel lines in green thread (machine stitched, of course!). Finally the slashing - cutting the top fabric between the lines gives a slightly 3D effect as the felt tries to peep through. 

I do like the light and shade effect of this technique; no surprise there, I can never resist introducing shadows into my work.