Project 2 - Stage 6 - Using thread and yarns to create textures

The first picture I chose was my sketch from the Georgia O'Keeffe 'Calla Lillies' that I've used before in the early stages of project 1. I really like the colours and the flow of the strokes and this definitely guided my choice of image.

The first attempt was a real hodge podge of stitches, from satin to running stitch and then to seeded stitches combined of white and black strands.

The image below was entirely chain stitch but with varying thicknesses of thread and wool, I felt that the natural curve of the chain stitch made this easier to achieve the curve of the stamen and the lines.

The yellow raffia thread was perfect for the stamen when I chose couching as the next stitch. I felt that I was moving away from the original image. Although it maintained similar lines and colours, the couching and thickness of threads and wool seemed to make it look very bug like. Of all the hand stitched ones, I think this one was my favourite.

This project was my first attempt at machine stitching. I have used the sewing machine before but mainly for unsuccessful attempts at halloween costumes. I know that I got my tension wrong on this fabric but I got so caught up in the sewing that I didn't notice until I was nearly finished. It was incredibly easy to get the lines right although I did feel that the stamen ended up much bigger than I originally intended. 

Below, is the first attempt with the machine. I was really happy with it but this was a case of getting totally carried away. I ended up doing far too much to it and completely destroying the effect. What started off as a quite gentle flower, seemed to take on a life of it's own. It was only when I stepped back from it and had a good look at it that I realised the truth in the saying 'Less is More'.......

I decided to choose a different image to work from and have a second try at this stage. I chose the sketch and photo of the African woman gathering water that I used in the making marks stage from earlier.

I love this imagery. I feel that I need to do more to this or at least make a larger version, it is incredibly easy to give more thought to the water, maybe because it is an active object.

The base fabric definitely gives more life to the image (part of me wondered if that was a slight cheat on my part) but as I worked, I came to realise that the shimmer of the base fabric actually gave me more ideas for the fluidity and the colours of the threads and netting used. This project most definitely isn't finished.