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expressions of exploration expressions of exploration pages home photo gallery sunday 8 november 2015 canvas experimental sample for city and guilds it has been awhile since i have updated my progress with my city and guilds level 3 modules a recent presentation i made has prodded me to do some blogging about it so going back to module 2 after the research on an artist i chose a digital artist the notes on shape as a design element and the design exercises we moved onto the stitching samples i already shared about the blackwork sample so this time i will post about my experimental sample experimental canvas sample as this experimental sample was to be done on canvas we were instructed to create our own design as most of our line designs and the shape designs created in modules 1 and 2 would not be easily translated onto canvas so keeping in mind that the focus on the module is shape i tried to create and add a variety of shapes on the canvas 12 count canvas sprayed with ink painted wonder under applied and stencilled i started by spraying the canvas with acrylic inks and then applied chunks of painted wonder under to it i also added a little angelina fibre to add a tiny bit of sparkle finally i stencilled on the canvas with paint distressed painted tyvek crocheted washer stitching and commercial trim i also wanted to add several diverse elements to the piece win addition to those achieved with thread so i added painted wood sticks wrapped with wire sizoflor silk sari yarn distressed tyvek leather paper commercial trim and crocheted and thread covered washers painted wood sticks with wire accents the stitching was done with a variety of threads from a heavy acrylic yarn to a 8 pearl cotton working on a canvas was different for me as i usually work on a fairly solid background of some sort it was also different to create elements that were basically linear except for the washers all in all it was engaging and this was the final piece for module 2 posted by expressions of exploration at 17 30 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels angelina city and guilds covered washers crocheted washers experimental sample leather mono canvas painted paper painted wonder under silk sari ribbon sizoflor stencil tyvek wire monday 14 september 2015 lemon juice the eco friendly paint you all probably remember the secret writing with lemon juice that could only been seen when you held it to a candle well that and a recent last year article in quilting arts got me thinking and wanting to do some printing with lemon juice as i loved the scorched brown look when you took an iron to the lemon painting lemon juice painted onto flour sack fabric painting with lemon juice on paper is not too bad but on fabric not so easy as lemon juice is thin and is absorbed by the fabric very quickly you are unable to make distinct lines thermofax screen onto tissue tex using the sodium alginate and lemon juice mixture so i have been experimenting with thickeners or carriers for the juice and after lots of failures i think i have come up with a couple of formulas that work and allow you to use the lemon juice with thermofax screens and stencils to produce images on paper or fabric that are sharper than you can paint but still with some softness here is a sample of a screened image on tissue tex paper it is all depends on what sort of look you want and if you want to have really crisp images paint your fabric with no flow by jacquard prior to using the first workable mix is the print mix out of ann johnston s book color by accident page 92 this thickened print mix can be mixed with lemon juice on an approximate 2 1 ratio of print mix to lemon juice you may need to add a little more lemon juice depending on your environment the mix needs to be as thick as apple sauce otherwise it will be too runny and not produce a clear image through the stencil or screen another simpler mix which i prefer is to simply make up a mixture of lemon juice and sodium alginate make up this mix by adding 1 1 2 2 tsps of sodium alginate to 1 4 cup of lemon juice having the lemon juice at room temperature makes mixing this up easier start with 1 1 2 tsps of the alginate and stir the mixture constantly for at least five minutes again the mixture should be the consistency of apple sauce so adjust the lemon juice accordingly let it stand for a couple of hours before using to ensure that all the sodium alginate is dissolved sa lemon juice sponged over dried hot glue gun stencils once you print onto your fabric or paper let it dry completely your image will either appear non existent or very faint iron the fabric or paper with an iron on the hottest setting you can use on the particular fabric or paper without burning it continue moving the iron around the fabric until the image appears the longer you iron the image the browner it will become if you are ironing paper you should put it between two pieces of parchment paper to prevent any burning you can also use a heat gun to make the image appear but ironing is generally faster sa lemon juice sponged through stencil left and through screen right fabric was painted with no flow first the thing that i like the best about the sodium alginate lemon juice mixture is the graininess you get it can be very effective and add interest to the print sa lemon juice screened onto lutradur this method worked for screening images onto handmade paper tissuetex cotton and silk fabrics silk organza and it also worked screening onto fusible web the tricky thing about the fusible web is that you will not see the image until you iron it onto a fabric this image is very grainy and indistinct there is more experimentation to come sa lemon juice through screen onto deli paper posted by expressions of exploration at 10 23 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels deli paper handmade paper lemon juice lutradur no flow organza painting print mix sodium alginate stencils thermofax screens tissuetex friday 12 june 2015 drizzle stitch drizzle stitch in a tight circle this is a three dimensional stitch most often used in brazilian embroidery you can do the stitch as a single stitch or in groups in lines or in circles and you can make each stitch as long or short as you like it is particularly useful in creating underwater scenes it is important to use a needle with the shaft the same size as the eye so the stitches will slide off it easily so depending on your thread size use milliners or straw needles photo a photo b to make this stitch knot your thread and bring your needle up on the right side in the desired location photo a put your needle back into the fabric close to the position where you came up do not put the needle all the way through the fabric just pierce it with the end leave the needle partially in the fabric and pull the thread out of the needle photo b photo c photo d to wrap the thread circle the needle and put the thread through the circle as you will want to make each of these wraps the same way on the needle remember whether you are going over the needle or under the needle with the thread to begin this wrap is similar to casting on with a knitting needle or doing a needle lace stitch pull the thread to tighten the wrap but not too tightly around the needle but not too loose either photo c continue wrapping the needle snugging up the wraps each time keep these wraps a consistent size photo d photo e photo f when you have finished the number of wraps desired re thread your needle hold the wraps down the fabric with your thumb and pull the needle through to the wrong side of the fabric the more you pull on the stitch the more it will rise and twist you can also move the wraps around in a spiral or make them stay straight photos e f posted by expressions of exploration at 14 31 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels drizzle stitch embroidery frixion pen needles thread monday 1 june 2015 double chain stitch this stitch can be used with fine or heavy threads it can be straight or curved and the width can be varied as well photo 1 to begin mark two working lines on your fabric with a disappearing pen i like to use the frixion pen by pilot these come in several colours and disappear with heat work this stitch from top to bottom begin with a waste knot photo 2 bring your thread up photo 1 keeping your thread below and to the right of your needle take your needle down half a stitch length above starting position but on the right line and take your first stitch bringing the needle up at half a stitch length below starting position still on the right line pull the thread through creating an open chain stitch see photo 2 again this stitch should be long enough to extend a half stitch below point photo 3 the next chain stitch will be made from your initial starting point to a half stitch length below where you ended your first stitch along the left side line keep your thread under and to the left of the needle the chain stitch should extend a half stitch length below photo 3 photo 4 continue by starting your stitches inside the chain keeping your thread below and to the right of the needle coming up a half stitch length below the last stitch but on the right side line photo 4 work alternating open chain stitches along the two lines and finish with a small stitch over the last loop weave in threads posted by expressions of exploration at 12 55 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels braided chain stitch chain stitch embroidery frixion pen friday 27 february 2015 blackwork with a bit of a twist blackwork sample on burlap in module two city and guilds level three certificate in hand embroidery we are asked to do a blackwork sample however we are also asked to do something that is not traditional so i decided to do my blackwork on lime green burlap i also used some ribbon floss as my grout lines and some tulle for some shading in a few of the sections this sample started with some design work of which there is a lot in the city and guilds courses i am taking my courses through the school of stitched textiles they provide online courses of study broken up into distinct modules and i have been enjoying my studies through them oil pump sketch motif from oil pump sketch module two is based on an industrial theme at least this is where you start among the many sketches i did at least a couple were of oil pumps being from alberta from the sketches you develop designs for a few of my designs i chose to work with the motif of the most recognizable portion of an oil pump cut up pump motifs one design exercise that i used with this motif involved cutting out three of the motifs then cutting those up i used a marbelized paper for this i moved the pieces around until i had a design that i liked some of the pieces were simply moved apart and others moved to fill in spaces finally the pieces developed into a fish of sorts and i felt that the design was finished from this fish i made my design for the blackwork and got stitching what i really enjoyed in making this sample was doing the blackwork patterns there are such a vast array of potential patterns you can make it was different doing this on burlap as burlap is not exactly an even weave fabric but i was pleased with the final result the black really stands out on the lime green and the little bit of shading that the tulle provided added something a little different to the patterns posted by expressions of exploration at 08 49 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels blackwork burlap city and guilds design exercise hand embroidery oil pump ribbon floss saturday 10 january 2015 hungarian braided chain stitch i have been doing a lot of embroidery lately and have been enjoying learning some new embroidery stitches i am glad to share these directions for a stitch that you do not see very often hungarian braided chain stitch hungarian braided chain stitch also known as braided chain stitch this stitch is worked as a reverse chain stitch this raised stitch very good for making bold lines of stitch i ng 1 2 initially take a small stitch and make this into an isolated chain stitch or daisy stitch see photos 1 and 2 4 3 now make another chain stitch using the first stitch made but do not pull this stitch tight photos 3 4 5 6 make another chain stitch putting the needle under the loops of the first chain stitch made these are the inner loops before pulling the thread through pull the thread fairly snug around the needle tightening the loops of the previous chain stitch photos 5 6 7 continue making loose chain stitches bringing the needle through the previous chain stitch loops and then tightening the outer loops after putting the needle under the inner loops posted by expressions of exploration at 21 26 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels braided chain stitch chain stitch embroidery thursday 13 march 2014 i am involved in an upcoming show with the surface design association here is the poster posted by expressions of exploration at 14 13 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels calgary art show surface design upcoming art show older posts home subscribe to posts atom follow this blog about me expressions of exploration mixed media and fibre art by jan scruggs i love trying new techniques and unique means of using various materials i also love teaching and sharing my ideas and discoveries this blog will be a means of sharing what i learn by exploring new techniques and materials i am hoping to inspire you to try something new to go further with a technique or idea in short i hope to help you unleash your own creativity art is an adventure join in view my complete profile search this blog subscribe to posts atom posts all comments atom all comments blog archive 2015 6 november 1 canvas experimental sample for city and guilds september 1 june 2 february 1 january 1 2014 2 march 1 january 1 2013 5 december 1 august 1 july 1 may 1 april 1 links fibre optics group school of stitched textiles surface design association surface design association my page surface design association alberta website the embroiderer s association of canada comments i welcome comments and questions however any disparaging remarks or profanity will be deleted awesome inc theme theme images by nicodemos powered by blogger