stitches

MAKER/DESIGNER 1

JO BEATTIE - BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES IN TERMS OF INNOVATIVE IDEAS

I saw Jo Beatties work at the Knitting & Stitching Show last October and was fortunate enough to have a chat with her about her display. On her website she describes her work as follows:

“My work is a reflection on memories of people we love and how we associate them with what they wear. Their patterns and colours are embedded into our memory and become inseparable from our image of them. Our patterns and colours determine not only our character and how we want to be perceived by others but also define us in a time, place and culture.

My most recent work uses shadow to reflect the image of our patterns and identity. I have become interested in the way my artwork can enhance the idea of memory by having a shadow of the image reflected onto a plain background a distance away from the actual work. This enables the shadow to become larger and more defined. The shadow effect has become an increasingly important part of the way I can emphasise the idea of embedding our memories of the past into the abstract and stylised images of my present work.

My work visualises a fragment of a precious memory. Therefore it is important that there is as little external boundary to my work as possible. I sometimes work so the edges of the work are broken and fragmented to enhance my ideas. At other times I have chosen a background material for the work that is light and see through. The aim is for my work to look suspended in space; a snapshot of a moment represented in a three-dimensional format. The unbounded and physical nature of my work enables a suspended image of a moment in a person’s life to occupy a space, leaving the shadow of a memory behind.

The work is produced in anyway that best creates the atmosphere I am trying to evoke. I predominantly use print, paint, dyed fabrics and work detail with machine and hand stitching. The backgrounds are wire mesh or totally see through to enable the shadows to become a prominent and integral part of the work.”

I was fascinated by the ethereal nature of her work and her use of shadow to create the messages she wanted to portray. The work I saw at the Show was mainly free machine stitch on see-through fabrics, creating outlines rather than solid forms.

The following photo was taken at the Show

And below are photos of some of her work:

MAKER/DESIGNER 2

ALICE KETTLE - BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES IN TERMS OF DESIGN

Alice is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Designer Craftsmen and the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Winchester, a Research Fellow of the Manchester Metropolitan University, and an Honorary member of the 62 group of textile artists.

EXTRACT FROM A V&A INTERVIEW

“How would you describe your work and your position within the world of embroidery?

I make figurative pieces. I think I am a maker, I love stitching. This doesn't mean that it is without intellect since every mark and thought require a creative response which articulates my response to the world, to life and my particular aspirations.

It is about an emotional connection with the work, the expression of something that stitch conveys differently from other media. I am not sure about my position. I don't really mind very much about that. I
just do what i do. I exhibit in galleries if they want me, and I do commissions when asked. I earn my living from my work which inevitably means to a large extent whether I like it or not, it is driven by those concerns.

What type of material do you prefer to use?

I use thread, all different thicknesses and types and mixtures. This is stitched onto a back cloth.

What would you like to make that you haven't so far?

I would like to explore the use of the Schiffli machine which they have at Manchester Metropolitan University. I have done three pieces on this machine and feel have just seen a whole new world open up. It is a repeat machine with 85 needles and this one in particular is more than 100 years old. It works with a pantograph system. In using it I feel I have liberated the fabric, which for me is extraordinary.

What inspires and influences the designs you create for your work?

I recently did a body of work based on the Odyssey by Homer. Also Paolo Coehlo's the Alchemist. Books, poems, people, places, thoughts, fears, connections, stories. If I am doing a commission it is connected to the site, I am doing a huge piece for Winchester Discovery Centre which contains aspects of the city's history and iconography.”

AN EXTRACT FROM 'THEMAKING.ORG.UK' WEBSITE

“Why are you specifically attracted to free machine embroidery as opposed to any of the other textile techniques such as weaving?

I’ve never been attracted to weaving – it’s too technique based for me. I’m more concerned about ideas and expression and not so interested in technique. I find embroidery very intuitive and immediate. You don’t have to plan very much as you just respond to the act of making – if you go wrong you can just cut that bit out or stitch over it. I really respond to the rhythmic quality of the machine and love the feeling of being in tune with it. It’s like having a fixed pen – ie the needle – and drawing by moving the paper – ie the fabric. There are all sorts of elements you can play with. You can change direction, tension, the type and thickness of thread and the speed you move the fabric which effects the results making the stitching thicker or thinner. You can also change the relationship between the top and bottom thread by altering their colours or types.”

It seems to me quite unusual to find a textile artist who is so committed to machine stitch, and I think the mass of tiny stitches she uses, often on the back of her work, is fascinating.

A photograph of Alice Kettle

Photographs of some of her work:

MAKER/DESIGNER 3

SARAH WALTON – BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES IN TERMS OF MATERIALS USED

She describes herself:

“I make illustrations using my sewing machine, with black thread as the pencil and fabric as the paper and paint. My main inspiration comes from people, their relationships with each other and dogs, and every day life. I’m inspired by those simple moments of happiness like holding hands, dancing, waking up in bed on a weekend. I try to freeze these moments in time, like a photograph, creating a joyful memory imprinted on fabric. “

An extract from an interview with Sarah Walton found on the www.zippi.co.uk website:

"How and when did you first get into embroidery art?

I was always making things as a child, whether it be dolls house furniture, drawing cartoons or painting, and I loved art and textiles at school. I’m inspired by artists such as Egon Schiele and illustrators such as Aubrey Beardsley and Julie Verhoeven, and I spent a lot of my teenage years trying to draw people in a similar style. I inherited my Nana’s Singer sewing machine in my teens, and when I went to art college I began experimenting by drawing with my sewing machine.

What is it about this particular type of art that you like so much?

Embroidery and making clothes can often be very neat and orderly, but I like being expressive with the machine, as if the needle and thread are a pencil and the colourful patterned fabric I use is the paint. I find it quite fun and playful, almost like reliving my childhood, just getting lost in your imagination, it can be very therapeutic.

I also like the tactile nature of working with fabric and thread, and using my hands to create. I love drawing people, and I find the thread lends itself well to expressing the human figure and the folds in clothes, it’s also great for drawing dogs’ faces! Human faces are very hard on the sewing machine; I’m still trying to make faces not look cartoonish. I particularly enjoy choosing the fabric to add a colour accent to the piece. The array of colours and patterns available is exciting; when I go to a fabric shop, it’s like being in Aladdin’s cave. I’m particularly drawn to Liberty fabrics, as they are quintessentially English and the intricate floral patterns seem to suit my illustrations wonderfully.

Do you have a typical process from start to finish?

I start with a pencil and paper and work on the composition. This can mean drawings things over and over again. I photograph my work a lot to compare. Once I have the idea, I will move onto the sewing machine. I try to make the initial line drawing in one go, then I cut any loose threads, add or remove stitches if needs be and check that I like the finished piece before I go any further. Once I have the black drawing sorted, I look in my fabric box and cut samples then take photographs to figure out which looks best. Then, I basically appliqué it onto the piece, all with the sewing machine.

Do you use/need any special equipment?

My sewing machine is an old 70’s Singer machine. Who knows what my illustrations would look like with a brand new sewing machine? I still use my Nana’s little silver heron sewing scissors, so tiny and helpful to cut threads with. A seam ripper is always useful, too.

Do you prefer machine or hand stitching?

I only use my sewing machine. If I do any hand stitching it is just to put the odd stitch in. I like the celerity of using the sewing machine, probably because the process from start to finish of a piece can be quite long and I don’t have enough patience!

However, I think it may be what makes my style – the imperfect nature of the thread and not really knowing how it will turn out until I turn the fabric over and hold it up. I don’t think hand embroidery would work well with my style. I tried to stitch a person’s face once to achieve detail but it didn’t turn out too well, I think it lacked vivacity.

Do you have any tips for anyone who thinks they’d like to give it a go?

Practise drawing before you move on to the machine. Invest in some good quality thread – I always buy Guttermans as it is stronger than many others I’ve tried – the less thread breaks the better! It can be a long process, so have patience. Although, saying that, when you’re on the sewing machine, go fast! Don’t worry about making mistakes, imperfections can often look great."

I love her attitude - using an old 70's sewing machine, and her advice - to basically just have a go.

I have seen many photographs of her work - and it all has the same playful, happy, light-hearted feeling. I think the way she combines small pieces of beautiful fabrics with her black thread drawings is so creative.

Below is the only photograph I can find of her

Photographs of her work

Below is the sample before I used the paint.

And for a bit of fun ... Using the same (Sarah Walton) style, a photo of a piece I made for a friend's travelling book - the theme was Flint, and I wanted to get away from textile interpretations of the stones, of which there were plenty.