Coil

The final activity for our year of techniques, coiling involves creating a structure from looped threads there joined or stitched together. Making a coiled basket takes time, however, as this coincided with our Christmas meeting we used the technique by stitching coils over egg carton base to create an angel decoration.

 A couple of angels

Coils of twisted dressmaking tissue joined with waxed linen thread

After the base is formed the coils can be stacked to create sides to the vessel

Cordage is perfect for coiling

Wire and beaded wire can be used, fine wire needs to used to stitch/join the coils.

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Weave

A fabric can be created by interlocking warp threads (the vertical ones) with threads and fabrics passed over and under the warp  threads to create the weft. This needs to be done on some form of loom which can be easily constructed from polystyrene or card.

Pieces of weaving can be small or large, textured or smooth. There are many options to explore for the weft threads, vary the type and thickness of the threads, use textured threads or strips of fabric.

Another way to incorporate weaving, this time to weave the  threads holding the signatures/sections of a book together

A basket of sorts, random weave vines. Not all weaving has to be on a loom, here the structure needed for creating  something to weave through is provided by the solidity of the vine.

An orb or sphere of open random weaving

Or tightly woven to make a solid basket

Whilst not technically woven this piece uses the drawn thread to remove threads from a woven piece of fabric, this creates an open substrate that allows another background to show through.

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Scrunch

This activity was a lot of fun. All that was required was a soft fabric such as fine silk or lawn, old scarves were perfect, some water and string. It used the concept of scrunching fabric and string to tie the wet fabric into a ball. Leaving the fabric to dry creates a semi permanent wrinkly fabric which is good in art projects that will not be washed.

The scrunched fabrics can be couched down to create a textural background, using hand or free machine embroidery 

Snippets can be used to create flowers, leaves or other little textural features.

This reminds of a stormy sea and maybe perfect for waves in a landscape.

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Mend a Landscape

We have been a little behind in publishing our activities for 2023. One of our sessions was to look at mending, the more obvious style that is relevant to textile art. Using stitch to mend or create a scene or landscape 

There are lots of books to refer to, your local library is a good place to start

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Fire and Fray

Looking broadly at how fire could be used in textile art. There is the use of burnt fabric such as using a candle flame to burn the edges of fabrics or carefully holding the fabric over the flame to create a hole

Incense sticks can be used to burn holes into fabric

A fine point on a soldering iron can be used to born holes and to cut away sections. It is especially good on synthetic fabrics 

Fraying fabrics can be incorporated to soften edges

Or to create the look of a weave

Threads that are removed can also be couched down 

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