Later in the evening I sat down and did some fiddling with the layered organza. In working with this I realised how, while you're stitching, you're figuring out how to catch this tender stuff down without ruining the translucent quality of the textile. You also have to consider the fineness of the weave, making sure you stitch down in both directions because if you don't it may pull out. I'm using two strands of thread as that seemed to be about the right weight, and I wanted to concentrate on colour without the distractions of other textures; there's enough texture in the organza. There's also very little chance of hiding the start of the stitch with each thread, so I made a feature of it, crossing the stitches and finishing on the front with a French knot to secure the initial stitches. I rather like the scribbly tails on the back.
Then pinning and stitching with a fresh needle for each colour and a delightful muddle of threads in the top right corner as I try to keep them out of the way. The other issue was turning the fabric so my thread didn't catch on all those pins!I shall do some more today. Barbara chose us a lovely selection of organzas to use for experiments in colour blending using translucent fabrics. I've got some white background fabric to use as well. We also had some fun with glazing colours over each other with acrylic paints
I'm always a teeny bit in awe of people who can work with organza. I always find it slips all over the place and leaves me feeling like I need an extra pair of hands to keep it all together!
ReplyDeletepins and patience in inverse proportions!!!
DeleteI don't think I've ever managed to get it pinned as I want it either! Sneaky, slippery stuff that it is...!
DeleteWhat fun you're having, isn't it lovely to 'play' like this, the layers of colour are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's the pleasure of the City and Guilds I think, trying out stuff I'd never have thought about doing at all!!
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