Chapter 3: suspended shapes

Here I looked at creating 'free' shapes within transparent and translucent materials.  The choice of materials could be huge given present day synthetics and plastics but I stayed initially with conventional organzas and concentrated on varying the 'suspended' motifs.
3.1 the shapes are outlined on white organza in loose free satin stitch (on right) and seed beads (on left)

3.1

In 3.2 the shape is filled in with free machining.  The scale of these motifs is shown by the ruler in cm on the right.

In 3.3 a chenille wool is couched to fill the shape.  I rather liked the back with the shadow effect (3.4)

3.3

3.4 reverse side of stitching in 3.3

Cording was couched on to organza in lines and the motifs cut out from this fabric (3.5 and negative in 3.6).  The motifs were turned and replaced to create crosshatching in the overlap (3.7)

3.5

3.6

3.7

I rather liked the effect of placing them on another corded organza in 3.8 to make more of the crosshatching.

3.8

3.9 sewn in motifs

I then used Vliesofix transfer adhesive back sheers and enable motifs to be cut accurately and to create decorated sheers from bonded threads, serged thread fragments and scraps.  Both the positive and negative shapes were layered giving interesting shadows in samples 3.10, 3,11 and 3.12.

3.10

3.11

3.12

I love the translucency you can get with waxing tissue paper so I monoprinted some white tissue paper and waxed it using melted beeswax pellets that I had used for batik once, long ago. 3.13 shows a waxed print against both a black and white background.

3.13

I cut motifs from this and placed them on the negative print sandwiched between 2 pieces of organza. 

3.14

Result - a bit messy and indistinct but it led me to continue waxing the monoprints, this time between layers of cotton voile and cotton scrim.

3.15 waxed scrim and tissue paper sandwich

3.16 waxed cotton voile and tissue paper sandwich

These layered sheets start to feel wonderfully sculptural because of the wax and allow you to cut intricate shapes from it.  

3.17 cut waxed sandwich against black background

And the shapes can also form part of a 'lace' with the added bonus of interesting marks and holes appearing in the wax where stitching is done.

3.18 waxed motifs connected with perle threads

In 3.19 motifs were cut from one of the monoprints and placed between two pieces of cotton voile then waxed.  I loved these suspended shapes in the voile ground and could see these as a useful background further stitched into.  I'm afraid the photos don't show the texture evident in the surface, particularly for the scrim.

3.19

3.20 detail from 3.19 above