Month: January 2021

Oh No! Not Another Learning Experience

| ellenanneeddy

As some of you know, I’ve had a couple of knee replacements. It appears we are not done yet with all that. One of my knees has an infection in it. Tomorrow they will take out that knee joint, pack it with antibiotics, and then wait three months from then for a new knee.

I love learning experiences, in the main. I suffer from the elephant’s child’s ailment of insatiable curiosity. So I’m constantly curious about different bugs, archeology, dog training, new recipes, different stabilizers. the list goes on.

Medical experiences, not so much. I’ve found all major medical comes with an exam. And a learning experience. I suppose my hardest life lessons have been from the limits of my body, which at best, I find tiresome.

Unfortunately, it’s mine. Like an unruly child, I can’t leave it at the grocery store like “I forgot”. I need to let it take me where it will, and learn from it.

I promise to try not to whine. I promise no pictures of wounds or scars. I promise not to give daily depressive and boring reports. You can imagine for yourself if you need to.

I will be off my blog a bit as I pull myself together. I hope you’ve enjoyed my effort to share what I know, what I feel, what I’ve learned with you in the hopes that it will carry you further on your journey, our journey of art, expression and joy. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

If you’re a praying person, please pray for me. If not, spare a good thought for me . I may be investigating my bedroom ceiling for a while. Thanks!

Ellen

Iridescence: The Color That’s Not A Color

| ellenanneeddy

Color is a fickle subject. It is almost impossible to talk about because it’s completely visual. We can speak of it scientifically but that only gives us numbers. Those numbers mean nothing until we see the colors. The only have meaning in someone’s sight.

But we do know that colors relate to each other. The way we see them is in context with each other. The names we give colors mean very little. How they appear within the context of of the colors around them is what we respond to. Add to that, each of us see color differently. It’s experiential.

I’ve been working on this quilt quite a while. I stippled it this week with iridescent candlelight and sliver. When I got done, It glowed quite green. Both thread look white in the photo. They look white on the spool too. How could that be?

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Here is the Wikipedia definition of iridescence .

“Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. ….. It is often created by structural coloration (microstructures that interfere with light). “

Wikipedia defined iridescence as colors that shift and change across the surface of an object. An abalone shell is the perfect example of iridescence, although we also see it in beetles, soap bubbles, butterfly wings and oil slicks. Which may explain why I love all of those things. Its not a color. It’s a shifting of light.

When we start talking about iridescent thread, I found it was more a matter of advertising than of anything else. All kinds of threads were called iridescent. Most of them were pretty metallics in variant colors. Not anything like an abalone shell.

The fiber used is Lurex. It’s a plastic film that has that dance of color across it. Sliver is just the film itself. Candelight is a thicker thread with the Lurex twisted into it. Iridescence is not a color. But it reflects the color around it, shining in it’s own way.

That green glow starts to show it this photo. But like all art, photos never quite show what’s there. You need to see a piece in person, to watch it glow iridescently. The other colors around it bask in it’s light.

On another note, I am going in for surgery this next week. It may be a couple of weeks before I blog again. Please forgive me if it takes a while between posts here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Thick Thread, Thin Thread: Thread Work as Grain

| ellenanneeddy

One of the mostly lovely things about free motion is that there are no limits. Not in size, not in shape, not in color. Anything thought can be done.

One of the things that changes the look of an embroidery most is the size of the thread. Regular embroidery thread is 30-40 weight ( which means if you lay 30 threads side by side, it would make 30 inches.) It can be used either for zigzag stitching or straight.

8 weight thread needs to be stitched from the bobbin. It can only be used for straight stitch. The look is very different. But it’s also abstracted.

The size of the thread creates a grain, like a photograph. A thicker thread looks more abstract, and less detailed, but it has a strong visual impact. Here are some images in thick and thin threads for you to see the difference.

Thread choices make a huge difference in the look of embroidery. Pick your threads for your own delight.

Rethinking Stabilizers: What’s on the Inside?

| ellenanneeddy
Clematis Moon in Process

Free motion embroidery has been the most exciting tool I’ve ever had. But it has it’s secrets. Yes, it’s about thread, and stitch quality and hoops. But the secret heart of free motion embroidery is what’s inside. Stabilizer creates the best foundation.

These moths are embroidered on felt, Stitch and Tear, and Totally Stable. The images are all thread.

I’ve been revisiting the stabilizers I use for Free Motion Applique. The stabilizer sandwich I used to use consisted of Totally Stable, hand dyed fabric, and a tight hoop.

I also used to do most of my embroidery on my piece. Lately I make more and more of my elements separately.

I’ve also started embroidering just on felt, leaving the hand dye fabric out of the sandwich.

Why have I changed?

Because stabilizers change, And because I want different things from my work. I’ve seen my work be more incrusted and wanted it to be a bit lighter, less distorted. Separate embroideries allow me to cure by cutting. I can cut off the bits that are distorted by too much stitching.

I’ve also changed my layering.

I’ve lately come to an appreciation of felt. When felt was made of wool, it was an exquisite fabric. When they made it of rayon and poly, not so much. It pulled apart when you looked at it. Now that it’s made of acryllic, it’s strong, embroiderable and unravellable. It can be stitched to the very edge and cut to the very edge. I now use felt instead of batt.

These flowers were made of sheers stuck on with Steam a Seam 2 and backed with felt and Stitch and Tear. No Totally Stabile, because my fabric makes my pattern for me.

But I also use it in my appliques. If I’m using a sheer for the basis of the applique, I use felt and Stitch and Tear as a stabilizer. If I am just making an applique of stitching, I use a pattern made from Totally Stable, a paper like stabilizer with a freezer paper that can be ironed down, stuck on, and then removed.

Leaving the names alone, what am I looking for in a stabilizer?

I’m looking for several abilities and responses in my stabilizers:
Does it iron on?
Does the glue texture show through?
Does the color show through?
Does it make a good drawing surface for a pattern?
Can I remove it afterwards?
Does it tear away or must I cut it away?
How stiff is it once it’s stitched?
Can I cover the edging cleaning with stitchery?

Those are some of the questions that help me decide whether a stabilizer will work for me.

Will I always use what I use now? I doubt it. Right now it’s giving me more stitchery with less weight. Stabilizers will change and I’ll roll with the changes.