Tangled in Fibres

Tuesday 9 March 2021

Art of Embroidery – Fundamentals (Malahide Community School), materials required.

This is a list of basic materials which will be required for the class:

1) embroidery hoop size 18 or 20cm

2) cotton or linen square of a fabric (calico is the best) size 26cmx26cm or 28x28cm, depending on the size of the hoop. Basically: each side of your fabric should be your hoop diameter + 8cm of margin.

3) carbon paper for transferring a pattern onto fabric, you can buy it in Mr. Price. The tutor will bring some spare sheets of carbon paper to the first class.

3) at least 4 skeins of cotton embroidery floss, colours of your choice

4) embroidery needle (size 5 is optimal) and Chenille needle or darning needle (a sharp needle with a larger eye).

5) sharp scissors

6) optional: a threader and a ripper, metallic threads, wool threads (crewel work or similar).

The teacher will bring printed design for transferring to the first class. Please bring a ball pen or pencil!

Friday 30 September 2016

A selection of my woven and embroidered pieces

WOVEN:

1. 'Złote zatopione', 2015. 20cm x 20cm. Weaving techniques. Linen twine, linen thread, gold metallic thread.


Pic.1: 'Złote zatopione'


Pic.2: 'Złote zatopione' - detail

2. 'Srebrne zawieszone', 2015. 20cm x 20cm. Weaving techniques. Linen twine, threads: linen, cotton, silk, metallic silver thread.

Pic.3: 'Srebrne zawieszone'

Pic.4: 'Srebrne zawieszone' - detail

3. 'Etiude IV', 2016. 20cm x 20cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Cotton yarn, copper metallic thread.


Pic.5: 'Etiude IV'

4. 'Pejzaż prawie horyzontalny' ('Almost Horizontal Lanscape'), 2016. 28cm x 28cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Linen twine, linen yarn, linen fabric, metallic threads.
Award by AKAPI Fundation at 9th International Artistic Linen Cloth Biennial, Krosno 2016 (the award for two pieces).

Pic.6: 'Almost horizontal lanscape'

Pic.7: 'Almost horizontal landscape' - detail

5. 'Pejzaż z drzewami' ('Landscape with Trees'), 2016. 35cm x 31cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Linen twine, linen yarn, linen fabric, metallic threads.
Award by AKAPI Fundation at 9th International Artistic Linen Cloth Biennial, Krosno 2016 (the award for two pieces).

Pic.8: 'Lanscape with Trees'

Pic.9: 'Lanscape with Trees' - detail

6. 'Pejzaż księżycowy' ('Lunar lanscape'), 2016. 29cm x 29cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Linen twine, linen thread, linen fabric, metallic threads: silver and platinum.

Pic.10: 'Lunar lanscape'

Pic.11: 'Lunar landscape' - detail

7. 'Sezon martwych drzew' ('Season of Dead Trees'), 2016. 30cm x 30cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Linen twine, linen thread, linen fabric, sea-cell yarn, polyester rugs, metallic threads.


Pic.12: 'Season of Dead Trees'

Pic.13: 'Season of Dead Trees' - detail

8. 'After Rain' ('Po deszczu'), 2016. 20cm x 20cm. Traditional weaving techniques mixed with my own techniques. Linen twine, linen fabric, silver thread.

Pic.14: 'After Rain'

Pic.15: 'After Rain' - detail

9. A woven piece in progress - no title yet!

Pic.16.

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EMBROIDERY:

1. 'Gardener', 2012. The inspiration for the embroidery: an illuminated French miniature from a medieval manuscript: Fécamp Psalter (76 F 13), dating back to c.1180, currently stored in Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague. Embroidery on silk with silk, cotton, metallic threads, silver and coral beads.


Pic.17: 'Gardener' - photo by Bartosz Kołata

Pic.18: 'Gardener' - detail, photo by Bartosz Kołata

2. 'Monk', 2013. The inspiration: an illumination from a copy of ‘Li livres dou santé”(Sloane manuscript 2435, f. 44 v., Brirtish Library) dated to the end of 13th century. Embroidery on silk with silk, cotton, metallic threads and glass beads.


Pic.19: 'Monk'

Pic.20: 'Monk' - detail

3. 'Salmon of Knowledge' 2015. 34cm x 40cm. Techniques: background - four fabrics of different colour and quality, sewn together and incorporated into a shiny linen-polyester fabric frame; embroidery - with silver and platinum thread in a combination of stitches: satin, couching, asymmetric laid work.


Pic.21: 'Salmon of Knowledge'

Pic.22: 'Salmon of Knowledge' - detail

4. 'Tail 1', 2015. 15cm x 15cm. The inspiration: a sculpture of a capital from the ambulatory of the 12th century church of Saint - Pierre de Chavigny in Vienne - southeastern France. Embroidery on fabric blend (silk and wool) with various silver threads and silk threads.


Pic. 23: 'Tail 1'

5. 'Tail 2', 2016. 15cm x 15cm. Inspiration: a medieval illumination from Harley Bestiary (created in England c. 1230-1240). Embroidery on silk with silk, cotton and metallic threads.


Pic.24: 'Tail 2'

5. 'Tail 3', 2016. 15cm x 15cm. Inspiration: an illumination from 'The Maastricht Hours’, Liège 14th century (British Library, Stowe 17, fol. 197v). Embroidery on silk with silk, cotton, silver threads and silver beads.


Pic.25: 'Tail 3'


Pic.26: 'Tail 3' - detail

7. 'Battle of Clontarf' - work in progress. 110cm x 80cm. Embroidery on linen with sea-cell and silk blends threads.


Pic.27: 'Battle of Clontarf' - work in progress


Pic.28: 'Battle of Clontarf' - detail

Pic.29: 'Battle of Clontarf' - detail

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All photos taken by Mike Prendergast (except for 17 and 18). Thank you Michałku!

Monday 13 June 2016

"The Monk" - an embroidered piece inspired by 13th century illumination

My embroidered piece "The Monk" has gone to its new home...

Pic.1: "The Monk" - the entire piece, photo by Mike Prendergast

The work is done on dupioni silk fabric, in metallic (mostly silver), silk and cotton threads with glass beads attached. It measures 28cm x 28cm.

I used only medieval stitches to work out the piece: couching, split, stem and satin.

Pic.2: A detail, photo by Mike Prendergast.

Pic.3: A detail, photo by Mike Prendergast.

Pic.4: A detail, photo by Mike Prendergast.

The inspiration for the piece was an illumination from a copy of ‘Li livres dou santé”(Sloane manuscript 2435, f. 44 v., Brirtish Library) dated to the end of 13th century.

Pic.5: from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript

* * *

I am frequently asked, how long it takes to create an embroidered miniature. The piece like "The Monk" takes in between 100 - 150 hours of embroidery only. So... as you can imagine I am quite attached to them and I find it a bit difficult to separate with them...

Tuesday 17 May 2016

My miniature tapestries

I have discovered that my teaching Fibre Arts & Crafts classes brings me a very special benefit: a wonderful inspiration coming from working with talented, enthusiastic and... inquisitive people.

Last autumn I decided to go back to weaving. I had a serious break of four years in doing anything in this craft. But then...in one month I created three small tapestries.

"Złote Zatopione" (which translates: "Sunk golden...") is my favourite. I used several kinds of linen thread and twine in contrast with gold embroidery thread. The piece is done mostly in plain weave and 'pick and pick' method.

Pic. 1: "Złote Zatopione"

Pic. 2: "Złote zatoopione" - detail

"Srebrne zawieszone" ("Silver suspended"): the background combines plain weave, 'pick and pick' and elements of soumak done in various linen threads and twines, cotton thread, with touch of silver thread. Rectangular and square forms are done on small separate warps attached to the background, in plain weave only, each of them - in one kind of thread (linen, cotton or silver).

Pic. 3: "Srebrne zawieszone"

Pic. 4: "Srebrne zawieszone" - detail

"Pasma i smugi" ("Bands and streaks") is woven as one piece, with wool, soy and silk fibres, silk, linen and gold threads. I used here several methods: plain weave, twill, soumak and 'pick and pick'.

Pic. 5: "Pasma i smugi"

Pic. 6: "Pasma i smugi" - detail

* * *

Two of those miniature tapestries: "Złote zatopione" and "Srebrne zawieszone", were accepted to be part of the 1^st annual exhibition of miniature tapestries 20x20 in Poland (Przegląd Tkaniny Unikatowej 20x20). The exhibition was shown in Warsaw and Gdansk between January and April this year.

Pic. 7: The poster announcing the openings of the exhibition in Warsaw and Gdansk.

Pic. 8: Me - with my two miniatures at the opening in Gdansk.

My miniature tapestries are a result of skills I had learned at Folk University in Turno (sadly this school was closed down a long time ago), years of experience of embroidering with metallic threads and ... working with my students on their, not only woven, projects.

...and... I developed a new taste in combining very contrasting materials: rough unbleached linen and shiny metallic threads.

Where will it go???

☺

Thursday 7 January 2016

"Salmon of Knowledge"

I would like to tell you about my embroidered piece, which I have worked on over the last spring.

The work is inspired by the Irish legend of the Salmon of Knowledge, a creature of sacred wisdom.

The piece measures 40 cm x 34 cm (H x W).

Photo by Mike Prendergast.

The background is made of four fabrics of different colour and quality, sewn together and incorporated into a shiny linen-polyester fabric frame for correspondence with the lustre of the Fish.

The Salmon is embroidered with silver and platinum thread in a combination of stitches: satin, couching, asymmetric laid work.

Photo by Mike Prendergast

The Salmon emerges from tumbles of Water; this Element is symbolised by two blue colours of background fabric, spiral design of water waves done in couching stitch, in metallic thread corresponding with the Fish – as a creature belonging to the water world.

Above the Salmon is a hazel bush in couching stitch in two colours interlaced together. For reference to Irish legend a Celtic asymmetric design is used, which carries the leaves done in Urushi thread and incorporated glass beads for hazelnuts.

Photo by Mike Prendergast.

The warm-gray coloured linen fabric gives a contrast with glitter of the embroidery.

The framing: custom made frame, which I sanded and covered with silver gilding wax to give a corresponding finish to the piece.

Saturday 21 November 2015

Those little fabric yo-yos (Part 1)...

Pic.1: www.ebay.com/itm/100-2-inch-Fabric-Yo-Yo-in-Shades-of-Civil-War-Museum-reproduction-fabrics-/281858097454

A yo-yo, called also a Suffolk puff, is a small simple project in manipulating fabric. It is extremely easy to make: it can be created out of fabric leftovers, doesn't require more tools than scissors, a sewing needle and a thread.
Yo-yos come out great made of medium Muslin or cotton, but if you are tempted to try more difficult materials, like silk, velvet... go for it!
Any thread which doesn't snap easily will do.

How to make a yo-yo? It only takes minutes...

Pic.2, from: Colette Wolff,
The Art of Manipulating Fabric, p.23

Cut a circle out of fabric. It has to be twice as large as the intended form

a) turning the edge of circle inside, tack with even stitches. Remember: large stitches make small center opening; small stitches make it larger,
b) gather tightly and flatten.

What can we do with yo-yos?

1. VARIOUS ACCESSORIES

Shawls, scarves...