Stitch Workshop

Week 1

In the first week we got introduced to the machines we were using and how they work and how they are used correctly. I’ve been using a sewing machine for quite a while now but i still learnt afew things i didn’t know when threading a machine.

First main thing i learnt is to always tread the machine with the foot up or the tension plates in the machine won’t get hold of the thread to keep the tension correct. I knew not to tread it with the foot down but didn’t know why.

The other thing is when putting the bobbin in to the bottom of the machine you should look for a “P” so the cotton on the bobbin comes down on the left before you thread it into the

machine or the bobbin might not work or might create loops on the bottom of the machine.

After we learnt about the machines and threading we were aloud to go and play with different stitches and size of the stitch that everyone enjoyed doing. Just getting used to

the machines was good meant that we could get used to the feel of the machine the speed and the controlling of the machine.We did this on Calico which was nice and easy to use and we didn’t need to worry about material bunching up or anything like that.

My machine testing started out with just straight lines then decided to add curves to mine and see how i could fill them in with different stitches which i found interesting getting to see how stitches work on corners and how you had to position it which was always a problem with me on a sewing machine.

After playing on the machines we then got to try free hand sticking. We learnt how to change the foot on the machine and then how to put the material in the machine in a

embroidery hoop to keep the material taught so that it doesn’t snag. we also got told how to put the teeth down on the machine so that the free hand embroidery goes smoother rather then the machine wanting  to push the material backwards like it does when you use the sewing machine normally.

My free hand stitching ended up being bunting and then a little element of the colosseum. It was more just to play with how it looks and how i can layer it and use different stitches when free handing it .

I really enjoyed this workshop so far its been really interesting and i learnt things i didn’t know even though I’ve used sewing machines before. this weeks was very informative but hopefully next week we will be bait more free to play on the machines how we want.

Week 2

This week we got to play on the machines doing more free hand stitching but the free hand stitching was done on some dissolvable material which means once the sewing has been finished you cut away the excess and then submerge it into water for more then 30 mins other wise it will be sticky and then stick to its self.
The material is made out of PVA so when water touches it, the material starts to dissolve in to the water once all the material dissolves it just leaves the stitches in a lace type pattern, so it just leaves the cotton that has been

stitched into the material.

My pieces I did in the workshop were very simple the first one i did was a take on a piece of lace i saw a while ago. This took me a while to gethe layers but i found once it had been submerged in to the water and left a few bits that hadn’t been stitched completely so it meant that a few bits on the first one i did came undone a little bit which meant that there are a few bits that don’t follow the shape i originally went out to get.

The second one i did was done a little quicker but done a little

different. This one I did a little quicker then my first one because i was running out of time in the day but i was still happy with how it turned out. i just stitched around the inside of the embroidery hoop and then added a little extra bits of decoration. I then found that it might of been a little flimsy to be able to hold the structure on its own so I sewed it on to another bit of calico to hold the structure. i think that i should of

This weeks work shop i found really good and that it was good fun playing with the dissolvable material and think i might play a bit more with the dissolvable material to try and make some more elaborate pieces of lacework.

Week 3

This week we did some more disolvable stitch work but this one was was 3D . so we stitched the pattern on to the disolvable material again but instead of it going in the water till it had completely disolved you only put it in the water for a few mins till the pva starts to disolve but is sticky. you then mold it on to somthing i used the bottom of a glass to let mine dry on. you then let it dry for a while till its completely stiff. but with mine i let it dry for a little while then i pulled the edges up and made like a lip on the stitch so it meant that i then just pulled it off the bottom of the cup and turned it up the other way and placed it on the inside of the glass to let it support the edges i had just done.

Clay Building With Claire Curneen

Claire Curneen

This is Claire she is a ceramisist. she does alot of clay building and we were lucky enough to have her for the day after a artist lecture today she did for us today. The work shop she gave us was clay building. she showed us how she makes her angels.

In the morning she showed us her making and she gave us a little peak into how she makes her angels by making a base out of the clay. then making solid feet with a little hollow at the back for the legs. she then creates a little little slab in her hands, hits the bottom on the surface she is working on then puts that on the foot and smoothes it in she then carrys that on going in the right direction for the legs and she can then shape them how she wants them. and she just carrys on like that working up the body. the whole body ends up being hollow. which i think is amazing looking at them because they look like they are solid and then molded.

After she showed her technique to us, she showed us how to use it to make trees. it was basically the same except that you dont have to bring two bits together at the legs and you dont have to figure out how to add arms on. all we had to do was build it up to a point and then add some branches to it.

i had done some clay building before but the clay building that ive done before was coil building where you roll out sausages and then build it up like that smoothing it on the inside to keep the coiled look on the outside. For this i smoothed mine out on the outside of the tree because i didnt like the look of the little slabs of clay on it.

The first tree i did didnt go well it was really big and then it decided to colaps right in the middle but it colapsed in on its self so i couldnt save it. so a full afternoons work went down in piles of clay. so the pictures of the tree i have are pictures of my second attempt which turned out smaller then the original one i did but it turned out ok.

i think the original one i did i had made the slabs too thick as i got close to the top so it meant that it very heavy close to the top.

the branches were simple to make they were just rolled out and then attached on to it. i then rolled out a thin sausage and made the hollow on the tree then smoothed that out a little bit.

Wood Workshop

In the first wood workshop we did see were just getting used to the machines and the health and safety of a new uni and as much as the rules are generally the same you have got to learn them all before you can use the equipment. The induction to the wood workshop was really interesting the ted den has lots of gory stories that he told

us to make us think about the safety precautions that are in place for a reason.

In the first day we did these wooden things this was to show we could cut a curved line then sand it down to cut a straight line and sand it and to be able to drill a hole. all very simple things but so that he could see we were able to use the machines safely with all goggles and bits and bobs on .

In the next 2 weeks in the scheduled workshops then 2 weeks extra for me we then made this box. I really enjoyed making this box the techniques were old to me but the way we made the box was new and really interesting. We made a box with for sides a top and a bottom with no way of getting in to it, then we split the box where we wanted it split so dependent on how big we

wanted the lid to be put the inlays in the box and had the top edges rounded off. I then stained the box till it was the darkness i wanted it i could of gone darker but i thought it would look nice a lighter stain, then i waxed it following the wise words of Mr Miyagi “wax on, Wax off’ which took me the best part of a day to wax it all. Then got a clasp decorative bits and hinges off ebay. fastened them on will little round headed screws and tacked the top decorative bits on and i fell in love with this box.

the workshop was really good fun and i found it really interesting the wood work there were new things that i got to do and then other bits that i knew how to do but it was still a very interesting workshop to be inducted into and i think that the box turned out really well for my first workshop.

wax workshop and vinamold

 this was a small workshop we did with wax and vinamold. we had to make the vinamold first to be able to make a wax mould.