After finishing my RSN Certificate, I was looking for a new challenge and I was hessitant to jump into the RSN Diploma (right now). I regularly follow Kathy Andrew's blog The Unbroken Thread and saw she was starting the City and Guilds course through Stitchbusiness. I had talked about this option with Tracy before I had started my RSN Certificate but I decided to do the Certificate instead. Now, it seems like the right time for City and Guilds.
Around Thanksgiving, I received my acceptance and have been working on samples slowly. I have to admit that I love sampling so this is right up my alley and I am finding all the sampling very gratifying. The hardest part is the fact that I want to keep experimenting with each technique. I am looking forward to working through all these assignments and having a great reference notebook afterwards. I am super excited about the mix of traditional technique and contemporary interpretation.
For the first module, we focused on fabric manipulation. Here's a selection of some of the samples that I have created. I have done a whole range of techniques including tucks, pleats, fraying, quliting, layering and slashing. One of the constraints I've given myself on this course is that I am trying (successfully so far) to not purchase any new materials and force myself to use up some of the odd bits in my stash.
Fraying:
Fabrics: I mixed strips of lots of different scraps. They included some funnky metallics, gold silk tissue and natural silks.
Stuffing:
Ground fabric: silk habatai that I tea stained
Thread: Valdani Sewing and Quilting thread 35 wt.
Note about the tea staining: I have tea stained a lot, however none of the different teas that I have tried have given such a beautiful rust-like color and such a nice and clear marbling effect on the fabric. The tea is from a small tea tin from Betty's in York that they give you after you have Afternoon Tea there. Last summer I had tea there with a few of my wonderful stitching friends from York and saved the tea for a special time. You will be seeing lots more of this soon as I loved it so much that I dyed a how range of different fabrics with it. Also- it tastes wonderful too so I wouldn't use it all to stain materials!
Suffolk Puffs or Yo-Yo's: these are stitched to ground fabric with needlelace filling for the centers and a sprinkling of whipped wheels, picots and french knots
Ground Fabric: cotton muslin
Thread: Valdani Sewing and Quilting thread 35 wt.
I decided it would be interesting to use my design from my RSN Certificate Goldwork to work samples in each technique. These are the first ones I've completed.
Traditional English Quilting with running stitch.
Ground fabric: cotton osnaburg
Threads: Weeks Dye Works cotton embroidery floss
Italian Corded Quilting and Trapunto
Ground fabric: silk dupioni
Thread: Valdani Sewing and Quilting thread 35 wt.
