Journey Through the Past; Core Sampler

So at last 'Journey Through the Past; Core Sampler' is finished. It's taken me a long,long time to complete it. The starting point for me, was visiting York Art Gallery, and seeing the exhibition there of Sashiko sewing. It inspired me to think about using fabric, sewing, stitching, and textiles as a medium for artwork. Initially it was the idea of creating 3 dimensional work using textiles and stitch; and I've not really followed up on that idea at all!
Instead I got started on this massive piece; it stands approximately 5 feet high, and approx 2.5 feet wide. And incorporates; hand stitching, transfers, hand painting, machine stitch, hand-dyed fabric, embroidery, silk-paper making. It's been a real 'Journey' for me. 

'Silk' paints; and ethics

'Silk' painting....or, not actual silk; taffeta in fact. It lacks the vibrancy of painting on silk. The colours don't sing out as much. But I don't use silk as a fabric, as I try not to use any (obvious, at least!) killed animal by-products in my work. I realise this is a loaded issue, as I use oil paints and art materials which have most likely been tested on animals to 'ensure' their safety, and non-toxicity to humans. It's not an easy subject. The more I consider it, the more problematic it is! I just try my best; tiptoe-ing through all the ethical issues. The other students' work looked much better than this taffeta painted with silk-paints; the paint is designed to work best with silk, after all. I do keep a look-out for white/pale silk fabric in the second hand shops. Somehow it feel it might be alright to use second hand silk. But I don't buy it new; and in courses, I choose not to use it.

Core Sampler; Journey Through The Past

This is a section of a large textile piece I'm working on; and have been working on for longer than I intended!

It incorporates hand sewing; machine sewing; fabric painting; transfer printing; hand-dyed fabric; and currently, I'm working using the silk papers I made on my textiles course. I'm hoping that the work I'm doing now, is the final part of the jigsaw. It's hanging on my studio wall, and I keep taking it down, to work on, to do more hand sewing. Then I pin it back up, till I get back into the studio to work upon it again. I'm hand sewing small leaf shapes (fossil leaf shapes to be exact) onto the silk papers, which I'll then attach to the cotton fabric.

There are quite a few to sew; 13 or 14, depending on my final decision. I am so looking forward to completing this! I can then clear the decks....at least in my head!.....and think about my next textile piece, which I have photos and ideas for.

Journey Through The Past

This is the Chantry Chapel, in a fuzzy photograph; but one I decided to use, as it captured the light of the sky, and the glow from the Chapel windows.
It's a cold January evening; when the wind cuts right through to the bones.
The River Calder beneath the bridge on which the Chapel stands, made the evening even colder. And the noise of the water is a continual background roar; silencing even the rush hour traffic, when you lean over the side of the bridge.

There are only 3 remaining Chantry Chapels in the country. As well as the one in Wakefield, there's one in Rotherham. I can never remember where the 3rd is!

This is the inside of the Chapel. There has been a lot of work done on it, to save it from ruination.
It's still used by Wakefield Diocese for services. Together with Wakefield Historical Society it is hoped that the Chapel can be used for other events, such as these exhibitions for the ArtWalk.
Here on the left, is my print '13moons'.

Journey Through The Past

This is a view of the exhibition showing the Southern wall of the Chantry Chapel, with a series of smaller drawings in black frames, and at the far left hand side of the photo is the textile piece, 'Journey Through The Past; A Core Sampler'.

This is a work in progress, still!

I started a creative textile course a few weeks ago, so am hoping to learn lots of new techniques that I can then use on this artwork. It can only help move it on along more quickly!

'JTTP' incorporates the Sashiko sewing I was inspired by at the York exhibition in December 2009. You can see close-up photographs of those sections, further back in my blog.

Journey Through The Past

This is the view of the Chantry Chapel, from the East, beside the altar, towards the West, where the main door is.
The North wall (and windows) have mesh metal panels, on which are mounted some of the artworks I exhibited as part of the January Artwalk.

Sashiko Stitches

Here is the completed Sashiko stitched piece!

It is now sewn onto the larger piece of calico, which is the 'Journey Through The Past' Core Sampler.

I was told recently that this running stitch, which is known as 'Sashiko' in Japan, is also used in India.

In Bangladesh 'aunties' fold last season's saris and stitch through them to make blankets. In the East of India it is called KANATHA, and in the West GANDRI.

My friend Berenice gave me a leather glove, to cut out the fingers and use to protect my fingers with all this sewing I'm doing. It looked rather sinister sitting in my pigeon-hole at the studios, where she left it for me to collect; but then single black leather gloves can look quite sinister!

I've hand-painted the larger calico background fabric; which has changed the look of the work.

More sewing to do on it, but I hope to be able to use Irene's sewing machine (now mine!) to do this. It should help me to crack on with it a lot faster.

Sashiko stitches on hand painted calico

This is part of a textile project I'm working on at the moment. After visiting York Art Gallery last year, and seeing the Sashiko exhibition there, I was inspired to try my hand at this hand-sewn running stitich.

I have used calico as the fabric, and hand painted it with fabric paints. I then sewed the piece of painted fabric onto the larger piece of calico.

It has taken hours and hours of sewing! I used an embroidery hoop to help me sew, but I still had shredded fingers!

This piece is still on-going. There is sewing; knitted 'pelts'; hand-painting; and transfers included in this sampler.

Sashiko Sewing

Here is the completed section of the textile piece I've been working on, shredding my fingers in the meantime!

If you look back to the 21 May entry on this blog, you'll see the same piece as it was when I was about half-way through the sewing.

It is now attached to the calico, which I've hand-painted. There's a lot of work to do yet, but I will be able to do some machine sewing on it from now. That will move things along a lot quicker.

Thank goodness for Irene's machine!