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  • Author: jude hill
    journal, needle, thread, fabric, experiments, interpretations, documenting and sharing. mostly unplugged. a conversation with myself and anyone else who joins in.

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indigo

June 12, 2008

what if #89: soft edge diced dots

Interrupted_dots actually i am not sure what the question was, but i was inspired by some paint leftovers and i tried some softer edge discharge on indigo with soft scrub, continued from here but i used wet fabric and no stencil. and then i sliced and re-pieced, because i was thinking what if (?) i did that, probably left over from some other thought. at the same time i was wondering what if (?) i pressed the seams outward instead of to one side. i did that and now i am wondering if (?) this side wouldn't be interesting to work with.Open_seams

May 13, 2008

what if#86: discharge with soft scrub

kim made a comment over at spirit cloth and i thought what if i try that?
....and to quote her:
I am going to be playing with a stencil and puffy paint and then also I wanted to suggest for one of your what if's- using Soft Scrub with bleach on a stencil. ( like a stencil with a smaller design- more intricate
Iron some freezer paper to wrong side of fabric you want to stencil.
Spray stencil with adhesive.
fix to fabric.
then take soft scrub and squirt some blobs on to stencil edge.
Use something stiff like a credit card or a Spackle knife to drag a thin layer of soft scrub over stencil.
Put in sun for 15 minutes
scrap off soft scrub and then rinse in warm water.
a friend who does the same technique with puffy paints on stencils (that she makes) suggested using the soft scrub (cause its thick) when I told her about my bleach experiment.Discharge_snowflake_on_indigo

the results were fantastic. the shape came out hard-edgeed and clear. i think the credit card squeegee worked great.  i didn't leave it in the sun i just let it dry. and the snowflake stencil was just cut from freezer paper and ironed on indigo yarn dyed cotton. (yes, there are some moons there too.)
maybe this what-if blog should be a challenge ? challenge me. PLEASE. thank you kim!

May 06, 2008

what if#84: chained applique

Applique_chain remember those great folded paper chains we used to make when we were kids? i wondered if (?) that could be applied to fabric.
A_chain_of_wishing_stars indigo on indigo star, ragged edge, tacked with indigo thread. 2 1/2" star motif
excuse me while i perfect this idea and do a tutorial....later...

December 26, 2007

what if #59: stitching snow

246378937_4a9532344e_o an old drawing inspired a patchwork window. i used the free piecing machine method i just learned to block it out quickly. the sky is indigo, the snow drifts are white linen. i thought first about painting the snow but then i wondered what if i use thread beads for snowflakes on both the sky and snow areas. the raised white especially on the white is a nice effect. it works for snow and also fits into my nature of dots studies. the window with just the dimensional snow is so interesting i am thinking what if i leave the other details out. to be continued...Winter_window

December 19, 2007

what if #53: part 6-the details

Alr_detail_2 the embroidery here is slow and deliberate and i thought what if i post a closer look at the stitching. there are many thoughts here. it is difficult to communicate the nature of a textile sometimes because the appreciation is in the feel of it and the detail is part of that.
first of all, i suggest clicking on the images to see them enlarged.
the indigo thread is incredible. i may be the only person on earth with this thread. it is a weaving yarn. plied using 2 shades of indigo. custom made by a mill i worked for. it abrades as you sew. the instant wearing in not of this world. i have worked the stitches closely, they are raised above the surface.
Alr_detail_3 varying the tone of a color theme adds an antiqued look. overemphasizing the fading idea. i may be getting in deep here but dyes fade differently and if you pick up an old worn textile you find unexpected colors. i feel it is important to understand this. and why it happens and the beauty of this variation is almost not reproducible. but. though food for further thought...blue is not just one color and so, (like baking cookies), substituting one blue for another or even a color close in the family creates a similar result with movement within a color theme and i feel this is very unexplored. i am exploring.

Alr_detail_4 i am also intrigued by the direction of a stitch. filling an area with a stitch is often given character by the stitch itself, but the direction of the stitch will also give you variation and thus enhance the texture of a piece. there is a lot of emphasis put on the stitch. but in looking at primitive textiles, it is amazing to find pattern variations produced from the most simple and functional stitches. i tried using a simple split stitch moving in a spiral and i find this an amazing variation, simply because of the way the light reflects the direction.
it has me spinning.

Alr_detail_1 and so i come back to another simple stitch, used to tack down a ragged edge. and because the thread is that fading indigo some bizarre ancient mosaic results. if i am ramblng here it is because i am very happy with the results of this piece and i am encouraged to break these thoughts down into smaller elements from now on.

(continuation of previous post)

December 18, 2007

what if #53: part 5

A_little_respect ok. this one sat around for a while all coiled up waiting to become the holder for something, and i couldn't get going with it. it needs to hold more was the felling i got and i had plans to extend it a bit. it sat. and then i though what if i extend it using an old shirt placket? an indigo shirt. a beautiful ready made edge with holes. button holes. buttonhole are always good for something. so that's what i did. and for some of the raveling edges i thought what if i just mend them with satin stitch,,, solid indigo.... and tack them down with that magic blue? nice. (left, by the needle) . when it gets a bit bigger i will coil it up again and see what it will hold. i need a bottom edge.

December 02, 2007

what if #53: part 4

November_indigocont'd from here.

the embroidery on this is very time consuming and so the piece is moving slowly, giving me a lot of time to think about it... i am just stitching and adding things here and there. a bit of a ceremony over here has me asking myself what if this piece becomes a container of some kind?
more: Container_study

November 15, 2007

what if #54: an indigo story

just  a day dream i had on the commuter train this morning.   i was wondering if  i can remember it all and  catch the thought. that thought contains what if i combine many different  techniques and cultural elements.  with a focus on indigo.A_story_of_an_elephant

November 07, 2007

what if #53: part 3

A_little_red_thread a little red? a little red!

continued here

what if #53: part 2

Motif_2 some progress, and a decision to add a few more favorite weaving  threads ( jaspe, linen), and a question in my mind, what if, i mean can i handle covering the while surface or most of it with stitch? mini indigo suzani ?

i have some other things on my mind here too.

later.

continued from

part 3