Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle

Sewing Shop > Threads In Focus > Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle

Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle

By. Richard Box

The watercolour of daisies is my starting point for this project. I painted it in a country lane in Buckinghamshire many years ago. If you wish to have a go at this project yourself, feel free to use this image. On the other hand, you may be feeling very adventurous and want to use one of your own images. It need not necessarily be a painting; it could be one of your photographs. Needless to say, I shall be giving advice about specific colours that can be used for daisies; you will need to choose what is appropriate for your image. Otherwise, All other advice will be applicable.

Attach some thin white cotton sheeting to your embroidery frame. Make sure that it is tightly stretched. The reason for its being thin is that you now need to trace the image on to the fabric with coloured pencils; you should be able to see the image through the thin fabric. If this is not possible, and you do not possess a ' light box ', then press the image with the framed fabric over a window pane ( preferably at daylight time !! ) so you will see what to trace very clearly.

(Just Click The Image To Enlargre)

( incidentally, many people ask, when they see me demonstrating, ' Do you make it up as you go along ? My answer is,' Partly, yes, but mainly NO ! I'm not that clever. I need a plan, a route and a guide to help me. It's rather like going on a new journey. Plan your route beforehand. This does not mean that you have to adhere to it completely. All kind of things can happen to change your mind. We also need to be flexible and open to new ideas. Nonetheless, if you have your route or your map to which you can refer and you get lost, you will find your way back again. I often say,' When Michelangelo painted that ceiling between 1508 and 1512, do you think he made it up as he went along ? '. The answer is the same. He made numerous plans, drawings for all the scenes and detailed ' cartoons ' for all the figures. Nevertheless, according to scholastic research, he had to make some drastic changes concerning optical corrective........So there you are !!!! )

Clip the darning foot onto your sewing machine and lower the ' feed '. If you do not possess a darning foot, you could try using a bare needle but remember to lower the tension bar and ensure your fabric is really tight in the frame.

Select a range of coloured threads such as yellows and gold for the centre of the daisies, blues and greens for the area round the daisies, whites for the petals catching the light and a combination of pale pinks, pale blues, a small amount of yellow and silver for the petals in shadow. This combination is rather like what I call, ' Boxing Day plasticine ' ! It is all the colours mixed together making a ' coloured ' grey, rather than a ' dead ' grey.

The cotton, polyester and metallic machine embroidery threads that Empress Mills provide are very reliable. I find that they stitch smoothly and hardly ever break. If they do, it is probably my fault by jerking the fabric !

Look now at the illustration of the stitched picture and you will see that it is constructed in tiny overlapping circles. From a distance these circles merge and produce exciting textural effects and colour mixtures. This technique is known as ' granite stitch '. You need to set your sewing machine to straight stitch and manoeuvre the frame accordingly to form those circles. The length of each stitch is dependant upon the combination of how firmly you press on the foot pedal and the speed you move the frame.

If you possess my D.V.D. called, ' Picture it in Collage and Stitch ', you will see, on the second disc, a similar image but stitched in a way that follows the contours of its original coloured drawing.You will also see my working the picture from start to finish.

Try both methods and see how you get on. At first, as with all new techniques, you may feel a little uneasy and awkward. However, as no doubt you have noticed when attempting other new methods, constant and regular practice helps to develop skills and confidence is gained.

Finally, take heed of three considerations. Firstly, sit up straight. Secondly, don't forget to breathe ! Thirdly, remember that your first concern is with enjoying new adventures and the subsequent achievements are the fruits of your endeavours.

(Left: the finished product)

(Just Click The Image To Enlargre)

Richard's DVD

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Sewing Shop > Threads In Focus > Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle

Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle,

Edition 4 - Drawing With The Machine Needle