The purpose of this assignment is to create a set of textile samples using the materials collected, ideas I have had and influenced by the research carried out.

As stated in Part 1 I have decided to continue working on a theme of dilapidation and decay as a metaphor for chronic illness throughout this course.  I decided to up-cycle samples from previous courses and modules inspired directly by the work of Claire Bartleman whose work I researched in Research point 2.1 – Ms Bartleman often uses abandoned or forgotten projects focusing on their characteristics as she creates new pieces of work from them.

Using a mind map enabled me to consider a variety of techniques and collected materials and which I could refer to throughout the development of the sketches and samples.

Techniques being considered are:

• Cutting
• Restitching
• Combining
• Reinterpret
• Plait
• Over-printing – mark making
• Dyeing – only issue here is the availability of colours within my own collection and financial restrictions on purchasing new procion dyes (natural dyeing has not been possible due to available lack of natural dye materials)

Found materials include:

• corn cob husks
• household rubbish/debris
• yarn – specifically considering using as couching
• scrap paper – wrapping or packaging paper
• ‘vintage’ samples i.e. from earlier courses (City and Guilds quilting course primarily) or earlier modules
• foil
• leaves/acorns/pine cones

As a first stage I decided to do a series of mark making studies using my collection of materials looking at creating textural effects:

I used primarily burnt umber and Payne’s grey or black acrylic paint to create these marks and questioned how these could be used as part of my sampling process with the overall feeling of creating decayed or distressed printed textures which will vary in effect due to which fabric they were used on.

Below are the two most successful ‘sketches’ using acorns and a small pine cone rolled and printed on mixed media paper – by varying the pressure of the objects or by rolling them I was able to create differing textural effects and patterns.  As standalone pieces of work I find these sketches incredibly evocative – the acorn print on the left for me could be read as the chaos of chronic illness if used as a metaphor and the pine cone print I feel could be perceived as being the physical day to day variations that are experienced.

 

Although I neglected to take a photograph of all ‘vintage’ samples a selection can be seen on the left with the addition of a prescription bag and medication instructions.

Much to my frustration I have recently disposed of a full bin bag of samples I didn’t think were worth keeping and in retrospect these would have been ideal for up-cycling in this project – by this disposal a new problem was created as many of the samples are personal favourites or I had wanted to use in other projects but after careful consideration a selection was chosen which I felt had developmental potential.

The following points are a list of points copied directly from Research point 2.1 which I wanted to use or to consider or use throughout the design and sampling process:

• Using primarily recycled or up-cycled materials from within my own home including clothing
• Exploring taking a more direct approach with my chosen narrative – at least in part as I seek to….
• …. also explore using packaging in an ordered but abstract interpretation of the same theme
• Imbuing my work with a sense of place, time or memory – consider how I may incorporate these into the work and the narrative …. can I give a sense of what is now rather than what was once?
• Consider archival and contemporary research to support my sketches and samples – note this point has already been covered in the research point itself.
• Consider the traces or marks left behind as my objects or packaging are deconstructed – how can these be worked with to enhance their new use
• Can I use my objects to create new pieces in a differing material but with their origins still obvious?
• Consider the symbolic act of making both meditatively and as creating an act of remembrance …. how can this be done?  thinking slow stitch or using alternative methodology
• Re-purpose innocuous objects that otherwise I may have dismissed?
• Consider how I can give a sense of place and location or whether the piece if taken forward would be a site specific installation

I confess to being somewhat stumped as to how to approach this exercise as my natural inclination is to create a sense of order and logic due to my Asperger’s but I really wanted to see how the objects and materials ‘spoke’ to me.  Rather than immediately working on sketches as designs I combined a design-led approach and process-led by exploring the materials to see how they could be combined by deconstructing and reconstructing – this often involved using 2 or more samples along with other materials in my collection where I felt was appropriate.

Throughout the sketching and sampling phase I paid close attention to my contextual research from Research point 2.1 which proved influential either consciously or subconsciously – the work of Elizabeth  Couzins Scott, Hannah Leighton- Boyce, Diana Harrison and Claire Bartleman all proved influential through their use of found objects to convey narratives, pieces becoming acts of remembrance either personally or connected to a place, working with marks or traces left behind or simply the exploration of the objects themselves.  Each of the following pieces in some way is connected with a memory for me or has become reminiscent of a specific place and time which has only been realised as I have worked upon each one individually.

The first sketch and sample concentrate on using two heavily felted samples originally based on natural forms including fungi.  Initial thoughts were to take a crazy quilting inspired approach deconstructing and reordering the pieces and combining with hessian scraps cut from a second sample plus small torn or cut pieces of paper from a prescription bag.  During the sampling stage I felt that although the sample was working relatively well it lacked a feeling of chaos or confusion that I wanted to portray and hence thick brown yarn was couched on using red thread – this red thread was used to create an almost hidden indication of pain and suffering.

As a first sample this does work – there is a feeling of dilapidated walls with moss or plants growing through and over but it feels scruffy or lacking some sense of underlying order which is indicative of the mythical architecture.

The second sample/sketch uses a second felted sample with ‘found’ brown paper – both materials were cut into strips and woven before being free motioned stitched together.  As noted on the sketch I wanted to keep the edges of the sample rough both internally and at the borders and also the stitching to be of inconsistent length – my Asperger’s means I fight against disorder and like to have specific borders but dilapidation is not confined or restricted and nor is chronic illness.  The weaving of the strips create an impression of the woven layers of a building or life but again as the sample was worked I felt there was a lack of strength indicated and hence again couching was added both to the sample itself and retrospectively to the sketch.

The addition of the ‘lace’ circular motifs are indicative of fungi and cut from a third sample and were a late addition.  I do feel this sample is successful although in retrospect I would remove the couched yarn as I feel it detracts rather than enhances as it is too linear aesthetically although thinking of the work of Hannah Leighton-Boyce this could be interpreted as relating to or being reminiscent of a particular location or place.

Looking at the remnants of the hessian and felting samples it felt ‘right’ to try slicing them into sections and layering to create the effect of an old wall with moss or plant life growing from it.  The main question that arose both during the sketching and sampling phase was to whether to add a ‘lace’ fungi element – the ‘lace’ again is from a different sample and made using a watersoluable stabilizer.

The aim of the design and sample was to create an impression of dilapidation and decay but eventually the addition of the ‘fungi’ plus some found drying oak leaves creates an additional impression of new life depending on whether you view them as being alive or decaying.  Overall the sample appears to work well – it is highly textural and evocative of the theme and it also incorporates a variety of materials that convey the narrative whilst continuing to connect to the vintage samples original purpose.

I hit a real road block in terms of creativity at this point and was unsure as to how I could use both a sample from an earlier module and also some scrap brown paper – I knew I wanted to combine them but the original sample was already woven with tweed and a plastic bag, (I am unsure as to the original theme – recycling, re-imagining or transforming materials), and hence time was taken to work out a variety of workable techniques:

• scrunching up the brown paper
• ‘printing’ onto the paper with scrunched up foil taking care not flatten the paper as the intention is to make further textural marks
• free motion stitching the paper to the background sample following the lines of the creases made by the crumpling – use black and red threads that partially blend in with the paint in places but create further textural and linear elements in others
• tearing paper after stitching so that original sample shows through – distressing and creating impression of torn wallpaper

From the top side I do think the sample works well – the underneath can barely be seen but there is an impression of an almost quilt-like texture albeit one that has been distressed and aged.  I like the machine stitched lines that can be seen in places and for me I find these create a secondary narrative as there is an essence of ‘place’ or location in this piece – it reminds me of an aerial view of a city showing differing areas which may be industrial, urban or more open and I wonder if subconsciously I wanted to evoke a memory  as ultimately I live in my city due to the cancer treatment I needed when first diagnosed.

Through the piece resembling a quilted surface this again demonstrates the influence of Diana Harrison both through the use of working with the marks and traces left behind (albeit due to purposeful scrunching) but also due to the quilting and the resulting sample becoming an act of remembrance.

Without seeing the ‘quilt’ element in the previous sample until literally as I have been writing up this blog the following selection of new samples uses a series of mini quilts which were originally stitched for a City and Guilds patchwork and quilting course.    The chief issue with these piece are the defined edges as I did not want to cut the samples up but rather work within their boundaries and hence thought had to be given as to how to distress or deconstruct them.

Prior to any further working almost all the quilted samples were firstly dyed in a coffee coloured dye which created an aged appearance – I tied each piece slightly differently so that the dye did not take evenly.

With this first sample the previously white backing I felt was more appropriate to be used as the front due to the above-mentioned take up of the dye, (the front being a vivid red cotton), and I took the decision to print acrylic paint by pressing or rolling a small pine cone across the fabric using burnt umber, yellow ochre and a little black.  The paint was also applied to fabric scraps and torn strips of brown paper before being appliqued using both free motion stitched loose lines and also some more decorative stitches.    A soldering iron was then used to slash and burn holes and slash the edges of the piece  creating further evidence of decay before finally the end of an acorn was used to create the impression of rivets or nails.

This is one of my favourite pieces as I have been able to work within the boundaries set by the original sample but have also sought to remove them too whilst  still retaining the essence of the original piece.  The slashing using the soldering iron enabled the red ‘base’ fabric to show through which when considered in context with the underlying narrative speaks of the pain and suffering of illness.    In addition the burning of the quilts combined with the use of acrylic paint and appliqued elements has created a rougher, more textural feel reminiscent of decaying walls.

The second quilted sample from the City and Guilds course ‘spoke’ to me with comparative ease – the quilting is a simple feather/leaf with free motion squiggles surrounding it in a pale blue cotton for both front and back and hence I felt it cried out to be simply printed with an oak leaf in autumnal colours using acrylic paint.  As before  the piece was pre-dyed but the dye did not take up evening with this piece despite not being tied in any way but this has worked in my favour as there it has created a feeling of being well used and grimy.

The resulting new sample is an almost literal interpretation of decay and by not using an acrylic medium, for any of these samples and which would have softened the feel of the acrylic paint after drying and made the fabric more pliable, there is a rustic slightly rough feel to the prints reminiscent of the drying leaves.

A third quilted sample was quite frankly hideous and done very early on in my previous course – the back is a pink gingham with the top simply white cotton with the quilting clearly a practice at free motion all-over designs.  My immediate feeling was I wanted to make the quilt dirty and decaying with earlier mark making proving that drying corn cob husks could be successfully used to create impressions of wooden planks.  Although I still wanted to work within the boundaries of the quilt I also wanted to really distress them by slashing repeated into the edges at various depths using a soldering iron which was also used to create slashed holes in the central section and finally strong linear burn marks reminiscent of  rusted iron structures.

I still think the underneath of the sample is hideous but the top has worked far better than I expected – there is a real feel of dirt, rust, decay or weathering of perhaps a well used room or even a larger building.  Some of the quilting can still be seen which for me keeps the essence of the original piece and speaks of its former more ‘elegant’ life – for me this piece has a personal quality as I feel retrospectively the work of Hannah Leighton Boyce has been highly influential.  The original sample was worked in the two years prior to me joining OCA and hence was before my re-occurrence of my rare cancer was known but my re-working and up-cycling has been done just over 1 year since my re-diagnosis so the dirt, grime and slashing speaks of  in particular the emotion effects of the past 12 months.

A small oblong quilted sample stumped me in how I could use it after dyeing – the coffee hue had been taken up beautifully by the cotton and created a delicate aged tone.  A little digging, since working on the sketch and sample, reveal it’s original use was as a trial for a larger whole-cloth quilt which in fact hangs above our bed.  I again looked at the mark making explorations earlier in my sketchbook and felt a simple all over print using a pine cone dipped in acrylic paint would keep the delicate feel of the piece whilst gently changing the texture and drape .  By using the soldering iron to again create slashes and holes further changed the texture and made the piece stiffer and considerably rougher.

Both the sketch and the sample are relatively simple in concept but give the impression of decaying wallpaper with mould growing under and through – I am happy with this impression as it is very literal in its narrative but when offset against more abstract pieces there are contrasts created which if seen together would create further discussions or interpretations by the viewer.

The final quilted sample was again one of the early ones worked for my City and Guilds course and consisted of 9 squares stitched in differing patterns.  I spent some time really looking at this piece wondering how it could be distressed or decayed whilst still keeping its original form where possible – again the immediate feeling was to remove the central section and replace it with a scrap of brown paper printed with corn cob husks zig zag stitching around the edge using red thread.  I used burnt umber, black and red acrylic paint with a scrunched up tissue and paper to mark the remaining fabric before finally slashing the edges and creating holes as before.

Although I like the result I do feel this piece is too simplistic and not well thought out although there is a feeling of griminess, dust and decay which was my intention.  The red thread and paint is again indicative of pain and suffering with the decay, roughening of the edges and overall effect conveying the metaphor of chronic illnesses which deteriorate over time.

A second creative block resulted in two process-led pieces which quite frankly are disastrous – the initial concept may have been there but the execution was an utter failure and now I am not even sure what I was thinking of at the time!

The top sample combined scrap paper pleated, stitched and printed with a corn cob husk which was then also appliqued along with some fabric, felt and a ‘lace’ motif.  The piece is ill-considered and felt rushed with the composition there in principle but not in resolution.

The left hand piece was a previous project sample cut up and randomly pieced back together – I simply hate it as it reminds me of a thick, dusty old scrap of carpet or something that does not know quite what it is!

A third process led sample worked slightly better but still lacks proficient execution and consideration of composition.  The original fabric was possibly a non-OCA project or City and Guilds sample which was dyed in the same dye bath mentioned above.  I simply stitched oak leaves and physalis husk thinking of falling oak leaves which are starting to decay and disintegrate.  I do feel this piece is too simplistic in rendition but may work better if smaller leaves were used and more husks to create an impression of falling leaves and woodland seeds.

I have had a horrible habit of over thinking and over complicating and hence veering towards looking at simplifying ideas in order to focus on the textural qualities of the original fabrics where possible. Further rumbling through my selection of found objects and recycled materials revealed a simply stitched hessian piece from an earlier module – again I had no real idea of what to do with it and hence explored or considered a variety of possible techniques with some being chosen to create a feeling of grime, dirt and fungi or moss growing through and on burnt plaster or wattle and daub.

The resulting sample has worked well although in retrospect the ‘lace fungi’ addition is jarring whilst at the same time creates an accent – the textures, colours, forms and overall composition works well although I feel that the edges should be frayed considerably further.

A selection of scraps and found suggested:

• weaving
• joining in strips
• distressing with acrylic paint
• adding further found materials
• adding a foundation fabric of woven hessian or cotton calico

Spending time feeling and exploring the fabrics which included drying corn cob husks suggested rejoining the strips with the husks as inserts or appliqued using both straight and decorative stitches.  With this piece I made a conscious decision to depict a sense of differing layers of decaying wallpaper with the small areas of shiny voile being reminiscent of a once more elegant and lively history – I find the resulting sample is evocative of the narrative due to the variety of textures, tones and those small pretty sections depicting the distressing nature of illness as well as being a reminder of more able or healthier times.

I discovered a tucked and pleated sample which again I believe to be a former City and Guilds piece but which had not made it into the dye bath and my instinct was to over print it using acrylic paints using either the corn husks or pine cones giving an aged and weathered appearance – it had immediately reminded me of the wooden panels of my own somewhat dilapidated shed.  I questioned in my sketchbook how I could potentially use left over hessian scraps and decided to ‘randomly’ stitch them across the piece – careful attention was in fact paid to their placement as I wanted to give the impression of plaster or some form of fabric covering decaying sufficiently for the structure beneath to show through.

Searching through a box of old scraps revealed a stitched sample that may have been from an earlier module but which was already distressed and burnt – the fabrics used were a combination of tweeds, velvets and voiles and these were stitched in such a way that they created pockets or areas that could be slashed (to be honest the sample is and was hideous!).  I took a process-led approach and simply stitched empty pill packets and boxes into the pockets whilst also adding further scraps as layers.  By over-stitching in a vibrant red I again created an impression of the pain or suffering of many chronic illnesses – in retrospect with a bit of planning I regret not doing a simple heart beat type stitch (thinking of heart monitor type lines).

The piece does work at at a basic level – it does what it says on the tin whilst linking both dilapidation and chronic illness through a direct narrative.  Do I think it could be improved? yes by adapting the composition to create voile or semi-opaque pockets – I am thinking of the work of a contemporary quilter who I studied in my City and Guilds course and who created quilts using pebbles (or pills I think) but whose name is escaping me  (I will update this blog with her name – initial research is proving fruitless at this point).

I have used a selection of left over strips from previously worked samples and also a strip pieced ‘vintage’ sample which I over painted with acrylic and textile paints and cut into new strips to create a loosely woven new sample – the weaving was interspersed with corn cob husks and overlaid with ‘lace’ fungi’.   From the outset I wanted the weaving to have a slightly chaotic and rough look reminiscent of ancient wooden architectural frames but with the ‘fungi’ depicting its descent into decay and this I felt was achieved with some success – texturally it works well due to the variations of materials that include tweed, plastic, husks, rough cottons and wools although I am still battling against my instinct for neat, ordered borders which is apparent (I can now see this would be more successful if the edges were distress much further).

The final two samples took direct inspiration from the work of Louise Baldwin and consisted of primarily household rubbish.  The first I combined Magnum ice-cream packaging with corn husks plus additional left over strips from the previous sample in a log cabin style pattern in order to create a sense of architectural order which was gradually being supplanted by organic organisms (felted motifs left over from other vintage samples).

In terms of success – I am unsure of this piece as I feel the packaging is jarring but there is an impression of it breaking down through the growth of fungi which means it achieves its aim.  There is also a sense of architectural order and the colours work well throughout but for me I find the feel of the piece just does not work – it lacks the textural elements of other pieces which shout out dilapidation or weathering …. the concept is there but again the execution is just slightly off.

The final piece takes a very literal approach with the weaving of strips of a  pizza box, a dyed bandage plus prescription bags with the appliquing of a pill packet and box – this depicts the issues many people have with chronic digestive conditions.  My problem with this piece is that it does not depict dilapidation or decay in any form but it does create a very direct narrative with the use of household rubbish and from that sense it is definitely successful.

DEVELOPED SAMPLE:

I decided on developing the ‘pill packet’ piece as I felt that a more direct narrative spoke more clearly but it also encompassed a range of found objects rather than solely relying on the vintage samples

I used a vintage sample for the backing with the idea that this was topped by a prescription paper bag which had been distressed both by tearing and colouring with acrylic paint.  My concept was to capture prescription and empty pill packets under a layer of a plastic bag – I also added dried beans representing pills with further acrylic paint dabbed on top to represent further decay.  Initially the plastic bag covered the whole piece but it felt overdone and hence I tore it back, albeit leaving the covering over the medical rubbish, to reveal the prescription bag which in turn was also torn back to reveal the vintage sample – this tearing and distressing is representative of both decay and the deterioration of health for those with chronic illness.  As before I used red thread to stitch the pieces to represent the pain and suffering but in a distinct and purposeful grid pattern – sometimes it feels with pain that it is sharp and almost architectural and I wanted to represent this.

As with all my samples I was part design led and part process led – I spent time feeling the materials to consider their tactile qualities but with a concept in mind.

 

EVALUATION:

This exercise has been both fascinating and frustrating as I have sought to explore and use found materials and objects in new innovative and experimental ways.  I was not convinced initially that I have taken enough risks but reflecting looking again at my samples and the materials used I now feel more confident particularly through the influence of Claire Bartleman’s work which enabled me to give new life to old samples, many of which in all honesty were only fit for the bin.

I approached the samples with a relatively open mind – my intention from the outset was to develop a series which sought to explore depicting dilapidation and decay in a variety of differing ways.  By using the ‘vintage’ samples rather than fresh fabric I had to think outside of the box and consider some of the ways suggested by the course material such as painting and printing, surface treatments and manipulation and this in turn lead to explorations in mark making which has notoriously been one of my weaker areas throughout my studies – this exercise has really enabled me to ‘let go’ and instead of fighting against my Asperger’s natural tendency for order and logic it has taught me to compartmentalize it and work outside of it and this is  an important step creatively for me.

I am concerned that I have not utilized proficiently or indeed sufficiently as many found materials as perhaps I could and this I now realise has been a major problem for me – my foraging explorations were not particularly fruitful and I now realise that I was focussing too much on woodland floors as opposed to what could be found perhaps higher up (a wider range of leaves or dead twigs as two examples) and in addition unfortunately my local charity shops are not the cheap options they once were so I was forced to rely more on what was in my own household than what I could find outside which in turn lead me to recycling  or up-cycling the above-mentioned samples.  Personal circumstances including health were also a barrier to finding objects outside of my domestic environment but I did realise that rather than fight against this restriction it made me really look around to see what could be used – as said I am not sure I have made full use of our domestic detritus.

A question in the course materials asks what I would do differently next time?  quite simply divide my objects and materials into separate bags and consider them each in turn as to how they could be used and then also consider how they could be used in conjunction with each other and are there contrasts or similarities?  These divisions or separations could also lead to a series of questions:

• how could I convey my narrative in a direct or indirect manner using the materials?
• consider further how the contextual research can influence my decisions
• how can I use the dyes I have in my possession more successfully or are there natural dyes that could be used safely (thinking onion skins or tea or coffee)?
• how can I vary the stitch more using differing threads?
• how can I attach objects or fabrics without using my sewing machine?  …. hand stitching, the use of bondaweb, or what other methods can I use?

For me the samples that worked best are primarily the 3 samples that used up-cycled quilts as their base – prior to working a developmental piece I had felt it was the ‘pill packet’ piece but on reflection can now see these 3 samples reflect my desired narrative most effectively.  I was very much aware of the influence of Robin Cowley  (Research point 1.1) in terms of how much importance I was placing on the textural qualities and also abstraction but have also seen now how important underlying contextual research is as a whole to me – frustratingly there is one further quilt artist who I need to add to this who I studied several years ago (the maker of a quilt depicting human forms but using pills or pebbles in stitched pockets) but whose name and details I am still trying to discover.

I would really like to develop the themes of dilapidation or decay as I work through the remainder of my degree particularly in relation to chronic illness but I am now more open to using the detritus of every day life or found materials that I might otherwise have dismissed.