Julie B Booth

Susan S.: Combining needle weaving stitches with fabric manipulation. Detail.

Back to blogging! I just finished my last scheduled workshop this past weekend (will be posting about it this week). I am determined to get blog posts out...so I can share the incredible work of my students. I admit to a recent addiction to Instagram...I finally got on it and I can't stop! Okay...back to blogging...

The pieces that follow are from the Hand Stitching Continued: Surface and Structure class (The Art League School in Alexandria, VA) that ended a week ago. This is the second of two installments of work from that class. If you want to see the other post...please go here.

The second half of the class focused on a number of fabric manipulation techniques. First, we played with what Running, Back and Ladder stitches could do to change the shape of fabric.

Kate M: Playing with random gathering and raw-edge reverse applique.

Mary M.: Gathering with Running stitch.

Mary M.: Random gathering with Running stitch, reverse applique, couching and stitching.

Susan S.: Random "smocking" using a variation of Back stitch.

Susan S.: Scrunching fabric and tacking with Seeding stitch.

Susan S.: Gathering with Running stitch.

Susan S.: Needle weaving and gathering with Ladder stitch.

There is really so much potential in just these few stitches! I'm looking forward to spending more time exploring over the summer...especially the Ladder stitch.

We also played with creating dimension with stuffed shapes. The techniques included: Cording (threading cord or yarn through stitched channels), Trapunto (slitting and stuffing from the back) and some techniques for stuffing shapes appliqued to a fabric base.

Kate M.: Cording and Trapunto.

Susan S.: Cording with the addition of Japanese cloth-covered buttons.

Susan S.: Cording and Trapunto. Trapunto center decorated with crocheted doily, beads and button.

Susan S.: Trapunto piece in process.

Mary M.: Appliqued and padded shapes.

In the second to last class, I showed students how to create small sculptures using a craft felt base.

Mary M.: Sculpture beginnings.

Kate M.: Sculpture in process.

Susan S.: Sculpture in process.

Susan S. took it one step further and turned her sculpture into an angel!

Susan S.: Angel in process.

Susan S.: Pleated and stitched detail.

Susan S.: Stitched detail on back of cape/wings.

The last class was an open studio. Students could continue working on their sculptures or choose to start a new project.

Annie G.: Layers and stitching.

Annie G.: Opened flat.

Mary M.: Boro stitching on indigo-dyed shibori.

Mary M.: Darning/weaving on indigo-dyed shibori.

Mary M.: Rolled and "whipped" fabric, couching.

Mary M.: Rolled and "whipped" fabric.

Thanks for a great class, students! Enjoy your summer!

If you live in the Washington, DC area and are interested in this class, I will be teaching it again in 2018...in the winter and again in the spring. Prerequisite is Hand Stitching or Jumpstart in Hand Stitching. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like more information.

Linda M.: Boro sample showing patching from underneath, raw-edge applique, inset patch and "bird's nest" darning around floating patch.

On Day #2 of my Artistic Artifacts workshop, Boro and Beyond: The Versatile Running Stitch we covered construction, mending and distortion techniques using the Running Stitch. Day #1 homework was to put together some fabric bases so we could continue work on Day #2. Students stitched together 4-square patchwork bases, collage-style and woven bases. Most students worked with the 4-square patchwork base for mending techniques.

Judith K-P: Woven patch, "bird's nest" darning, raw-edge applique.

We patched cut/torn fabric from behind (a typical Boro approach), played with raw-edge and turned edge reverse applique techniques, created our own woven fabric patches with Surface Darning and learned how to inset a patch.

Carol B.: Reverse applique variations, woven patch.

Cheryl H.: Reverse applique and patching.

Ellen S.: Inset patch, patching from behind, surface darning.

Diana G.: Patching from behind, reverse and raw-edge applique, inset patch.

Lindy M.: Patching from behind, "bird's nest" darning.

Lora B.: Reverse applique, patching from behind

Lora B.: Inset patch, surface darning.

Melanie H.: Patching from behind, raw-edge applique.

Susan H. : Patching from behind, "bird's nest" darning, inset patch, reverse applique

Susan H.: Detail of inset patch.

Susan P. : Raw-edge applique, patching from behind, "bird's nest" darning, inset patch.

Susan P.: Detail of  "bird's nest" darning.

Susan S.: Inset patch, raw-edge reverse applique.

Ruth T.: Inset patch detail.

Etta S.: Surface darning.

Jean T.: Sashiko stitching over patch.

Jutta M.: Patching from behind.

Lindy M.: Woven and stitched.

Etta S.: Woven and stitched.

There was so much to cover with these techniques that there wasn't much time left for the distortion techniques. I demoed those for students...including Kantha quilting and Ruching...pleating fabric strips with Running Stitch (see link below: Boro and Beyond: The Versatile Running Stitch Part 2 to see more about those techniques).

Thanks students!

If you think you'd like to take this 2-day workshop at Artistic Artifacts, I'll be teaching it again on October 21 and 22.

You might also enjoy these blog posts:
More Boro and Beyond Part 1
Boro and Beyond: The Versatile Running Stitch Part 1
Boro and Beyond: The Versatile Running Stitch Part 2

Alice A: Pleated ribbon using Running stitch.

Well...I was going to write a post combining manipulating fabric with stitches and our final challenge project...a sculpture...in this one post...BUT again too much to share so I'm dividing them up!

This post focuses on using a few basic stitches to manipulate and distort fabric. The three that we focused on were Running stitch, Ladder stitch and Back stitch. We just touched on using Back stitch (for Smocking) and I hope to develop more samples to share with the Spring class (see below for a link to register for that class).

I wasn't surprised by the possibilities of manipulating fabric with Running stitch. But I was really surprised by what could be accomplished with Ladder stitch!! So much so that I personally plan to do a more thorough exploration in my own work.

Here is a selection of samplers using these stitches to manipulate fabric...

Alice A.: Pleating with Running stitch.

Alice A.: Manipulating fabric with Running stitch.

Alice A.: Manipulating fabric with Ladder stitch.

Alice A.: Combining techniques: Reverse applique window. Ladder stitch pleating that has been stuffed, Wrapped wire.

Alice A.: Detail.

Ann Z.: Playing with Running and Ladder stitches to distort fabric.

Marine W. combining Running stitch pleating with stuffed applique and stitching in a fabric collage.

Peggy G.: A selection of samples showing how Running, Ladder and Back stitches can manipulate fabric.

Susan P.: Ladder stitch spiral.

Susan P.: Ladder stitch and Running stitch pleating (front side)

Susan P.: Showing the stitches from the back side.

The next (and final) installment will focus on the creation of small soft sculptures, incorporating the techniques learned in class.

If you want to catch up on past posts about this class:
Part 1: Painted Backgrounds
Part 2: Layering Stitches
Part 3: Buttonhole and Needle Weaving
Part 4: Manipulating Fabric

I'll be teaching an evening version of Hand Stitching Continued: Surface and Structure, starting on May 3, at The Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia.