Details with machine and hand stitch
Month: February 2013
1m x 1m
This is a new piece that combines hand and machine stitch. The folds and therefore the seams made are very different in their finish but can bring something to each other. The solid – flat – squashed machine stiched seams contrast to the continual movement and expressive quality of the hand stitch seam, manipulated on a continual basis as the linear arrangement is made.
Controlling
Following on from my previous post:
Do not control the breath. Let it settle by itself – Eventually the breath will enter and exit freely. When you are aware of and firmly established in this entry and exit, that is the correct breathing. ( ‘ A still forest Pool ‘)
These instructions appear to be both about meditation and my work with stitch – advice both in the relationship of cloth, stitch, thread but also about allowing the relationships to develop, rather than controlling or forcing them.
Stitching
Completely unable at the moment to complete a piece with machine stitch only. It seems that the hand stitch not only adds character (not saying anything new here) but acts completely differently in its relationship with the fabric. The machine stitch squashes the folds, holds them in quite an aggresive way, almost strangling them whilst the hand stitching, even if its solid as in back stitch is allows the cloth to breath – to play a role in the confluence; the machine stitch is very controlling. A somewhat uneasy relationship.
In meditation the breath in and out should be the same !!
New piece
A larger piece combining both hand and machine stitch.
Trying my phone to blog connection
Latest sample
Seams
I had a lovely talk with my friend Susi today and a chance remark she made when we were discussing my reluctance to machine stitch has given me an idea to develop a new piece. We were discussing that Susi finds it really easy to free machine but she didn’t know how she would feel if she was making seams in folds as I am doing, (and this is the exciting bit) unless she was doing very long seams. !!!
I am going to make a very long stitched seam by machine (say 3m long) in a narrow piece of cloth and record it to see what happens.
I have to admit that the piece I am stitching on the machine at the moment with turban cloth isn’t looking too bad at all – I like the repetitive nature of the stitch. Thanks Susi
Achieving results in machine stitch.
I am finding the best way to do this machining is to have more than one piece on the go at the same time. I have three pieces now, one completely machine stitched and one I am working on that is hand stitching but one of them is going to have both on so that I can compare the stitching directly on the piece.
kayswancutt 