Until now, I hadn’t experimented with abstract art in my stitching challenge. So this week marks my first abstract art in stitch challenge.
I’ve had this sketch for over a month but initially, I’d planned to execute it entirely in fabric collage and to create a much larger work. But as I thought about which of my sketches to stitch this week, I wondered about this one. What if I could somehow use stitch to execute this?
Even as I started putting together the collage pieces, I kept asking myself how I could feature more of stitch in this work. Although many options went through my mind, I didn’t have any answers right up to the time when I sat at the sewing machine to sew. I didn’t know how I was going to sew it – all I knew was, I was going to sew. And I did.
Here’s the value drawing in colored pencils.
Here’s the piece I brought to the sewing machine. I didn’t add fabric collage pieces to the right-hand side because I suddenly noticed that I was executing exclusively in collage, so I just stopped and headed to the sewing machine. I was hoping to have it all figured out before going to sew but I didn’t.
Quite frankly, I was satisfied with the way it looks right here. Some part of me didn’t want to go explore using stitch. I wanted to stick with my usual execution in fabric. Moreover, it took a couple of hours to get the collage pieced, why would I want to mess it up? But I made myself go to the sewing machine to find out if there was something new I could learn.
I started with what was familiar – stitching the fabric collage pieces. I decided to simply echo each shape with stitch. Later, I drew some circle shapes on the right-hand side to remind me that I needed to do something with that space.
Here’s the video showing me trying to figure out what to do.
Here’s where I stopped for this week.
Detail view of the Left Hand Side of Abstract Art in Stitch:
Detail View of the Right Hand Side of Abstract Art in Stitch:
Next week, I’ll be exploring the right-hand side some more. I hope you’ll join me to see how I might execute this piece of abstract art in stitch.
Warmest Regards,
Watch and read about the entire Stitch The Sketch series.
Neat Clara! I love to watch your stitching; you make it look so effortless! What is the white paper? under the fabric, on the bed of the machine? Freezer paper? to make it move more smoothly? Looking forward to seeing the finished piece! Joan
Joan, I haven’t had many years of practice. So I know if I can do it, everyone can do it too. My desire is to help people stitch just as “effortlessly” too.
I use a plastic mat on the machine bed to help the fabric move easily. Check the tools and tips section of this blog post for all the specific tools I use and where you can find them.
I meant to ask you last time…I use gardening gloves for my fmq!!! I get them for pennies on Amazon. They are made by Atlas and it says on them, ” Atlas Glove” The one and only!…Atlas 370 nitrile…….I wear a small………They breath, are very light-weight and flexible….really like not having anything on!!! They are the Best garden gloves and I swear by them for sewing too!!! They wash well too. and don’t dry all hard and brittle! Your gloves look so bulky and too warm….just thought I would share this tip with you! Thank you! Joan
Thanks Joan for sharing. I’ll definitely look them up. And yes I prefer machingers gloves to these Fons and Porter ones.