Contextual Reference: Christine Mauersberger.

Artist Christine Mauresberger's "mind map installation" work instantly reminded me of some of the samples I have already done in this project, especially within machine embroidery. I love the importance of line, thread and fabric choice in these pieces as that's also of key importance in my work. Installation art is something that I have always had a keen interest in, because as a textiles student I see myself as much more of an artist than a designer. I always see my work as more one off pieces than something that would be mass produced.

Embroidery: hand stitch week three.

In this final week of hand embroidery, I have been continuing with sample development, learning and moving on from last weeks successes and failings. A group critic with the machine group has been very helpful in preparing my  thoughts and ideas for machine stitch and showed me the possibilities for progressing my work into machine stitch.

Squared hand stitch samples- mapping line drawings and inverted maps.

Inspired by some mark making drawings which I did relating to map imagery, these two samples have been really successful. Again I like the inverted look these samples have of each other, and also the marks and lines look very effective and interesting. They also relate well too both my drawings and research, and I think that techniques in machine stitch will allow me too develop these ideas much further.

Running and wide ladder stitch- map lines & filling negative space.

I also think this samples is very successful,I like the way the long stretched ladder stitch fills up the blocks of black, as without this the sample would not be as effective or interesting as it is. I also think the thread colour choice in this sample makes it so successful, as the white really stands out against the black and the grey gives it good tone.

Running and ladder stitch- compact map lines.

Due to the simplicity and lack of detailed sections in this sample, compared too the other samples I have done this week it is not as successful. This is because it shows much less development and structure like the others.

Overall, I have really enjoyed hand stitch over the past three weeks, and I'm really looking forward to be able too expand my knowledge of techniques as well as samples and ideas through machine stitch. I think that machine stitch will give me the opportunity to push my project much further and create new exciting samples.

Drawing development.

This week I have been focussing a lot on developing my drawings for this project, to give me more ideas and inspiration too push me further through this project and develop my samples. Inspired by imagery I found from contextual references and on pinterest, i have been drawing from maps and my routes taken on journeys. I think that by drawing using techniques I have never explored before until workshops in this sampling unit has definitely made my drawings more successful and given me more too work from in terms of samples. 

Embroidery: hand stitch week two.

This week in hand embroidery, I have been developing my samples much further focussing on my successful drawings and the research I have been doing through my sketchbook work.

Sketchbook Development.

Cornelli machine: negative space cut out samples.

Although these are two separate samples, I think they look much more successful when placed together- the sample on the right is like the inverted version of the left, which I think is a really nice idea. I have been using inverting as a technique in my sketchbook and drawings, inspired by some of the contextual references I have been looking at. 

Herringbone stitch and bondaweb sample- filling negative space.

This sample has been much more unsuccessful. The bonded on loose threads done have as good an impact as a hand stitched line does, I think it looks much more soft and flimsy compared too my other samples because of this technique. Also, the use of ice white threads on this cream peasant cotton is not a good combination to use for samples.

Contextual Reference: Karen M O'leary.

These paper cut maps by Karen M O'Leary really caught my eye when I came across them. I love the graphic look of them, and the use of black with white drawn-like cut out marks, in opposition too the tradition drawn black line on a white background. I would like too explore my idea of filling negative space and drawing with it much further through this project, and this work by O'Leary has informed these ideas. In terms of drawing, I am going too experiment in producing different marks drawn from the maps I have been using, and experiment with inverting and creating, filling or transforming the negative space in these drawings.

Embroidery: hand stitch week one.

Week one of hand embroidery after Christmas- has been about learning new stitches of my choice and developing with these stitches. I chose wheatear, cross, blanket, herringbone and feather stitch.

Wheatear stitch sample inspired my mapping drawings, focussing on filling the negative space.

Of the samples I have produced this week, this is my success. The composition of lines and difference in line is really interesting, and the filling in of negative space with the wheat eater stitch works really well and gives the sample a graphic feel.

This idea of filling negative is something I'd like too explore.

Feather stitch- map line drawing sample.

This sample is much more unsuccessful. Although I like the feather stitch and I think it could work well in my hand stitch samples, the lines and composition I have used are what makes it unsuccessful. Compared too the other samples I have done, this is much more simple, and the shades of grey and black don't work as well as the black, whites and creams I have been using in the others.

Christmas Holidays.

Over the Christmas holidays, focus for me has been on hand stitch samples along with developing my drawings and ideas for the "data" project.

After looking back on the initial work I produced before this Christmas break, the most successful drawings and possibility for development through my embroidery for this project is through the mapping ideas which I did in response too the feedback week task.

Map drawing- couched sample with ladder stitch.

This is what I feel is the most successful sample from over the Christmas break. Although it is technically simple, I love the drawn feeling of the lines and the different qualities they each have. It also directly relates too a drawing I did from my route too the city art gallery - this idea of line quality and space is what I have been interested in so far in my drawings.

Spiral drawing- chain stitch.

I was also asked to produce three stitched spiral samples inspired by the drawings workshop drawings done before Christmas. Although this isn't something I'll be carrying through this project, I like the marks and textures in this sample. The choice of fabric and thread work really well together in this particular piece, which shows the importance of these choices.