PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
5.2 Observations of workshops and design focus group
5.2.5 Fine art printmaker: A I V
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in August so I can show those in the children's clothing industry from Europe and USA how modern clothes can be blended with a touch of African fabrics.
Concluding - Email Communication
N M emailed me pictures of her fashion design examples (seen in Figure 5.22) that she just finished during June (2014) and exhibited in the 2014 Playtime New York Kids Tradeshow in August.
Figure 5.22
Kidz Korner fashion designs (Photograph, N M, 2014)
and lectures part time at Michaelis at the University of Cape Town.
A I V has had interesting experiences in embroidering. She was taught about four embroidery stitches at primary school and she has always used these four stitches and combinations of them, for all of her life. She said, “I started embroidering on my clothes to make them more interesting and loved working with the silky colours so much that I made lots of densely embroidered cushions for my house. I just embroidered because I loved creating with thread and needle. My friends and family kept saying that I should not hide them in my house but should try to sell them.
Through the years I have regularly had exhibitions at galleries and at one such an event I decided to produce and include a small series of framed embroidery works with prints and other mixed media works.”
Initial Interview
I came to A I V’s printmaking studio and took the photographic record of her embroidered designs that are shown in Figure 5.23. “What is your rationale for doing embroidery designs?” I asked. Her reply was “Four reasons: At first, as a fine artist, it is very hard to make a living just by producing work for galleries. Most of us do many other jobs to pay the bills and to be able to financially afford and support our love in making art. So often we also try to create products that are easier to make, faster to produce, will have a demand and will ultimately show financial profit. Then I quickly realised that the amount of time I spent on each embroidery was way too long to be able to produce many. Making embroidered cushion covers for a more commercial market would not be financially viable. Finally, presenting the embroideries as unique works of fine art in a gallery space seemed the best option. I found the idea very exciting because up till that stage I just embroidered very freely: either making it up as I went along (one area growing from another) or a light pencil drawing which I interpreted very loosely. I found it very inspiring and expansive to interpret first my themes and subject matter into miniature colour sketches and collages and then to consider ways to express, include or combine embroidery in these images.” During
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designs. She agreed to teach me how to embroider with some of her stitches in my own work. Then A I V gave me several copies of teaching embroidery stitches, and I started to embroider the design with different new stitches.
Figure 5.23
A I V’s embroidery designs (Photograph, Li, 2014)
Concluding - Email Communication
Keywords: embroidered designs and processes, recreation.
In the concluding interview, A I V answered my interview questions and emailed me.
The interview questions and answers are as follows:
1. What is your process of making embroidery designs?
I did a lot of sourcing of particular threads and colours. Looked at a lot of examples of embroideries, from what grannies do right through to large gallery works. I experimented with embroidering through a high quality colour photocopy on thick cartridge paper. You have to sew very carefully as the needle breaks and tear the paper but the effect, if carefully controlled, can turn out well. I eventually chose to
work on seed cloth (a pure, bleached or unbleached, strong, fairly thin cotton) I found the weave of the cloth fine enough to draw on with a pencil or fine liner. It also showed up photocopied fine detail clearly. Once the images were transferred onto the cloth, I chose to selectively embroider some areas. Although there was an image to guide me, I still embroidered very freely, inventing as I went along. I work in a similar way in my other fine art works: One step leads to the next; one shape or form informs the next.
The resultant embroideries developed very organically. I worked on more than one embroidery at a time so the development of around 15 works took place more or less at the same time.”
2. What kind of materials and embroidery skills did you use in the designs?
I preferred working in this bright, satin like thread which is commercially available. I also discovered a supplier of subtly shaded, hand dyed thread that allowed for unplanned, spontaneous, colour bursts and combination. Unfortunately, they stopped making the thread. I preferred working without an embroidery hoop. Though the cloth did tend to pull the more embroidery stitches it carries, I found if I was very careful with the tension of stitches, the slight distortion didn't matter. Because of the small sizes (no larger than A3) distortion was also minor. As I mentioned, I only ever used 4 stitches, such as satin stitch, blanket stitch, chain stitch and the one where you twirl the thread around the needle a number of times before sewing (this stitch is showed in Figure 5.24). How I achieved the appearance of so many different stitches is by varying the thickness of the thread I used: I used only 2 strands, everything in between, right up to as thick as the thread naturally is. Varying stitch lengths and the density (how closely I sew them together) further allowed for different effects and textures. Choosing where and how much to fill with thread and how much to let the underlying drawing show through adds potential for accentuating colour areas or stitch textures.
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A I V’s embroidery design stitch (Photograph, Li, 2014)
3. If the product designers use the traditional embroidery designs or techniques, like your creative embroidery designs, do you think it is marketable? Why?
Using these traditional hand techniques is very slow and in these social times that is financially not good; unless what you can charge for an individual piece merits the time and attention spent making it. At the exhibition, I had a lot of verbal admiration, a few sales but mostly I perceived a reluctance to buy the embroideries - the feeling; too small and too expensive. I priced them at the same level I normally priced a work of that size in other media. My interest is not in the mass market but in the once off, unique work of art. Therefore scanning and computerising embroidery for speed and volume is not an option for me. I like the imperfections of hand sewing. I am still hugely enthusiastic to carry on doing the embroideries, just need the right formula or plan.