I use stitch to make marks within my felt, whether during the felting process – at the pre-felt stage, or as surface decoration.
The questions I ask myself are:
• where to start
• when to stop
• which stitches to use to give me the marks I need
I have developed a few basic 'turn to' embroidery stitches which include running / back stitch; fly stitch; Cretan stitch; chain stitch and French knots. With these stitches either on their own or in commination I can create a variety of lines and marks of different qualities. My stitches may not always display perfection or be the neatest, but they provide the marks I need to enhance my designs.
Working on samples enabled me to:
• explore and master stitch formation
• be creative by varying the threads, size, spacing and placement, including layering and overlapping.
When mark-making in stitch I am not following, but responding to the information on my felt. A breakthrough moment for me occurred when a fellow student remarked that one of my stitch samples reminded her of calligraphy. When I analysed the marks I was producing I began to see the comparison with the personal language I had developed.
The stitches add another layer of narrative to enhance my design, provide finer detail or texture. Sometimes, it is the addition of a tiny spark of colour needed to make my work sing or to balance my composition or t could be a textural element to create depth or movement.
Adding embroidery to the surface of my felt is often the final touch. I find it very relaxing and an almost meditative activity.
I agree with Julia Caprara who stated
'There is something about stitch that sets the mind free to dream'.
By Andrea Diggle