Personal Project

Here are some samples I created using print with embroidery for my Personal Project at university. I dyed all of my fabrics and was inspired by flowers and nature to create floral prints and embroidered designs. I focused on colour and texture. This was also an opportunity to test out materials with different fiber content to see what I preferred to work with and what technique worked best. The samples were created to be used as pillow cases for interior.  

Sample 1: The techniques I used were devore, screen print, American smocking and embroidery. The print was floral and I cross dyed the material, therefore when the devore was completed the existing shade of material was slightly darker.      

  

Sample 2: The design was inspired by some sketches of leafs. I screen printed the design onto fabric in green and orange and freely stitched over the print, particularly around the edges with orange and green embroidery. 

Sample 3: This sample is one of my favorites. I used silk and cotton. I shredded both materials and they frayed to look rough and ready. I stitched them down randomly in circles to look like roses. The finished piece is very textured and raw.

Sample 4: This sample was an experiment. I used embroidery to create this round shape. I sewed a variety of thicknesses of material down and dyed a variety of colours which I blended together by sewing with two colours of thread, orange and blue. 

Sample 5: Here I dyed and shredded the material to embroider rough rose shapes in random places. I sewed with an elastic bobbin to form texture and snagging which works well with the shiny material to create a sense of movement. Beneath I used block printing to make a floral pattern and embroidered over it with a tight zigzag stitch which I cut down the middle.

Sample 6: I dip-dyed the material two colours so the dye would soak through the cotton. Through the middle I embroidered flowers with a range of materials and an elastic bobbin down the middle. The yellow fabric is dyed bondaweb which I ironed onto the cotton in strips. I created some buttons mixing some orange paint with hot glue. I copied one of my sketches to stitch a floral design around the flowers using grey and orange thread. 

Sample 7: I dip-dyed the cotton in orange and bottle green dye. I screen printed onto the material afterwards with yellow pigment and embroidered over the print. I tried to intwine the embroidery with the other features and feel the colours are strong.