Module 3, Chapter 9: Resolved sample

After receiving some very constructive feedback from Sian, I took a fresh look at the ideas I had for my resolved sample. I decided to take Sian's advice and let the sample develop as I progressed through the process of making it. The first thing I did was to select one of my previously printed samples as a background for a suitable starting point. I chose to embellish this background further with a little free machine embroidery stitching to enhance the mono-printed spiral on there:



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I wanted to then add some spirals across this background using another mono-printed sample from a similar colour scheme/fabric choice. I wanted the contrast to be in the scale of the pattern rather than in a difference of colour:


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 After cutting out a number of different spiral shapes and playing around with a variety of composition ideas I attached the spirals using free machine embroidery in spiral motions:



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I next wanted to add a spiral that contrasted with this background. I came across a block printed sample that had been created onto a piece of orange chiffon fabric. I initially attached it to the backing using a spiral motion free machine embroidery stitch along the printed line. The result was not as pleasing as I hoped so I thought I would experiment by cutting away and fraying the fabric in between the spiral print. This worked a treat as it added a new texture dimension to the piece and allowed the spiral print from the backing underneath to show through effectively.



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I then decided that my blue spirals did not show up as much as I had hoped- they were too subtle. To resolve this I edged each one using hand embroidered chain stitch. I gave the centre where the spirals focused around a new focal point with a hand painted embellishment to create a button of sorts. This had the optical illusion of giving depth to the spirals.



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Once I saw the depth the 'button' gave, I felt that the orange spiral now looked too flat. To enhance it and to make more of a 3D effect I decided to hand stitch on two additional orange spirals out of beads. I deliberately chose not to follow the line of the original orange spiral as I wanted the effect to be more chaotic rather than ordered and predictable. Finally, I mounted the sample over a robust rounded corner square paper plate. This has given the final result an even bigger effect of depth. Unfortunately my photography does not do this any justice! I did play with the idea of having spirals coming out on wires around the piece as Sian had suggested as a possibility, however I felt the spirals distracted from what I wanted to be my focal point of the piece: the orange spiral. The following images show my final resolved sample piece, including close ups of some of the detail on there:


3/9/8: Final resolved sample



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