Intuitive Stitching - Week 4
Intuitive Stitching
A few stitches at a time..
Week 4, Part 1 - Stitching/Second Layer
Click on the image below to view the video:
Week 4, Part 2 - Stitching/Second Layer
Click on the image below to view the video:
Notes - please read as a reminder of what you have seen in the video
Summary:
- Use snippets of time or go for longer, as you are able.
- put your phone on loudspeaker while stitching so your hands are free to continue. Or even turn it off for a while.
- Dont be afraid to overlap fabrics, and stitching outside the edges. This will give cohesion and continuity to your piece.
- Trust your own intuition and silence the inner critic.
- Start stitching without thinking too much and let tthem meander if tthey want to (taking a line for a walk).
- Go off in unexpected directions - branch out.
- Use as few or as many types of stitches as you like. There is no rule that you have to do the stitches I demonstrate.
- Try something new or outside your comfort zone.
Details:
Some concepts to consider!
Fragments of Time - snatch available moments whenever you can. Once these moments are gone, they can't be retrieved! Try to have a dedicated space to work in - even if it's only a tray on your lap. Are you waiting for the kettle to boil? Do a few minutes of stitching. On the phone? Put it on loudspeaker and stitch while you chat. We lead busy lives, but these are moments to enjoy just for yourself.
Colour outside the lines - we discussed this in a previous video when we were building layers of fabric scraps on the scroll foundation. Things look more continuous and part of a whole when they overlap one another. Otherwise the layout can look rather disjointed. It is also important to consider negative space, ie leave some of the foundation fabric showing. This could be stitched later, or not ...
Intuition - trust your own creativity, your gut instinct. Sometimes the things people have said to us in the past have made us doubt ourselves. This can activite the inner critic which can destroy our confidence and make us afraid to step out. Learn to silence that inner critic!
Take a line for a walk - if you're stuck, just start stitching a line and let it take you where it will; try running, back or chain stitch. (This term is more often said in relation to drawing, where you are encouraged not to overthink and just begin, rather than staring at a blank page and feeling daunted.)
Branch out - literally branch out, eg. run other stitched lines from that initial one. It could be the start of something exciting and new!
Recommended Stitches - I use 6 main stitches; these are the ones I demonstrating in the second video, ie running, back, chain, fly, seed and cross stitches. Please don't feel you have to limit yourself to the same stitches that I use - if you want to learn new ones to incorporate into your scroll, there are some great tutorials on YouTube.
(c) Rita Summers
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