I have asked the question at various times about what constitutes copying in textile art. When does 'my version' or 'inspired by' become plagarism? But since there is nothing much new under the sun, and there is no copyright to needlework stitches and techniques, can anything we do really be unique and 'ours'?
I'm back mulling over this idea as one of the projects I'm planning to teach at In The Stitch Zone this session is inspired by this Scrap Happy Project by the very talented Amanda at View From Our Hill. Using up the scraps is absolutely what I'm all about and so I loved the idea of using up fragments of experiments and odds and ends of threads stitched onto old textiles. But is it copying or imitating or being inspired by? In any case, the outcome is all my own, but I can't say the idea is. Thank you Amanda, for the inspiration and I hope you don't mind me using your idea.
I had the perfect base for the mini quilt in a very well worn damask embroidered napkin from the George Borrow Hotel, which Google tells me is in Aberystwyth. No idea where I got it from, but this is where its ending up! The napkin is folded in half and I'm working on the front only, which means that the back of the stitching will be covered by the other side of the napkin. I gathered a selection of oddments and stitched samples - most are demonstrating examples I've stitched in workshops and started to think about which ones I was going to use and how I was going to lay them out.
Next job was deciding where to start! To make it a bit clearer, I split up the 'front' into blocks so I could plan the placement of the oddments. The first one I decided to tackle was a piece of indigo fabric I'd stitched a very busy snowflake design on for an upcycled brooch. It was far too busy to use but there was so much work in it that I didn't want to get rid of it. Perfect for this project though. I added another scrap of indigo fabric, covered the join with a tiny scrap of white rickrack braid which was just the right length, and stitched on an odd lace motif with french knots.
By scattering more French knots out from both motifs, it softens the hard outline of the brooch oval and makes the snowflakes clearer.
A teaching sample of four legged knot stitch next, from the Knot week of the Springboard Project.
It's stitched on a scrap of my experimental batik. I wasn't keen on the big circle, so I used another one of the lace motifs to cover it and then used a similar thread from my thread 'widows and orphans' collection to finish off the stitches before attaching it to the napkin.
I'm enjoying the constraints of only using oddments and so if that means changing thread because the only piece I had has run out, then that's what happens. Two down and an awful lot of empty space to cover, but its lots of little spaces really and that means lots of opportunity for ideas and experimentation. Perfect.
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