I began this exercise by punching holes into cartridge paper and then stitching through the holes with a perle thread.
I then tried to punch holes into bubblewrap. Punching the holes was not successful. The plastic bubbles obviously burst when punched but did not give a clean punched hole. I then sewed thread through the holes (the holes were only in the top layer of the bubble wrap) using perle thread and a strip of dyed torn cotton fabric knotting inbetween passing through the holes. I like the way the threads show up showng the patterns made very clearly. However I did not like the feel of the bubblewrap to work with. I prefer fabric and paper.
I decided to turn back to paper and punched holes into tissue that had been used to mop up paint and ink. The holes were more like rips. I passed gimp thread through the holes pulling gently as I passed the thread through. This caused the tissue to gather making a more textured surface. The tissue was so delicate though that the rips just became larger and I think the piece became messy. I can see that this technique would work better with a more substantial paper or fabric.
I had been mopping up some Quink ink that I had used for a previous exercise and had used tissue. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the colours that had emerged when the ink was watered down and bled into the tissue. I threaded jewellery wire through holes that had been punched into the tissue. Again the holes became rips which I expected but wanted to see how the wire could be manipulated to raise the surface of the tissue. The tissue was too delicate and just ripped more as I played with the wire. Again I can see that this would probably work better with a more substantial fabric.
The sample below is a piece of dyed cotton scrim. I punched holes through using a kebab stick and then threaded twisted tissue through the holes. The tissue became more substantial as I twisted it making it easier to thread through. Even thugh the tissue paper is delicate the twists make it look sturdier and it stands out against the delicacy of the scrim. I like this because I like the contrast between them.
I do not think the next sample was successful. At least the part with the wire. I punched holes nto the muslin with an awl. I first threaded twisted wire through the holes. It gathered the fabric together but I think it looks messy . I found it very difficult to work with the wire and muslin so I decided to thread the rest of the holes with twisted tissue as I had done in the previous sample. I wanted to see how this looked closer together and against the fine weave of the musline. I think it looks quite effective because the tissue looks heavier against the fine muslin.
I had liked the colours of the watered down Quink ink so decided to use this to colour more tissue and kitchen roll. I have noticed that colour effects the way I work a lot. I seem to be able to free up more and I think become more experimental when I am working with colours that I find attractive. When I view anything be it a piece in an exhibition, textile or paintings, it is the colour that attracts me first and then texture. I am having to learn to look past the colour at pieces and see more in the technique and thought that has gone into something. I am enjoying this but do find it difficult when working with colours that do not inspire me.
So I worked with the kitchen roll and tissue coloured with the ink. The kitchen roll was obviously more substantial than the tissue. I pleated a piece of kitchen roll then punched holes through the pleats with an awl whilst the pleats were still folded. I then threaded torn strips of silk through and pulled the pleats apart at intervals. I like the way the folds made the paper much more substantial to punch through with the awl. I was surprised at how much stronger the paper had become just by folding it.
I then did the same folding with another piece of kitchen roll and threaded jewellery wire through the holes. Again the punching was a success because the paper was strengthened with the folds. The wire made it more difficult to manipulate the paper as although it was a soft wire and quite bendable the firmness it had made it quite inflexible when I tried manipulating the paper around it.
To strengthen the kitchen roll further I applied it to a fusible heavy weight interfacing. I punched this with a darning needle and then threaded jewellery wire through the holes. This enabled me to manipulate the piece bending the wire and making soft folds with the paper. I like this because I can see potential to develop this into 3D pieces.
I applied tissue to heavy weight interfacing. Holes were punched through the folds with an awl and then torn silk strips were threaded through the holes. The piece was then pulled apart to show the silk threaded through. I particularly like the texture of this piece because the creases on the tissue stand out against the sharp lines of the folds. I think this invites you look in between the folds rather than just at the shape. Again I can see the possibilities for 3D pieces with this. Also it reminds me of the old corsetry.
I punched holes into a piece of tissue that had been applied to heavy weight interfacing and then threaded through/sewed various threads and fabrics into the holes. I used raffia, fine wool thread, torn scrim and torn silk. I worked a large open chain stitch with the wool. I think this worked well and I can see the surface being made more textured by layering stitches like this over the paper. I particularly like the raised surface that the scrim has made where I have threaded it through close together. I like the fact it is very tactile. I like the cross stitches I have done with the silk for the same reason.
I was recycling some leaves from corn and was drawn to look at them further because of the texture the fibres made. I like the lines that when you look at them closely the look like very fine pleats. I decided to see if I could punch into a leaf with a darning needle. The hole became splits which I should have realised they would because of the structure of the lines on the leaf and the fibres are actually quite delicate. I sewed some variegated thread through the splits at random intervals leaving the thread loose as I drew it through the next hole. I actually like the delicacy of the thread against the leaf. I think that in hindsight I would have used a different coloured thread and not a variegated one as the colours are detracting from the texture of the piece.
As I said previously I have a big thing about colour and this time of year is my favourite because of the lovely rich colours of the changing leaves. I particularly like the burgundies and the yellows. I love the contrast of these colours and when I am walking the dog always come home with a fistful of leaves. I decided to punch holes into a dried leaf that I had collected and then sew thread into it to raise its surface. Obviously this was difficult because the leaf would break - I rubbed it with a little handcream to make it more workable. I think I should have used a different thread - maybe a more contrasting colour and perhaps finer. Also the hole could have been spaced closer together but this would cause problems of the leaf being more likely to break.
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