Oh, strength of fabric. A good quality silk satin (it does need to be thick enough, so not a thin satin but one with some heft, duchesse silk satin is always a safe bet although I have done stumpwork on thinner fabrics) can take everything you throw at it as long as it is properly stretched on a slate frame for good tension. I'll be posting here on Ning soon so watch the photos, but I finished my huge stumpwork mirror with doors - 182 detached pieces, most of them wired - on unbacked silk satin with no problems. Silk is an incredibly strong natural fiber.
Not at all, I'm quite happy to share what I've learned! Definitely do not back your casket embroidery with calico or muslin, it should be stitched just on your ground fabric. Each finished panel gets glued to the cream Hobart dark backing paper (as Tricia has just emphasized in her discussion/emails) and you want your ground fabric to get a good clean bond to the backing paper to prevent bubbling. It's nerve wracking but you do in fact put glue all over paper and then put that directly on the back of all your hard work, a process that is emotionally stressful every time but unfortunately necessary.
So the ground fabric on that was something I found in store at Mood in LA and I don't think it's on their website. It's a shot silk satin that is green on the front, medium gray on the back, which is what gives it that lovely elusive color in photos. I'll look through my stash later and take a photo for you, if you emailed them they might be able to locate it. Having said that, I bought it in LA a little over 3 years ago, not a recent purchase.
If you want to work a stumpwork casket on silk I strongly recommended a silk satin with some heft to it, like a duchesse silk satin, as it can survive stretching on a slate frame, the plunging of wired stumpwork elements, and the weight/stress of working a stumpwork panel without damage. I've stitched on both colored and white satin grounds and both have their good points, although the one thing I would note is that the color of your threads will show up differently on a colored ground than they do on white. That gray-green ground on the rose required some improvisation on threads and I largely went outside the CoC range of historic colors. The rose itself isn't even AVAS, it's done with pinks from Amy Mitten. If you want simplicity in selecting threads, go for a neutral white or off white ground.
Which silks did you have in mind? The pink lining silk on the casket is Tricia's pink lining fabric, the off white satin on the drawer fronts/rose panel is a remnant of a beautiful, absolutely luminous imported Italian duchesse silk satin from the bridal section. I get most of my fabrics from Britex in San Francisco or Mood either online or in LA, but if you're looking for a high quality off white background silk, look for bridal remnants!
Comments
Oh, strength of fabric. A good quality silk satin (it does need to be thick enough, so not a thin satin but one with some heft, duchesse silk satin is always a safe bet although I have done stumpwork on thinner fabrics) can take everything you throw at it as long as it is properly stretched on a slate frame for good tension. I'll be posting here on Ning soon so watch the photos, but I finished my huge stumpwork mirror with doors - 182 detached pieces, most of them wired - on unbacked silk satin with no problems. Silk is an incredibly strong natural fiber.
Not at all, I'm quite happy to share what I've learned! Definitely do not back your casket embroidery with calico or muslin, it should be stitched just on your ground fabric. Each finished panel gets glued to the cream Hobart dark backing paper (as Tricia has just emphasized in her discussion/emails) and you want your ground fabric to get a good clean bond to the backing paper to prevent bubbling. It's nerve wracking but you do in fact put glue all over paper and then put that directly on the back of all your hard work, a process that is emotionally stressful every time but unfortunately necessary.
Happy designing!
So the ground fabric on that was something I found in store at Mood in LA and I don't think it's on their website. It's a shot silk satin that is green on the front, medium gray on the back, which is what gives it that lovely elusive color in photos. I'll look through my stash later and take a photo for you, if you emailed them they might be able to locate it. Having said that, I bought it in LA a little over 3 years ago, not a recent purchase.
If you want to work a stumpwork casket on silk I strongly recommended a silk satin with some heft to it, like a duchesse silk satin, as it can survive stretching on a slate frame, the plunging of wired stumpwork elements, and the weight/stress of working a stumpwork panel without damage. I've stitched on both colored and white satin grounds and both have their good points, although the one thing I would note is that the color of your threads will show up differently on a colored ground than they do on white. That gray-green ground on the rose required some improvisation on threads and I largely went outside the CoC range of historic colors. The rose itself isn't even AVAS, it's done with pinks from Amy Mitten. If you want simplicity in selecting threads, go for a neutral white or off white ground.
Which silks did you have in mind? The pink lining silk on the casket is Tricia's pink lining fabric, the off white satin on the drawer fronts/rose panel is a remnant of a beautiful, absolutely luminous imported Italian duchesse silk satin from the bridal section. I get most of my fabrics from Britex in San Francisco or Mood either online or in LA, but if you're looking for a high quality off white background silk, look for bridal remnants!
Hi Sue, nice to hear from you. What are you up to with c of c now?
Welcome on board Sue, I know you are going to enjoy this class.