PATCHWORK # 4

This book is by far the best yet...if not ever. It is probably the best book I've seen for ages. It's called 'Creative Patchwork' by June Field. Oh June!



Not only is it from the 1970's, it's also absolutely full of amazing and funny imagery, tips, colour photos galore! There really aren't words for how up my street this is. I've got to buy it.

Unfortunately, a lot of photos are in black & white but they're still brilliant. There are even ideas for patchwork clothes, umbrella's, cushions. One photo looks like her whole kitchen is covered in patchwork... that's a bit hardcore for a novice like me.



The whole idea of the book is to give patchwork a new dimension. This is exactly what I hope to do.

"It will appeal both to the enthusiastic beginner, and to the skilled worker looking for new ideas."

Brilliant.



^ These designs look to be fairly easy to have a go at myself.



The image above had me laughing for ages. It still does now actually. I stopped to look at this page because I saw the dolls made of patchwork and they looked to have really sweet faces. But the longer I looked the more sinister it became. I'm not sure whether this is intentional or not but the expressions on the faces of each of the dolls looks as though they're going to 'do that clown in'

LOOK!



I have included the next image in my research as I feel it's strongly influenced by some of the work i've already looked at in Samplers. It's nice to see indirect aspects of imagery repeated from early centuries in the same area of work. HERE is the exmaple of the old samplers. The use of houses was a strong theme for textile based craft work in the Victorian era.



The image below is the mark of a turning point in my project. It's a piece from the mid 19th century. I love it. The collaged imagery of animals and inanimate objects with different textures and sizes has influenced me to maybe try something like this rather than the panelled idea i'd previously come up with. I like the idea of different fabric being used. It's given me a little bit of an idea for a screenprinting method I have used in a workshop a few weeks back. I could produce a mixed media fabric based piece included small areas where there is print combinded with texture in embroidery or different fabrics. I feel patchwork has a Swiss folk fabric feel to it and reminds me a little of the work of Swedish designer Olle Eksell.