Textile Folk Art (eBook)

Samplers and Stitched Panels

Samplers and stitched panels are the first introduction many people will have to textiles. Practicing stitches and putting them together in one piece or project is a satisfying way to capture the essence of sewing. The great tradition of English and North American samplers tells us much about their creators and the lives they led. Dates, including birthdays and locations help to identify their often young and inexperienced makers. Family pets, houses, plants and trees all enrich the surface design. These are often treasured heirlooms that can be handed down to, and enjoyed by, new generations.

A fascinating collection at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Sampled Lives, showcases the variety of subject matter, purpose and design of English samplers. Dating from as early as the 17th century, these were used to record individual lives, families, villages and even schools. With Mary Derow’s sampler from St Clement Danes School (shown opposite), we see in a nutshell the depth and breadth of experience that these precious fabric mementoes represent. Mary was a student at the school that still exists in London’s Covent Garden, and her work was presented to the board of trustees for sale to raise funds for scholarships to the school. The piece is a sampler worked in silks containing repeat border of patterns, including coronets, alphabets, numerals, an inscription and detached motifs. Mary was ten when she completed it in 1723.

Modern Folk Embroidery was started by Jacob de Graaf, a Dutch artist living and working in the UK. From his Yorkshire studio, he sells original patterns and materials inspired by centuries of arts and crafts. He uses the visual language of crafters that have gone before him as a creative springboard. His designs have appeared in international publications and are distributed all over the world. His fascination with samplers started when he accidentally found a Quaker sampler in an antique shop – it was a happy find as the piece was from 1795. He has since discovered more about its maker.

For The Little Bird Quaker Sampler (above) all the elements seen are original designs, including the traditional-looking medallions and lettering that Quaker samplers are known for. Many Quaker samplers feature birds and elements of the natural world. For this sampler, Jacob wanted to focus on the theme of birds. As he finished the design and counted the number of birds – there are 22 – he remembered that this number is also known as ‘two little ducks’.

Hen’s Teeth Art

A modern approach to making a sampler could be something altogether freer. Viv Sliwka is a Staffordshire-based artist, making work under the name of Hen’s Teeth Art. She says, ‘I work spontaneously, reacting to the inspiration provoked from folk art, dogs, hares, flowers and birds ...’ Viv always starts the process with drawings and these are translated into print, paint, free-motion embroidery and hand stitch. As Viv says, ‘my completed pieces tell tiny tales’. Her work is naïve in style and clearly influenced by folk art. Her colours and imagery are simple but strong, ‘I am not one for meticulous planning when it comes to making my pieces ... I have an idea and tend to go with it and see where I end up.’ Viv’s use of old postcards and envelopes is effective and with her combination of fabric elements they provide a rich background upon which to embellish.

Travel Box

Recently in my textile practice, I have been covering wooden objects with a mixture of paper and fabric, as in my Ark series (see here)and Stitched Shed. In my teaching experience, I find that students also like to present their work in new and different formats, mounted on wood and in box frames. The travel tags, shown inside the box below, were made for my project Moving Memories (see here) and provide another intriguing form of presentation.

I liked the idea of a travel box and I decided to use a small cigar box that I found in a charity shop to commemorate my visit to Australia. I have also inserted pieces of vintage embroidery and used fabric to cover the box. The project opposite demonstrates how you can mix and combine paper and fabric to cover a found item like this box. The final step is to embellish it with writing, postage stamps, small buttons and ribbon and then apply a protective layer of varnish.

Making a Travel Box

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

»  Small wooden box, which you can paint or re-cover, like a cigar or sweet box

»  Paper, postage stamps, ribbon, buttons, pieces of fabric, embroidery or patches that you wish to use to decorate your box

»  Paper scissors and fabric scissors

»  Paper-cutting knife and cutting board

»  Glue stick, or acrylic wax, if desired

»  PVA glue and water mixture or water-based varnish (matt or silk finish)

1 Before decorating the box, make sure that any traces of old paper or unwanted labels are removed.

2 Decide how many surfaces will need to be covered and assemble the paper elements accordingly.

3 Using a glue stick, secure the paper elements to the box and trim with a cutting knife where necessary.

4 Add the pieces for the top and the inside of the lid, and the inside of the box. Buttons and ribbon can be added at this stage if you feel they suit the theme of your box.

5 When everything is in the correct position, varnish box with a mixture of 50 per cent PVA glue to 50 per cent water – you will need two or three coats of the mixture. Acrylic wax can also be applied to the paper elements of the background.

Lettering

Handmade signs and lettering add a folksy and naïve quality to textile work. This can be seen in the sample of handmade banners from Sussex Prairie Garden (shown below). They were designed and made by the owner, Pauline McBride, and are used and reused for a variety of events and general signposting in the garden.

If you look closely at the lettering on samplers of all kinds you can see some detailed and inventive script. This is often also a feature of contemporary textile art. The shape and formation of letters can be inspiring and representative of other forms in the piece. Often beginners and newcomers to stitch practice their work using the motif of letters.

Lettering Sampler

I am inspired by lettering in stitch and wanted to celebrate the diversity of styles. I used the Swedish lettering book (shown left) to write the title Folk Art. I also made a piece using templates from the lettering book. Folk Art is a collage using previously existing backgrounds oversewn with the lettering and then assembled patchwork style into one piece.

I found a table napkin with some lettering at a brocante fair in France and decided to use it as a background. To this vintage fabric I applied a series of small doilies in different colours. I drew on the lettering and stitched the letters by hand. Other details, like ribbons and scraps of vintage embroidery, were added later on. The colours for stitching were chosen based on the colours on the fabric background. Then the piece was mounted onto a backing fabric and framed.