Those who tat know that working in black thread can be very
tough on the eyes. Those who stitch know that working on white cloth can be
tough on the eyes. Those who practice in a room with a flickering fluorescent
light knows that can be tough. So, what was I thinking?
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Working on dark cloth with dark thread during winter?
Well, I decided when I signed up for the Elephant class, I should learn to work with silk. I’ve some silk to tat with and also some
other silk to stitch with. When I’m learning a new technique, I tend to dive
into my stash and see what I can do with what’s been leftover. Kinda like a
musician learns just a small part of the piece often at slow tempo or with just
part of the score. This sample is the result of my efforts with the stash. The
white thread is cotton on 14 count cotton Aida, the red threads are silk.
The technique is similar to a style of embroidery called
Blackwork or Redwork. I’m very drawn to the geometric designs. There’s a play
between thread and negative space similar to good tatting designs. This piece
turned out somewhat like I thought it would. Some of the design retreats into
the cloth due to color of thread; some of the design creates lots of space.
Remember my journey weaving in neutrals at this workshop? While I was
stitching, I was laying bits of tatting on top and playing with color and
texture. There will be more to come with this!
