As my intention has been to create a collection where embroidery is used to enhance the detail within print designs, I have gathered research on existing decorative embroidery for interiors.
I volunteered at the Textiles Society's Antiques fair and noted the different ways traditional embroidery was used to add tone. The image below is one that particularly interested me because tone is added through the use of a looser zigzag stitch over two closer together stitches. This technique will have been completed by hand, however I can create the same effect on the Ethos by using different stitch widths, below is my design using this technique.
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| Textiles Society Antiques Fair - Embroidered Silk |
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| My Tonal Design |
I have also taken into consideration current embroidery designers. Vaughan is a design company that create a range of embroidered fabrics intended for interior uses such as upholstery and curtains. One aspect of their designs I found interesting was the stitch width was very wide. This could be for a number of reasons, one being to save money by using less thread, and another being to avoid creating a raised surface on top of the fabric causing it to become unsuitable for upholstering furniture such as chairs, which are intended to be sat on. I found that opening my stitches out causes the least amount of change to the fabric and is therefore a technique I intend to use.
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| Vaughan Designs.com |
