Deddington, Oxfordshire: Hand Embroidery

Deddington, Oxfordshire - 2020
Here is my final project for the City & Guilds Level 2 Textiles Award. 

City & Guilds - Level 2 Award Textiles: Hand Embroidery

Inspiration
I have taken my inspiration from some photographs that I took of Deddington Church in 2016. These images are heavily altered through Photoshop to bring out the rich ironstone colour in the bricks. 

My Family in Deddington
My family has lived in Deddington since before the parish registers started, so this project is personal. 

Designing the Piece
​I used the fourth image to make a kaleidoscope in Photoshop. I did this to highlight colours in the images and to make the design square. 

Colouring the Fabric
​I used a cotton fabric for this piece and hand-dyed it in turmeric. I used Inktense pencils to paint part of the fabric green, where I stitched on the green beads. 

Designing the Centre
​In the centre, I envisioned a large number of French knots, as this was the focal point of the piece. 

Blackwork
Blackwork embroidery had been part of my research during this course, so I wanted to incorporate this into my final piece. I took a pattern seen on the inside of a collar from the painting by Bronzino of the 'Lady in Green'. 

Seed Stitch
I used a linen hand-dyed in tea, which incorporated seed stitch. The small stitches blended well with the fine fabric. 

Green Beads
​I added beads in the green areas of the piece; this was to represent the leaves on the trees as seen in the fourth image. 

Rust-Dyed Fabric
I have experimented quite a bit with hand-dyeing, and rust dyeing is my favourite. Once I had cut the strips of fabric, I couched them into place. 

Corners
I wanted to add something that stood out at each corner, so I included a raised stitch and beads. 

Finished Piece
​I am very pleased with the result; however, I have had to follow a strict brief for this piece, so I do not feel I have been able to be completely free with my thoughts and ideas. 

Further Development
​In these images, I have used the image of the final piece and made several kaleidoscopes in Photoshop. To further develop the final piece, I could make smaller samples inspired by the kaleidoscopes. 

​©Joanna Cox Marshall