Page 48 - The Digital Cloth - Issue 5

guidelines when carrying out
this process. I always have a
bowl of water nearby and I
always wear a full
respiratory mask and work in a
well ventilated room). I also
use the soldering iron
extensively to produce holes
and to ‘burn’ away surfaces in
order to reveal the stitched
layers below. Finally, I use
the hot air gun to further
distort and burn fabrics.
I make many experimental
samples and it is from these
samples that my final pieces
of work evolve. I am never too
sure where my creative journey
is going to take me and where
it is going to end. The
experimental stage is what I
enjoy most, playing with
fabrics and incorporating the
various other elements. Heat
treating them in various ways
and in doing so discovering new
and exciting ‘textures’.

new ‘textural’ effects. I often
begin a piece by layering
fabrics together and then
free machining. This layered
stitched fabric is then
usually heat treated in various
ways and occasionally I apply
cold water dyes to give a hint
of colour.
My main embroidery technique
is free machine embroidery and
this is used widely to hold
fabric together and to produce
applied ‘pieces’. I use a
limited number of hand
stitches, namely French knots
and seeding stitches.
I am keen to produce textural
effects and in order to achieve
these unusual and original
textures I like to use a
variety of heat treatments.
I use the naked flame (from a
candle) to burn and scorch
fabrics and other materials
(it is important to observe
strict health and safety