Preview of Gnarled - Available in SAQA Benefit Auction

Gnarled and faded I remain, shelter for your storm.

DETAIL IMAGES

See all of the artists’ work for the SAQA Benefit Auction at https://www.saqa.com/auction

Thread Stash 101

Detail of *Life in Abstraction ©Amanda Snavely*

Hand-stitching through layers of fabric requires auditioning many different types of thread. I also paint many of my backgrounds with acrylic paint which requires me to pay close attention to the size of the hole my needle makes when stitching. My work is heavily hand-stitched so fibers that don’t fray, fuzz, or tangle are a must. I work across the surface of my work so I do not like using hoops that limit the stitching area to a small square or circle. Instead, I use felt as my inner layer to stabilize the fabric for hand-stitching without a hoop or frame. For extremely large pieces I do have a rug frame that allows me to scroll large sections for stitching at the time.

For variety, in material, finish, effect, and stitch size I use a large number of threads per piece. The above photo only includes some of the threads I selected for the background of this 6” x 8” piece I later stitched for the SAQA 2022 Spotlight Auction.

Photographing metallic threads can be a challenge but this photo gives you an idea of the range of threads combined in a piece of my work.

Welcome to my Thread Stash.

The most affordable option for some stitches is using traditional sewing threads such as Guttermann Viscose, Cotton, Polyester, or Silk thread. I use Guttermann, Sulky, Superior, and other brands for hand and machine stitching. I divide the threads by material in Ikea drawer organizers like the above one for Viscose.

Cheap embroidery threads like these from Simthread I get on Amazon to fill in random colors. These do unravel very easily off the top of the spool. I use Hugo’s Amazing Tape to keep these threads from turning into a bird’s nest.

Presencia’s cotton sewing thread’s color selection is one of my favorites for use with my hand-dyed fabric.

I especially like the look of small stitches in 100% silk. I use a variety of brands of silk thread similar to the Tire silk above.

For thicker threads, I use some DMC 8 or 12 cotton pearl. Presencia No 8 or 12 also works. Presencia No 16 is a little thicker than I generally prefer to hand-stitch with though I have a few still in my stash.

When I am hand-dyeing fabric with Procion Fiber Reactive Dyes I throw in the thread I have prewrapped on plastic thread organizers. I loosely wrap the thread. It does variegate depending on the resist of the layered wrapping on the dye accessing the fibers when bound. I like this variegation but if you do not, opt to loosely tie hanks of thread and dye flat in a pan instead of tossing in the bucket with fabric. I use cotton or silk thread in natural colors to add to my dye pot. I particularly like the silk thread from Aurora Silk in Oregon for dyeing.

A heavier weight fiber of 100% Tencel I like is dyed by Teresa Ruch. Her variegated skeins like the ones above offer an interesting range of color. I do need to try a better way of keeping these untangled once I begin using them though.

I prefer the 10/2 weight for hand-stitching. I love the look and feel of many yarns primarily used or knitting, weaving, or crochet but many do not work well for hand-stitching fabric. You can couch thicker yarns but I prefer to use the thinner yarns to stitch with instead of couch.

Habu Textiles offers fabulous different fibers for accents. They are more temperamental to work with though, so I only use them for small pops of color, texture, or interest.

I have a love/hate relationship with metallic threads. I have finally narrowed down my selection to metallics that do not make me scream in frustration. Giovanna Imperia Metal Gerbera or Verbenna were my favorite when they were still available online.

Kreinik Metallics are my favorite choice to find locally at needlepoint or embroidery stores. I prefer to see pick colors in person versus online whenever possible.

Kreinik Metallics are my primary metallics for hand-stitching. The metallic braids work for stitching my layers with very little fraying issues. I use #16 braid, Tapestry #12 braid, Fine #8 braid, and very fine #4 braid. #16 is a little thick for my preference so I only use it for added emphasis areas.

Soy Luster is a newer addition to my thread stash. I don’t like fuzzy threads but have found this Soy Luster appears fairly smooth when stitched through most of my layers.

Silken Pearl is one of the other miscellaneous brands I have tried and like though it is a bit more expensive so I only use their variegated options.

I sometimes try other new threads based on color. I generally only buy one or two colors before buying more. Treasure Braid metallics was my go-to until I switched to Kreinik Metallics. Sajou 100% cotton is a newer addition to my stash but I like it so far.

I often take a piece in progress with me to the store with a photo on my phone showing some of the threads I already plan to use. Otherwise, I find I often buy a lot of similar colors to ones I already have in my stash. This helps me expand my stash without too much overlap.

My final thought on thread for hand-stitching is that I am always looking at what brands are being used by artists I like. The lists of vendors, materials, tools, etc. in the back of books by author’s I like is always a great place to find more options. There are tons of different threads available but many are not meant for the friction of hand-stitching through fabric layers unfortunately.

Sanctuary

I am excited to announce that my piece, Sanctuary, was juried into the SAQA Oregon Habitat Exhibition. Habitat, is currently scheduled to show in six galleries throughout Oregon. It will then travel to be shown in a gallery in New Mexico.

*Sanctuary - Detail 1*

27 w x 41 h
Hand-dyed fabrics, commercial fabrics, various threads

Hand-dyeing, silk-screening, hand-stitching, machine-stitching

*Sanctuary - Detail 2*

Early in the morning when the neighborhood is just waking up, the smell of blooming star jasmine greets me. A bird hops along over the soft carpet of moss searching for breakfast while a breeze rustles the tree leaves. I am always welcomed and comforted by the embrace of my yard. Here I can finally breathe, sit, and be myself without judgment. Even when neglected, it never judges and waits patiently for my return. With time, love, and attention we heal each other. *Sanctuary* - A culmination of the shapes, colors, and shadows of the yards I have created and loved.

Sanctuary - Detail 3

Thread Selection

I have been talking with other artists about the importance of sharing our processes. Sometimes it is fun to peak behind the curtain, and see how an artist’s mind works. My mind is usually a tangle of thread. I attempted to be a little neater in my process this time just for your benefit.

I begin with a tray or box and start tossing in tons of threads. I try to add a huge variety of colors, thicknesses, and textures to my selection. Tossing the colors together, somewhat haphazardly, allows me to see color combinations that I might not normally choose. I use this same toss in a pile method for selecting fabric.

I place the tray next to the piece I am going to stitch. This allows me to get a feel for the color mixture. At this point, I weed out a few threads and/or add other thread choices.

I then check to see if I have enough variety in the color pallets I am considering for the piece. Many people think you should match thread to your fabric. I use the “matching” colors to ground the piece. But then, I add my traditionally non-matching colors. If you match all your threads, they disappear when your piece is viewed at a distance. The threads that stand out and catch your eye are the color shifts. These are the colors that work with your “matching colors” and support them in the overall effect of your design.

Now, it is time to begin stitching. Some threads will not be used and others will be added along the way.

Snow Day Art Project

During a snowstorm in 2015, I had the honor of collaborating with my 7 year old, Mazzy, on a project utilizing her preschool and kindergarten drawings and paintings. We had a towering stack of drawings and paintings that she had completed in preschool and Kindergarten. Due to the use of lower quality papers and temper paints, many of the pieces were deteriorating over time. She selected her favorite pieces to keep. The other pieces we photographed and then used in a collaboration called Mazzy's Sketches.

Mazzy cut her drawings and paintings into various geometric shapes. She then collaged them on to heavy watercolor paper using PVA glue. To preserve the paint and papers, I coated the collage with Matte Gel Medium. Once dry, I heat adhered silk organza I had previously dyed with fiber reactive dyes to Pellon 805 Wonderunder. Mazzy then cut geometric shapes from the Pellon backed silk organza and I helped her adhere them to the collage with a heated iron.

Gluing a layer of mid-weight cotton fabric to the back of the collaged watercolor paper added a more secure foundation to stitch through. Once the PVA glue dried, I then used a rotary cutter to slice the collage in to rectangles. We then arranged the rectangles in a pattern that we both liked. To add additional texture and further secure the layers together, we took turns using free motion machine stitching. The free motion stitching also connected the rectangles to each other in a panel.

I then hand stitched hexagons in a flowing pattern across the panel using a rainbow of embroidery threads.

I hand dyed a background fabric using fiber reactive dyes. I hemmed the fabric edges and added a rod pocket for display. Finally, I adhered the panel to the background fabric using smoky invisible thread and a stitch in the ditch quilting concept to hide the method of attachment. Due to the overall size of the project I have been unable to get a clear picture of the complete project. Therefore, all of my photos are currently of the panel before attaching to the background fabric. I will experiment further in methods of photographing large pieces clearly.

Collaborating with my daughter was both a fun and frustrating experience due to her young age. I am happy that we were able to create this piece together. Mazzy was thrilled when I displayed this piece in a show of my work. Perhaps at the end of elementary school we will come up with another project for her first through fifth grade drawings.

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