Abstract AD 3 Machine pieced felt, twin needled with pleated fabric, net and lamé and gold foil
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When the V&A Museum first asked me to demonstrate my work and the textile
techniques I use, I was delighted. I was slightly less thrilled when they
specified my work had to be inspired by Art Deco. I asked if I could be inspired by Art Nouveau instead
as I much preferred the style, but the Art Nouveau exhibition at the V&A had taken place several years
ago and my demonstration was to tie in with the Art Deco exhibition. Having spent six months immersing
myself in Art Deco architecture, I have now become quite a convert.
Abstract AD 1 Machine pieced felt, fabric, netting and paper, embellished with sequins
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As a style, Art Deco is not defined by one particular look, but relates to certain objects and
buildings designed between the two World Wars. It was originally known as Jazz Moderne - and only
became known as Art Deco in the 1970s, a much more evocative name, bringing to mind a decadent
time with girls in flapper dresses dancing the Charleston. Despite the plethora of Art Deco
architecture in London such as the Hoover building on the Westway, the Daily Express building on Fleet
Street, and various tube stations, it was of New York's skyscrapers that really caught my imagination.
Gillian demonstrating
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I love the modular nature of the buildings and the immense amount of detailed thought that had gone
into their decoration. Thus inspired, I worked in my sketchbook collaging images together, creating
drawings of my favourite details in different media and looking to see how they reacted as a repeat.
Art Deco makes me think of opulence and bold flat colour and this suggested manufactured wool felt
as a possible material, and limited use of gold lamé and gold leaf. Art Deco can also be a very geometric
style and therefore can be immediately translated into patchwork.
Rather than start with the finished product in mind, I find I create more interesting pieces if I leave
myself open to what happens when I start playing with the fabric. Happy accidents occur and help
build up the final idea into something more exciting than the original drawings. So, setting myself the
boundaries of primarily using 4in square blocks, I experimented with ways of getting my ideas onto the
fabric. Among the techniques that I tried included twin needling, using a princess pleater on layers of
light weight fabric (the felt broke too many needles), boiling pieces of felt tied up with thread, and using
net to give more interest to the surface of the felt. Where I liked a piece and thought it was successful,
I produced more and soon had a bank of blocks ready to join together.
Photograph of a sculpture typical of Art Deco style
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Gillian took photographs to use for inspiration. This is the lobby of the Empire State Building, New York
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One of my favourite techniques is to use heavy satin stitch by employing a close-set zigzag stitch
on the sewing machine, and this was my primary method of patching. I found that backing the felt
with Vilene gave a better stitch mark and also added a pleasing sense of weight. Reviewing the first bigger
pieces, I felt that they were lacking in that spark of magic: although the flat colour of the felt was very
Art Deco, large areas of it were not very interesting to look at. Going back to my drawings and original
photos, I realised that the walls of the buildings are never totally flat; there is always some form of
graininess. So some samples were cut up and re-pieced, while others had extra pieces of pleated
fabric or net or beads added to them.
Abstract AD 2 Machine pieced felt, with screen printed fabric, printed paper, pleated scrim and gold lamé
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As usual, I despaired at times of ever having a presentable finished piece. However, also as
usual there came a point where everything fell into place and finally I had at least three final
pieces resolved.
In Abstract AD 4, the orange and red felt work well together, with the small area of blue just adding
complimentary interest. The blue beads help emphasise the vertical nature of the piece, harking
back to the skyscrapers that had inspired it. The change in intensity in the red of the circles was
created by varying the amount of net added by free machine-quilting.
Abstract AD3 comprises nine felt squares machine-pieced together. All of them have twinneedled
lines on them. These lines create small ridges on the surface and were done in two threads,
one matt and one shiny for added interest.
Paper collage from Gillian's sketchbook
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The demonstration took place in the textile gallery of the V&A on the first weekend of the Art
Deco exhibition. Although it was beautiful weather, the museum was very busy, with the exhibition
selling out by lunchtime both days. It was great fun to show my work to members of the public (my
eight-month old son is not a very discerning critic) and to demonstrate a variety of techniques I had
used. I had borrowed a princess pleater machine and this created a great deal of interest as I fed the fabric
in one side and it magically came out the other side pleated. Children liked seeing how the gold and red
foil had been applied to the fabric, and there was general amusement as I explained how I had
managed to create the variation of colour on the felt: I had boiled several different colours together
as I was impatient to see if it would work and commercial felt is not colour fast at 100ºC!
Gillian made a number of sketchbook designs
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Now back in my studio, I am already thinking
of the next stages of this series. Although the project
is finished in the sense that I have completed the
demonstrations, there is always another bigger,
better piece lurking at the back of my mind, just
waiting to be made.
Abstract AD4 Machine pieced felt, quilted net and beads
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First published in Popular Patchwork Volume 11 Number 6 - July 2003
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