The pressure was on for the letter W. Family members - whose also have a last name that starts with W - indicated they were quite looking forward to seeing this letter.

So here it is. Since it's name begins with the word "double" I decided to double up on "W" techniques. The first technique was to paint the background (fabric) with watercolour pencils. Once it dried, I gelled the fabric onto a stabilizer. The second technique was the embroidery using 2 different stitches (including the Whip stitch) and in 2 different colours. (Click on the image to see a larger size.)

Have I met the expectations?

Next, on to the letter X. I never did find a technique or material to fit this letter, so I went with "texture" since it does at least have the letter X in it.
Three textures are included here: a sand resin (green), moulding paste (blue) and a smooth polymer medium (orange).

The countdown is on, only 4 letters left.

Letter T - Tissue Paper - a surprisingly versatile medium. 
I started with white paper, added blue acrylic paint and a polymer medium. After it dried, I added a stabilizer to the back using a gel medium to give it more strength so I could then add the embroidery stitches.


Letter U - is for "Upcycled". The definition of upcycling is re-using a material for another purpose (vs. recycling which is about re-using the material for the same purpose).
To make this letter, I gathered up old Christmas cards and tore them into small pieces to make a collage in the U shape, then added a bit of stitching to complete the look.


Finally, Letter V - Van Dyke Stitch.
Originally the letter V was to be velvet embossing. I followed the instructions, tried a second time, but just wasn't happy with the results. So after a bit of research, I stumbled across the Van Dyke embroidery stitch which I had never heard of until this week. I'm quite taken with how it looks and will definitely use it again. This is a great example of being happy about the original plan not working out!

Apparently  over 300 embroidery stitches have been developed and perfected over hundreds of years. In this week's class and next, I'm supposed to be learning 6 or 7 of the 300.

We get to choose which ones - it all depends on the picture we have chosen to do, and how we each choose to represent the textures and objects in our drawings. I think it took longer to go through books to choose stitches than the time that we were stitching.

As this is not a "traditional" embroidery class, we tend towards non-traditional backgrounds in most cases including paper, denim, felt, even leather and canvas. There was some discussion of trying plastic or mylar to see how it would work. As my work in the past has been on paper and since some stitches don't lend themselves well to paper, I am trying out different fabrics and alternatives.

The piece I am working on will end up being a colour wheel, and will be used as a training tool for teaching colour theory in my classes and when teaching stitching on paper. And hopefully it will also make an interesting piece of wall art. To do a full colour wheel plus neutrals, I should end up doing at least 14-15 different stitches. Two done.....

Van Dyke Stitch - done on jersey which is not easy. I had never even heard of this stitch until yesterday.

Trellis Stitch - this is do much easier done on cotton. What a difference from jersey!

Q - Quilting -
This is the first time I have tried quilting, and my thanks go to Quilting Arts magazine for instructions.
I did not use batting (the book is getting quite thick after all), but did use a stabilizer which was recommended in the magazine. All the stitching was done by hand, and the felt and letter appliqued on.

Having now finished this piece, there may be more art quilts in my future!

R is for ribbons.
I used a variety of colours on the letter to create this collage of ribbon work, using couching to attach the ribbons. I am quite pleased with the result. I have seen large pieces using similar techniques and have loved the effect. Perhaps a large scale ribbon piece will also be in my future.

S - Stamping on Fabric
I watched this technique done in India using vibrant colours and creating beautiful fabrics.
Here I used a hand stamp with 2 colours of acrylic paint. Looks like it was made that way I think.

The Alphabet Book will be on display at the Fibre Fling Show & Sale - details below. Click to enlarge the poster.

http://www.out-of-the-box.org/

 
N is for needleweaving. I wrapped strips of ribbon around a piece of cardboard, then did the weaving with a needle & thread to create the letter. Once done I cut the weaving off the cardboard and adhered it to a background.

  
O is for oil stix. I used this oil paint over some textured plates to create the coloured effects on the green and the peach coloured fabrics. I then cut out the O and used fabric glue to attach it. This will be a good project to try again to get some interesting backgrounds.

P is for paste papers. This letter P includes 6 different papers, with varying colours and textures. Some I made with a wheat paste and others with cornstarch paste. I definitely prefer the wheat paste and one day will try to make it with a gluten-free flour.