Ann Vollum: Finding freedom in stitching

key takeaways from Exploring Texture & Pattern in terms of process?

Valuable lessons I learnt were:

• How to use back stitch drawing and tissue paper to transfer images. Prior to this, I had been drawing straight onto the cloth. I still do this for my Beasties and landscapes, but use the tissue transfer technique for doing people.
• The concept of small samples for experimentation. It is wonderful to have absolute freedom to experiment without being afraid of ruining a larger piece and to experiment with themes that are not in my usual artistic vocabulary.
• For some reason, I had never thought to use different numbers of strands of floss for effects or to mix threads in the needle.
• Techniques explored in the course including couching, needle weaving and applying appliqué to a back stitch drawings have opened up huge possibilities for me. I was reluctant to do the appliqué part of the course and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
• From looking at everyone’s samples, I am stunned by the talent and am always getting ideas from their posts.

But the number one lesson I learnt from the course is that using a few simple concepts creatively creates enormous artistic freedom.

What elements of making textile art were you struggling with in terms of the creative process and how has your approach changed (if it has) as a result of Exploring Texture & Pattern?

I used to look at Pinterest for ideas, but doing the course has opened up so many more possibilities for me. I am constantly looking at the work of the other students in the Private Exploring Texture & Pattern Facebook Community to inspire me. I absorb it and then often do not look at it again. I find it best to absorb ideas through osmosis; in this way there is no temptation to copy!

After the first few classes in the course, I began to experience a free flow of ideas when creating the experimental samples. However, when it came to working on my own personal piece I felt more intimidated, wondering which of the techniques to use and when.

But since completing the course, I have found freedom in stitching with fewer threads and in a more varied way, and am doing more mental planning of my pieces.

And I definitely have a much broader scope of possibilities for my work. I am excited to see where it takes me.

Elevating my art through stitch

And how has your work developed?

Since taking the course, I believe my work has matured and become more sophisticated. I added hand stitching to my cut cloth pieces (which had been lying around in my studio for sometime in an unfinished state, but with me undecided as to how to complete them) and was pleased with the result. The stitch adds another dimension to the pieces, which in my view really elevates them.

I am now working with fabric that has a much lighter weave which is much more conducive to stitching than the heavy canvas I had been working with. I am stitching with a more limited number of threads but being more inventive with them, mixing threads in the needle, and using spacing and the direction of stitches more creatively.

A big difference too is the addition of children into my work, made possible by the tracing paper and back stitch method I learned on the course.

All the techniques I learnt on the course and the exposure to all the different samples and work by other students have been very inspirational. I love that I now have a great resource book (which I made on the course) to look through when I need inspiration.

What did you most enjoy about the course and what were the greatest challenges?

That’s a difficult question! I think what I most enjoyed was the community aspect, the fact that I never felt like I was doing the course in a vacuum. Sue and the other students were out there to give their support.

I liked that all sections of the course encouraged us to to follow our individual artistic bent, that it was ok to stray a bit from the task at hand, and that in no way was this a course in which you had to do set tasks in a ridgid way.

As a graphic designer, I loved that the course is so beautifully and clearly presented visually.

My greatest challenge was doing the class on turned-in appliqué. It can be fiddly getting the fabric to fit, I would cut it out and it would end up not fitting right. I was happy that I persevered and will be using the technique in future pieces!

Connection and inspiration

How were you supported on the course by Sue and the other students and did the interaction play an important role in your development?

The support and inspiration I got from Sue, Joe, Sam and other students on the course was and is a huge part of what makes this course so great.

The webinars that Sue gives are always very interesting and informative, and it is so useful to have them in the library and to go back and rewatch them. Through these webinars one gets to feel a connection with Sue that would be absent without them. They are a great opportunity to have questions answered, to learn more about Sue’s work, and to listen to her comments on the student pieces.

I am also a big fan of the Private Facebook group attached to the course; it is so inspiring to see what everyone else is up to. I have learnt so much by looking at all the amazing samples that are posted and am in awe of the talent in the group.

The comments left by fellow students are so useful, and encouraging, it has been really amazing to watch the development of individual students in their work and to see the progression of individual pieces. This is a wonderful upbeat community from all over the world.

What has been your experience of making textile art since completing the course and which elements of the teaching do you revisit when creating your work if any?

Since completing the course, I have been working on a “sister” piece to They Come Out By Night, which I worked on whilst doing the course. This piece is a bit trippier, I used the back stitch and tissue paper drawing method for the boy. I will also be adding couching and will use appliqué for the main beast and the boy.

I am now working with a variety of strands in the needle and mixing colours in the needle, something I hadn’t explored before taking the course.

It is the residual experience of doing the course that I am constantly drawing on, and I also look back through my printouts and samples to get inspiration, and am of course still posting my progress in the Facebook group!

A culmination of skills and vision developed over many years

Tell us about a piece of work you’ve made that you’re particularly proud of and why.

I’m really proud of my piece They Come Out by Night, (18” x 17.5”) as it is a great transformation piece for me. I had never done a piece like this before, I see it as a culmination of skills and of a vision developed over many years.

Finally, I am working in a textile medium, the medium that I wanted to explore over 30 years ago but was sidestepped from. This piece which has been very well received has proved to myself that I have the patience, the ability and the temperament to work using hand stitching to express my artistic vision. I am excited by future possibilities.

Can you talk us through the creation of this piece from conception to creation.

My work always flows from the subconscious mind, so I do not do much planning in advance. I just commit to whatever I come up with in the moment.

I knew I wanted to do a large piece with a substantial composition so, as I was about to travel to Europe, I drew out my main beast in pencil on the fabric and chose my image for the little girl before I left. I then threw an assortment of embroidery floss and yarn into my bag, along with special fold up scissors for the airplane.

The piece is created using many of the techniques I explored in the online course with Sue.

The tongue is heavily stitched. This caused the cloth to wrinkle, though, I have to say this does not bother me. I kind of like it not being flat.

Spiders were added as a remembrance of all the spiders I encountered at my parent’s house in rural France; they have a pretty active bat population there too! Bats, snakes, long tongues and sharp teeth seem to be in all my pieces.

I decided to do the girl’s dress all in white with a running stitch but with barely any strands in between stitches. The spiders and tall green plants are couched wool, and once home, I needle felted the Beastie, (I hadn’t yet covered the appliqué part of the course at the time and indeed was putting it off as I was a bit intimidated by it!).

The Beast has couching around it to add definition. I was not happy with the plain needle felting and so stitched into it for detail to add character.

As I was stitching away from my studio, the coloured backgrounds were painted in after the stitching was done; it seemed that the stitching was too busy and needed to be quietened down. It was a little nerve wracking painting over and between stitches, however I am very pleased with the outcome.

Once finished I had to figure out how I was going to display the piece in a show I had coming up. I did not allow extra cloth around the edges of my piece for framing. Not wanting to put the piece behind glass, I stitched a cloth panel to display it. The piece is attached in multiple places to the background so that the weight of the piece is spread out. I left the bottom third of the piece loose so that it can be lifted up to view the back, which I always find intriguing.

Building a body of textile work

Have you shown any of the work you’ve made and what has the response been?

I have been showing my work consistently in galleries for many years now, however, In 2016, I showed my first textile piece Sigil of Mullov Nna at Booked 13 at The Pierro Gallery in South Orange, NJ.

In 2017 I showed Serendipity in Booked 14, a large piece with a lace-like design cut out of it, with some hand stitching included and in March of this year I showed my first heavily embroidered piece, the piece which inspired me to take Sue’s course — Motherlode.

All these pieces have been extremely well received which has encouraged me to continue on my textile journey.

Most recently in November 2018 I had a solo show at The Watchung Arts Center, NJ, USA where I showcased my textile work, which included cut Tyvek, cut fabric/stenciled works with hand stitching, and my hand embroidered pieces along with some of the abstract pieces I did for samples for the course. It was wonderful to see the body of work displayed together for the first time, and I was very encouraged by the reception of the work.

How do you see your work developing in the future?

I plan to do a series of trippy pieces in the vein of the one that I am presently working on, all the time working to more define my style.

As a counter to these pieces I plan to do more cut lace/stenciled pieces embellished with stitching. I’m thinking that these images might reflect the ones in the more colorful trippy images. The pieces take a long time to do though so this might end up being a long term plan.

For a break, I will do some quick little abstracts as I really enjoyed doing those on the course. The back stitch drawing method has opened up possibilities to me for adding children to my pieces, so future pieces will most likely have children in them.

For more information visit Ann’s website.

How do you use stitch as a means of creative expression? Have you found your artistic voice using textiles? Tell us your stitch story in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.