Ellen Collington was a participant in our ‘Creative Use of Stitches Class’ in Guelph. She drew her inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Salvador Dali. As well as these two creators, she also combined the learnings of three classes into this project. You will see photoprinting on fabric, a variety of stitches and the construction of an accordion book. On top of all these variables, her house was undergoing extensive renovation, her workspace was nonexistent and her stash unavailable.
Down The Rabbit Hole:
Sailor edge, feather, knot, seed, satin, straight, pekinese
Chain: square
Outline: whipped
Down The Rabbit Hole
Advice from a Caterpillar:
Antwerp edge, back, rope, knot, pearl, vandyke, outline
Chain: twisted, whipped
Feather: closed
Advice from a Caterpillar
“Who in the world am I? Ah, that is a great puzzle”
“Do you think I’ve gone round the bend?”
“I’m afraid so. You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret.
All the best people are.”
“You used to be much more…’muchier.’ You’ve have lost your muchness.”
“And what is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversation?”
“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”
The Mock Turtle’s Story:
Sailor edge, satin, web, knot, feather, back, straight, buttonhole
Outline: whipped
Chain: square twisted, whipped, detached
Mock Turtle’s Story
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Written by Lewis Carroll. Pen name for Charles Dodgson (1832 – 1898)
Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989)
Spanish Surrealist Painter
The Mad Tea Party:
Antwerp edge, back, knot, feather
Outline: whipped
Chain: twisted, whipped
The Mad Tea Party
My challenge criteria for the Alice Project:
To develop a stitch sampler, using as many traditional stitches as possible.
To work entirely by hand, using only DMC: stranded cotton, spooled metallic thread
and number 5 perle cotton.
To use stitch only . . . no beads, applique, yarn, silk, ribbon, purchased or machine made embellishments.
To highlight focal points and allow at least 50% of the printed background to show.
To use the colours as they appear in the printed fabric rather than the brighter version in the photos.
There are eight embroideries in the Alice Project book. They are combined with the photos and text in a book that opens out in both directions like an accordion.
I hope that you have enjoyed seeing Ellen’s creativity. I will be forwarding all your comments to her.
This is a superb piece of work. Love it!
The rabbits are fantastic. So is the tortoise. Those are my two favorite, probably because I once had rabbits and at the same time a roommate with turtles. What a fantastic challenge with gorgeous results. It is really breathtaking. Thanks for sharing your student’s work. It is always spectacular.