Stitcher:

Designer:

Location:

Description:

I wanted to attempt a modern sculptured work with needlepoint. I knew I was going out on a limb, and wasn’t at all certain that what I envisioned would succeed. The concept began with a four-way bargello pattern combining overdyed and solid silks with metallic threads that would represent algae, seaweed, and water in a tidal pool at low tide. The very dark center represents the sediment that collects in the pool at the bottom.

I wanted the piece to have depth, and had been recently working with a woven copper screen that had an extremely fine mesh. I thought a similar material might be great to represent the rocks surrounding the tidal pool, but wanted something that would have more body than the very fine mesh. I found a copper sculpting mesh with 1/8-inch holes (Wireform® Impression Mesh) that seemed to work perfectly. This was molded into a rough bowl shape and three different verdigris finishes, bronze, blue and green, were applied to weather it a bit. The inside is18-count mono canvas in aquamarine, lined on the inside bottom with a marbled paper.

The starfish is adapted from one in an excellent book by Josephine Ruth Paine, Bargello Stars, Shells, and Borders, and needlewoven on interlock canvas. The starfish is attached at the edge of the pool and is crawling up the rocks looking for its dinner. Various forms of seaweed are floating along the edge of the pool and woven into the rocks, along with algae and moss. Other plants have been stitched onto the rocks in silk and chiffon ribbons. Coral and real shells, some of which were brought back from the South Pacific by my dad after World War II, are appliquéd onto the piece. Chitons are represented by mother-of-pearl. Hydra (animals which look like plants) are stitched in chenille. Sea urchins and an anemone are interpreted in beads, and the crab that is peeking out is a carved coral bead.

The piece is approximately 14 inches in diameter and about 6 inches high. The inside of the bowl is18-count mono canvas in aquamarine. The starfish was stitched on 18-count interlock canvas. The inside of the bowl is done predominantly in a four-way bargello. The edges are finished in an irregular buttonhole stitch, and there are some scattered seed stitches, French knots, and cross-stitches. The needlewoven starfish was appliquéd onto the canvas. Couching, back stitch and random long and short stitch represent plant life on the rocks.

The silk threads for the four-way Bargello were Needlepoint, Inc. Silk floss mixed with Thread Gatherer Silk ’n Colors and Caron Collection Watercolours. The metallic blended in that section is Madeira Super Twist. Some of the seaweed is made from Fabulous Fiber Peluche and Soft Sensation. Thread Gatherer and other manufacturers’ silk ribbons were used along with eyelash, chenille, real shells, bugle beads, seed beads, and carved beads. The starfish is made from DMC pearl cotton, Caron Collection Impressions and Renaissance Design Sprinkles, and is stuffed with polyester batting.