Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping, and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today all about war and conflict in art and paying particular interest to textiles.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking, and exploring together in this lesson.

So, shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to use a variety of stitches to join and embellish fabric.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords.

We'll be using these keywords during the lesson, so it might be a good idea to write these words down.

The keywords we'll be using today are embroidery, samples, arpillera.

I'm going to say those words again, and I would like you to repeat them after me, embroidery, samples, arpillera.

Good job.

Now let's think in more detail what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

Embroidery means decorating fabric using a needle and thread.

Samples are small pieces of fabric where you can practise different stitches or techniques.

An arpillera is a fabric picture that tells a story using sewn pieces of cloth.

Pause the video here to make a note of these keywords, and when you're ready to continue, press play.

These are the learning cycles that'll be working through together in today's lesson.

We're going to create stitch samples, and we're going to use a variety of stitches to join and embellish.

In this first learning cycle, we're going to have a go at creating stitch samples.

What are these images examples of? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, these images show different embroidery stitches.

So can you see how each one is different? Stitches are used by designers and textile artists in many different ways.

Sometimes stitches are used to join fabric together, such as with clothes, cushions, or upholstery.

Stitches can also be used in a decorative way.

This is sometimes called embroidery.

Embroidery involves sewing threads into a material to create pattern, shapes, and even detailed pictures, such as flowers, animals, or lettering.

You can see an example of some embroidery here.

Can you see the detail that's been created to put these flowers onto this fabric? Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Stitches are just used to join materials together.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that's false, you're absolutely right.

But why is that statement false? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? Well, maybe you said something like: While stitches can be used to join materials together, they are also used in a skilled and decorative way through embroidery.

Well done.

For all stitches made with a needle, an artist will need to thread their needle.

A tool to help with this is called a needle threader.

So here is a needle threader, and that helps the artist thread their needle.

Can you see how they're using that tool? You thread the big loop of the needle threader through the eye of the needle.

Then you place your thread through the loop, and you pull the loop back through the eye of the needle.

Artists may practise their stitches on samples.

So you can see here some samples showing a whip stitch and French knot.

Samples can be useful to refer back to or remind an artist of how to achieve a particular look or effect.

Now, looking at these two different types of stitches, they look rather different, don't they, so they create a different effect.

To make a sample, an artist might need the following equipment: an embroidery needle, embroidery thread, a needle threader, and some small pieces of card.

You might also need some masking tape, a rubber, and a pencil.

Samples begin in a similar way, even if your stitches are different.

First of all, you draw the dots on your card where you'll need to make small holes.

And then you place a rubber behind your card and use your needle to make holes where you have placed your dots.

So can you see the needle is on top of the dot, and you press through, and the rubber's underneath to make sure that that needle goes into the rubber and nowhere else.

And then thirdly, attach your thread to the back of your card with masking tape.

This is a sample of a running stitch here.

Can you see what that looks like? It is a really useful stitch for both joining and decorating materials.

Perhaps you've seen this stitch before.

You can also make a sample of a running stitch.

Firstly, set up your sample by drawing dots, threading your needle, and attaching with masking tape.

Then come up through the first dot.

And then come back down through the second dot.

And carry on repeating until you've created a sample of a running stitch.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which step is missing from creating a sample of a running stitch? So have a look there at these steps.

We've got set up your sample by drawing dots, threading your needle, and attaching with masking tape.

Then we've got come back down through the second dot, and we've got repeat.

So which step is missing? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that it's to come up through the first dot, you're absolutely right, well done.

This is a sample of a whip stitch.

Have a look at that there.

It's a little similar to the running stitch, but it's also different.

How is it different? Well, a whip stitch is good to join small shapes together.

You can make a sample of a whip stitch like this.

You set up your sample by drawing dots, threading your needle, and attaching with masking tape.

Then you bring your needle up through the fabric from the back to the front.

Then you return your needle to the back of your fabric or card to create a loop around the edge.

So can you see how that's different? This stitch almost wraps around that card or fabric.

Then lastly, you pull the needle back to the front through the next hole, and you repeat.

You see how that's gonna go all the way around the edge of that card.

Now, this is a sample of a French knot.

It's also mainly used as a decorative stitch and can add texture to an embroidered artwork.

Can you see how it creates that little knot there? I wonder what that would feel like.

You can make a sample of a French knot by drawing your dots again, threading your needle, and attaching with masking tape.

Then you bring the needle up through the fabric where you want the knot.

Then you wrap the thread around the needle one to three times, holding the tension gently with your non-dominant hand.

So take a look at that picture there.

Can you see how you've got hold of the needle in one hand? And then you wrap the thread around the needle three or so times, and keeping that held with your other hand.

Then you need to insert the needle back down very close to where it came up, but not in the exact hole, and pull slowly until the knot forms. So can you see how that's creating quite a thick knot on the top there? And then this is a sample of a blanket stitch.

Have a look at this here.

Blanket stitch is good for stitching around the edges of larger fabric pieces, so it's a bit different to the whip stitch.

Now you can make your sample by drawing your dots, threading your needle, and attaching with masking tape.

And then you need to bring the needle up through the fabric from the back to the front, then come back down through the next, diagonal lower hole.

So it's slightly different here, we're going down diagonally.

Then bring your needle back up to make a loop with the thread.

So can you see where the needle is in that picture there? Then you need to pull the thread until it's tight, and then you keep repeating that action.

So can you see how that loop, that first loop there, has got the thread underneath it? And as you go into the next part, it's going to create that extra loop at the top.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which image shows a running stitch? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said it's B, you're absolutely right.

A running stitch is both useful as a joining and a decorative stitch.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to have a go at first threading your needle to create a running stitch sample.

Then create a whip stitch sample.

Then create a French knot sample.

And then create a blanket stitch sample.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at threading your needle and having a go at each of these different types of stitches, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you get on? Which stitch did you find the easiest or the most trickiest? Well, hopefully you've had a go at threading your needle like the artist is doing here.

So using the tool to push it through and pull it back through the eye of the needle there.

Well done if you managed to do that.

Then your samples.

Hopefully you've had to go at a running stitch, a whip stitch, a French knot, and a blanket stitch.

And maybe you've got a favourite.

I know I like to do the whip stitch.

I find it a little bit easier to go round the outside of the card.

But maybe you liked more of a challenge, maybe the French knot or the blanket stitch.

Well done for having a go at each of these different stitch samples.

This now brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to use a variety of stitches to join and embellish.

So before you begin stitching your arpillera, you may want to refer back to your design.

Are there any changes that you'd like to make to the stitches you planned to use? So pause the video here and give yourself a moment to reflect, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Were there any changes you'd like to make? Or maybe you'd like to stick with the same stitches you've chosen.

Well, you can make a note or draw on your plan to remind yourself of the changes you want to make.

So Izzy says, "I didn't know how to make French knots before, but will now include them in my arpillera for the portholes on the ship." So maybe you've learned a new stitch that you'd like to include.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

A design can be adapted to include a wider variety of stitches.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here to give yourself a moment to think, and then press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that's true, you're absolutely right, well done.

Can you explain why that's true? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? Well, maybe you said something like: You may wish to include a wider variety of stitches than you first planned.

It's absolutely fine for a design to be adapted to include new things.

So, let's gather and prepare your materials.

You need an embroidery needle, you need embroidery thread, and you need your needle threader.

And you might find it useful to create a knot at the end of your thread.

This stops the thread from passing through your fabric.

So hold your thread.

Hold your needle.

Wrap your thread around the needle two or three times.

Push the loop down the needle and hold.

Then pull the needle whilst holding the knot.

And then your knot is now made.

And when tying off or finishing a piece of thread, you can finish your stitches, turn your fabric over so the back is visible, then thread your needle under a stitch and leave a loop.

So have a look at that image there.

Can you see how the needle has been thread underneath and then a little loop has been left.

Now thread your needle back through the loop.

And when you pull tightly and repeat twice to make sure that's fully secure, then you've then finished and ended your stitch.

Now, you can refer to your samples to remind you of the embroidery stitches you wish to use.

You may have selected a running stitch, a whip stitch, a French knot, or a blanket stitch.

And you might use them for different elements of your design.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which image shows a thread being finished? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said it's A, you're absolutely right.

Threads can be neatly finished on the reverse side of the fabric.

This now brings us to our second learning task.

I'd like you to use a variety of stitches to embroider your arpillera.

So refer to your design to identify which stitch you would like to use to sew each piece.

Make sure you've gathered the materials that you're going to need to sew.

Then use a knot in the thread to begin stitching.

And make sure you finish off your thread by looping through the previous stitches on the back of your arpillera.

Now, you've got your samples there to refer to to help you with the stitched elements of your design.

Now it's time for you to have a go at embroidering your arpillera.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at embroidering your arpillera, and when you're ready to continue, press play.

How did you get on? Well, let's take a look at this example.

Your arpillera might include adaptations to your design.

Maybe you included a French knot because that's a new stitch you've come across.

Hopefully you've had a go with the stitches that you practised in your samples.

Maybe you've used that whip stitch or that blanket stitch that we can see here on the houses.

Or perhaps the stitch round the whole of your arpillera, maybe you've used a blanket stitch for that.

Well, well done for having a go at all of these different stitches to embroider your arpillera.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about stitching an arpillera.

While stitches can be used to join textiles, they are also used in a skilled and decorative way through embroidery.

Embroidery samples can be useful for an artist to remind them how to achieve a particular look or effect.

An artist may begin sewing their arpillera by securing a knot at the end of their thread.

And then to neatly secure the end of a thread, artists may pass it through previous stitches on the reverse side of their design.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time.