To get back to the modern

One of the first exercises recommended in the folder, stitching-wise (I've done a few pages of sketches, but I think the textiles themselves are a good thing to display, keeping the sketches for their sketchbooks) was to stitch criss-crossing lines, either with machine or with hand embroidery - I was given a list of twelve stitches, and for the moment, had to stick to running, back, or chain stitches. I did a few of each. Being apparently quite unable to adjust my lower bobbin tension for free machining, I got some pretty interesting results. I should say that as I have a large stash of material, old clothes, and cut-offs, I thought it would be quite thrifty and ecological to use some scraps, before I get into the exercises proper - just while I'm getting the hang of things. My first experiment I was a little afraid would be eaten up by my machine, so I used a nice piece of stiff calico. Just doodling, and not expecting anything great, I overlapped, cross-hatched, and looped my stitches. Here's a picture:

 And one of the back:

I actually quite like the effect on the back, even if it is a bit of a nightmare to sew at the time. In the places where the thread doesn't cross over itself so much, the thread behaves almost normally, though with the colours I used, it looks a little speckled, and kind of... mouldy. Where it does cross too much, it brings up little nests of bobbin thread, which you should be able to see in the zoomed view.
Here are two details, of the 'nests' and the 'mould'.

As the system worked out with quite a robust product resulting, I thought I would try overlapping a few scraps and using different thread colours.This time I really went for it, making the nests very large. I could use this technique later on, I'm sure - as long as I don't expect something too neat out of it. Excuse the pictures of this one, they didn't come out as well as the others.

Front

Back

I think that if I were to use my machine again, I would use my larger hoop, and keep the foot down, rather than going totally freehand. It's an interesting little experiment, and I'll keep in mind all those quick-to-produce but really quite effective loops.