Extra Texture 'Sketches'.

I've been feeling that I haven't taken enough time recently to work in my sketchbook, and as sketchbooks are really all about experimentation, I've put together this little collection of machine-stitched 'sketches' of architectural textures that I think may come in useful in my final assignment.
These little exercises were simple, though very time-consuming. They were inspired by the technique I had to improvise to ensure my stitching lines were straight when stitching the panels for my box.

I made these by collecting some basic stock images of textures from the internet and either making them into line drawings, or keeping them as they are and improvising with the machine. Once I was happy with them, I printed them on some cheap paper, as the thinner kind makes it easier to tear at the end. As you can see there are 8, and they're only partially torn away. They feature a mix of textures, some more regular than others. The irregular patterns were, obviously, the more difficult to execute. I would say there were three of these. The wood, a close-up of which can be seen below, and the two kinds of church wall - flint and reclaimed stone. I think I'm most pleased with the wood, though that slightly puffed, quilted effect lent by the felt means that each of them has a lovely, tactile surface. In some cases, shorter lines had to be recrossed by the machine because the pattern wouldn't allow for a single pass across the sheet. This was most obvious in the brick patterns. However, carefully stitching into the same holes prevented this from becoming an issue. Let's have a look at a few close-ups: firstly, the wood.

Some of the irregular stones (each marked with a tick when I had stitched all the way around them).

Part of the flint sampler, only stitched midway across to show a little of the original photo.

The slightly raised effect demonstrated nicely by the scallops.

And your basic bricks:

I'm very encouraged by this section, and the emphasis I've placed on architectural motifs means I have an obvious choice for my theme book later in the course. Expect more sketches and experiments on this idea to come.