I thought that the woven papers worked really well visually as a base substrate. I’ve been thinking of patchwork birch trees since my summer holiday so it was lovely to follow this idea through. Some of the paper strips were not very absorbent so the glue has separated and the paper is a little fragile – exactly like peeled birch bark. I had to handle the paper carefully and be careful about closeness of stitch holes to each other. I’m really pleased with the outcome.
The second sample is based on the Kachin skirt from Burma. During my visit to Brighton and Hove museum to draw the piece I had a chat with one of the curators about tradition British dress and learnt of Whitework ( which needs further investigation by me) I like that the creases in the paper cast subtle shadows and that the little shell buttons are all similar but different . Not so much work in this sample but to be honest I was very very keen to move on to the fabric samples.