Ethos Digital Embroidery

This week I learned how to use the Ethos software to create a design to be stitched out by the multi-head machine.

I began by scanning in some of my previous samples and using the software to draw running stitches, satin stitch and fill in some of the shapes on the screen. 

I like the graphic quality of the lines that are stitched as well as the abstract shapes, which contrast (but compliment) each other effectively. I played around with changing the stitch order, the colours, and composition of the stitched lines by pausing and skipping the machine to leave the support stitches for the filled areas.

 

Although I like the effects on the finished samples, it was difficult to be patient with the machinery as the threads kept snapping due to some of the satin stitches being too wide for the machine to handle. This meant that I had to keep re-threading the machine, so I can now say that I am a pro at threading it up!

I would consider creating structures from the embroidery samples from this machine, although I think this might effect the graphic quality of the samples. I think they would look better on a flat, but larger scale, piece of fabric, possibly collaborated with digital prints as a background to work onto. This could be the interior element for set design, and the structures could be used for both interior space or on the body as a mannequin in a shop window display, for example.