Samples p2-13 and p2-14
I used bank drafting paper for the flounce and copy paper for the base material. Both flounces are the same size. The curve on the base is the same, but one is concave (p2-13, on the left below) and one convex (p2-14, on the right). Flounces are attached using many, many short lengths of sticky tape.

Samples p2-13 and p2-14 Top view

Samples p2-13 and p2-14 Side view
There is no drape in the paper, and with sample p2-13 in particular it was very hard to persuade to sit in the same plane as the base material. I didn’t want to press in pleats, but some creasing was needed to stop the flounce flipping over the other way.
Very nice volume, shadows and lines.
Sample p2-15
For the next sample I wanted to keep flat, with curved edges that fit neatly together. This sample used 2mm balsa wood and slightly thicker cork mat.

Sample p2-15 Wood cut
A fairly complex line was traced from a french curve on the wood, which was then cut and sanded.
The wood then acted as a template for the cork.

Sample p2-15 Pieces ready
The fit is fairly good. I chose challenging materials to cut and was quite pleased with the result.
I used a waxed linen thread, bought for bookbinding, to stitch the wood and cork together.

Sample p2-15 Stitching in progress
Stitch placement was based on a set of rules I devised. Working from one end, one stitch at a time, don’t look back, don’t look far forward. Measure forward 1 cm from the previous stitch along the join line. Lay a ruler across the join at that point, and pivot so the ruler markings line up with the next little section of join (that is, to form a continuous line). Measure out 1 cm each side and pierce to make stitching holes. Stitch. Repeat. I was thinking of Jim Lambie (having seen Zobop at the MCA last year – 15-April-2014) – tape along the border of a room. Lay another line next to it. Repeat.

Sample p2-15
It looks a mess. The curve is lost in a jumble of lines pointing every which way.

Sample p2-15 Reverse
The back is cluttered in a different way. Those painstaking measurements make no sense. It looks jabbed at random.
As an experiment, I drew the line in ballpoint pen on a piece of paper, and marked lines with a chalk-pastel pencil.

Sample p2-15 Drawn version
The lines make sense. Nothing was measured, except by eye. I can still see the flow of the curve. Just a few simplifying choices in the tight curves, a wider view taken both ahead and behind, and the effect is very, very different.
The drawn line is smoother than my cuts, and of course there are no gaps at all, which simplifies and clarifies.
I like the wood and cork because it is a record of a thing that happened. It has the imperfections of life, the mis-steps of not knowing what’s ahead. I like the textures of wood and cork and thread together. There is more to discover as I look at it longer.
Sample p2-16
For curved edges with a gap, I picked up some styrofoam packaging. Highly three dimensional, but my focus is the top surface and those curving edges (which cradled our new rice cooker in a previous life).The first join of simple cocktail sticks in the sides will stabilise the large pieces while I work.

Sample p2-16 a
The play of light on the two materials works well. The decorative metal straps enrich the image, but the rather delicate line of the curved top is still visible, enhanced by the shadows of the void below. The large area of the white stryofoam is actually quite complex, and balances well with the stronger colour but smaller area of the metal.

Sample p2-16 c
The tags were difficult to connect firmly – the styrofoam surface was beginning to show damage. To me it just appears busy and messy. The tags need to create more of a visual statement, or else fade more into the general view. The tag I put on the top to show the materials used now appears as a saving grace, helping the viewer to interpret the image.

Sample p2-16 d
The curved lines of foam and the cocktail stick “structual” join virtually disappear. The strong pattern takes over.

Sample p2-16 e

Sample p2-16 f
However for my final version I wanted to emphasise the curved line of the edge.

Sample p2-16 g Top view
The colour and visual density of the wool puts the styrofoam material into the background. Its space and volume are enhanced, but the actual fabric, the textured surface with all its variations and complexity, is put into the background.
On the other hand, in my eyes the join – or more accurately the gap between – is more apparent. The woolen fence is a bridge, crossing a space with two distinct sides.To wrap up this set I tried a blind sketch – 3B pencil on kraft paper – reminded of this idea by a fellow OCA student (aslowunravelling.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/experimenting-with-drawing/)

Sketch 20150618
Focusing entirely on the sample, I felt I saw it with fresh eyes. The drawing is more a reminder of that seeing rather than an interesting thing in itself, but at least it has the advantage of lively lines.
T1-MMT-P2-p1-e3 Joining curved edges – post 1
Textiles 1 – Mixed Media for Textiles
Part 2: Joining and wrapping
Project 1: Joining
Exercise 3: Joining curved edges