10. Panel

Design Idea
My idea for a panel has mainly been inspired by stamps and postmarks. I love the layered effects seen in both torn corrugated cardboard and tunnel books and my idea for a panel is to combine the stamps and postmarks theme with the layers.

The idea is to have layers of embroidery and/or paper. The paper will have embedded and imprinted embroidery. Between the layers there will be embroidery. I want to take advantage of the open effect of some of the grids I've been making ie. see through it to what is underneath. Like seeing what is in a parcel through torn wrappings! The layers will probably result in a thick panel which is probably not suitable for a book cover. My idea is to incorporate the panel in the lid of a box. The sides of the box lid will hide the thickness of the panel. I could use this to advantage and create quite deep layers. Some sketches of possible designs based on postmarks and stamps This is the design I've chosen to develop:
I did a mock up using paper, cardboard and string to show the effect I want to achieve. NB. The box isn't necessarily going to be square!

Design Development
I started by having a play with my samples, putting them together in layers and framing them with black card. The table below shows the various combinations.

10.1 I made a box lid to try out my ideas. It measures 7.5x7.5 inches.

Interpreting the Design
I tried out a small version of the design using different techniques. The idea is to layer the elements by mounting the layers on frames. The thickness of the frames can be varied to create larger/smaller gaps between the layers. NB. The samples shown below are better in real life than they seem on the photos!

Interpretation 1
This design uses mainly a knotted stitch on wrapped frames. Each layer has a larger area of stitching on it than the previous layer.

10.2a Layer 1 has least stitching	10.2b 2nd layer with more stitching	10.2c Layer 3 follows the same outline
10.2d Layer 4 has heavier weight threads	10.2e Needle woven squares	10.2f Put it all together in the box lid
10.2g Trying out samples for the base. Envelopes with oganza and machine embroidery	10.2h Here the base a drawn thread embroidery based on postmarks	10.2i Another base with drawn thread embroidery
10.2j Base is an embroidery sample based on bubblewrap	10.2k The base here is a woven embroidery based on envelopes	10.2l Handmade paper base
10.2m Here a machine embroidered grid has been inserted between the layers - no base

I'd expected that the grid effect would be shown to best effect when using a base of light paper, but in reality the best effects came when using darker and textured embroidered backgrounds. What really added a bit of a zing to it was the introduction of the grid in 10.2.m. Maybe it doesn't need a base and it could be left open, so that we can see into the box. This interpretation has been done in a very basic way. If the idea was taken forward then the following would be considered

• Try removing a layer


• Different stitches eg more needle weaving


• colours - light to dark, contrast etc


• spacing between frames - adding spacer frames.


• Integrate the embroidery into the box by using the apperture as a frame


• Use different threads

Interpretation 2
This design uses handmade paper which has been cast using a curved mould.

10.3.a Handmade paper made using a curved mould. Some has been dyed. The paper has been attached to frames, each layer being slightly off-set from the previous layer. The top layer has some embroidery to indicate that the finished panel could be embellished.	10.3.b Thread was laid across squares of paper pulp and it was then covered by another layer of pulp.	10.3.c Putting the frames together
10.3.d Trying out different bases. This one is a sample based on elastic bands.	10.3.e The base here is a drawn thread embroidery with machine stitching and knotted stitches.	10.3.f Base is a sample based on corrugated cardboard.
10.3.g Layers of embroidery - corrugated sample with one based on handwriting	10.3.h Grid made from thick string dipped in pulp over a corrugated sample.	10.3.i Sample based on handwriting over grid dipped in paper pulp.
10.3.j Trying out two different bases made from paper.	10.3.k Here the base is a sample where paper pulp has been laid over stitching

I really like the effect of the layered paper. The layers are quite thin so there is scope to add more layers of paper and/or embroidery. All the different bases I tried looked good with the paper layers. Other things I could try are:

• Embedding embroidery in the top layer of paper


• Cover the box lid with the same paper so that the panel is more integrated with the frame


• Use decorative cords on the "stamps" layer.


• Experiment with spacing the layers


• Introduce a layer of embroidery between the paper layers


• Make paper with different effects eg bubblewrap, corrugated card

NB.On the full size panel larger pieces of paper might need some sort of strengthening or support.

Interpretation 3
For this design I've concentrated on using different embroidery methods.

10.4.a These curved pieces were made in the same way as sample 6.6, using cardboard with a cutout of the desired shape.	10.4.b Threads were withdrawn from dyed fabric and the remaining threads were machine stitched to form cords. They were a bit too long so I had to cut them away from the fabric.	10.4.c Thick cotton was wrapped round a frame of kebab sticks and dipped in pulp and dyed. One of the kebab sticks was left in place - see below to see why!
10.4.d The three layers put together. The top two layers are lacy enough to allow the bottom layer to be seen.	10.4.e I was wondering how to represent the "stamps" element of the design - then I looked more closely at the sample on the kebab stick frame! The stick could be dyed.	10.4.f Trying out samples for the base. This one works well.
10.4.g Using the bubble wrap sample as the base. Would probably look better if less orangey in colour	10.4.h The base here is the corrugated samples.	10.4.i Embroidery embedded in paper as the base.
10.4.j Woven sample.	10.4.k Paper sample behind a grid. The grid really adds depth.	10.4.l The corrugated sample with the grid.
10.4.m A grid dipped in pulp over the base in 10.4.a.

With this design, very open embroidery has to be used so that it can be seen through the layers. The dipped paper pulp layer seemed to pull together the embroidery with the base - all the bases looked good with it. Other things I could try:

• Embroider the paper pulp layer


• Dip the top layers in pulp, but only so that they have a small amount of pulp on them


• Use spacers between the layers.


• Look at different ways of adding the "stamp" element of the design

Mixing It Up
Of the 3 different interpretations of the design I like the first one least, although I do like the impression of depth that was achieved using the open stitching. The paper layers in the second design look really good and because they are thin I could build up lots of layers. I didn't think that I would be able to do anything that I liked as much, however the embroidery in the third sample looks really rich. Because the layers in each design have been mounted on the same size frame it is easy to mix things up a bit and try the best elements of each design with each other.

10.5.a	10.5.b	10.5.c
10.5.d	10.5.e	10.5f

This is as far as I've got in the design of the panel. I think I will be investigating the mixed samples further - I haven't had time to consider each of them properly yet. I also need to consider how to cover the box and a lining for the box.

Pigeon Holes
I asked Alan about pigeon holes at the delivery office where he works. This is what I found out. Each post code district is divided into walks or rounds. Some of the mail arrives at the delivery office bundled by walk and the postie has to sort it and put it on a frame. The frame is like a shelf with upright dividers and there is a slot for each property on the round. A lot of mail arrives unsorted and the posties have to “walk sort” it. There are pigeon holes which are grouped by walk within a post code. There is a pigeon hole for each street. Each pigeon hole is square and is about the width of the narrow end of an A5 envelope and they are grouped in banks of approx 8 by 5 (NB. they are now introducing A4 size pigeon holes) The mail is placed flat in each pigeon hole. When the mail has been sorted into walks, the postie responsible for each walk then takes it back to the frame to be sorted into the correct order. After that it is bundled up using elastic bands. If all that wasn’t enough the postie then has to walk miles to deliver it all, braving dangerous dogs, extreme weather and stroppy customers! (For a pittance) It seemed appropriate that my samples have been based on frames and that frames of a different kind are used to sort the mail. The size of the pigeon holes at the delivery office are not dissimiliar to my samples - 7.5 inches. I thought I would try out a few pigeon hole ideas. These are very rough and ready since I didn't have very much time to do it. Sorry there are no labels. (I was also really ashamed on seeing the photos at the disgusting state of my cutting mat!)

1. I made an open box and tried my samples in them. The sides of the box made it quite dark - although this might have been because the inside of the box was dark in colour. Holding it up to the light didn’t necessarily help – if the back lighting is too bright then it can be even harder to see the open thread work. This type of lighting would probably be best using translucent materials. Considering the light was very interesting. I think something like this is best if it was free standing so that the viewer can hold it up to the best light – like a tunnel book. I had a look at "Three Dimensional Embroidery" by Janet Edmunds to see if it gave any tips on light etc. There's a picture on page 49 with an embroidery which is very similar to mine - I haven't copied it, honest!

2. I tried cutting the sides of the box away. This gave a better result in terms of the light but I’m not sure that it looks very good – could possibly be decorated with strips of pulp or embroidery.

3. The frames weren’t fixed in place in the box and some of them slipped. This reminded me of the concertina format of books. Why bother with a box? The frames could be joined at the side and be free standing. However, with this arrangement I would be more restricted in developing the pigeon hole idea. The concertina could also be placed in the box though, giving interesting angles.



4. I thought about other possible ways of constructing the pigeon holes without cutting out too much light. One idea is to thread them together, with spacers. Could use something like kebab sticks or thick thread. Would have to be very accurate in placing the holes - the samples shown above aren't very accurate which is why they are slightly buckled. The block of four square frames essentially pivot at the centre and they are fanned out into the pigeon holes. Could introduce oblongs into the construction which would allow the pattern from one pigeon hole to flow into the ajacent box. This seems to be a very versatile construction and would be simple to make. It's the one which appeals to me most at the moment.

5. I wondered whether it would be acceptable to do a panel which you can’t actually see? Could I create a front panel which is decorative and which has a hole (or holes) and the viewer has to hold it up to their eye to see the real panel behind it? Like peeping through a letter box! Front panel could have wavy slits and square shaped apertures. I made the example above by placing some of my samples together to form a hole - the finished item would obviously be a lot nicer!

Additional ideas/ramblings/considerations

• The walk sorting reminded me of street maps and one of the sample books I’ve already made.( Click to see it) I could cover the frames with pages from an old A to Z – would probably need toning down with ink or paint to make them more subtle. Or perhaps use the Royal Mail's staff newspaper


• Could add a highlight into each pigeon hole – something that stands out or catches the light – beads, a bit of metal or a contrasting colour.


• Recycling - use those plastic boxes that tomatoes come in - remove the back, fit the frames inside them. They would let in a lot of light. I suspect that these would just look like plastic tomato boxes with embroidery in them!


• Use some sort of rigid grid to make the pigeon hole boxes. Would allow the light in. Plastic grid, netting. Make my own from hardened fabric/Paverpol?


• Format - one box, 1x4, 2x4 etc. Would need to consider stability if freestanding etc


• Overall design could flow from one box to another or could be completely separate entities. If using an open format as in sample 4, elements from one box could overlap with the adjacent box


• Size and shape - square or oblong? The more pigeon holes then the smaller each box would be.


• Colour - each box a different colour or tone? Light to dark?

PS.
I did consider saucy postcards. I got a job lot on Ebay. They are quite old and I couldn't bear to cut them up!
Further Design Ideas
I decided on a frame construction which looks like: I took some of my previous samples and constructed a simple frame using kebab sticks to join them together to gain an impression of what would look good. My conclusions were:

• The open, thread based samples reminded me of cages. They didn’t have much visual impact. They looked messy.


• The more substantial paper based samples looked more appealing. It was possible to arrange them so that all the layers could be seen.


• The best configuration seems to be three layers deep. This was enough to create an interesting visual effect.

The photos of these samples seem to have disappeared - I’ll recreate them when I get all my stuff out of storage. I was interested in the comments that it is now "in" to show the “workings”. I thought that it might be an idea to have items of stationery such as postcards, stamps, fragments of letters etc on the reverse of the frame contents to make it look as though they have been used as stengtheners or mounts – in the same way that patchwork is wrapped round paper templates. They would only be seen when the work is viewed from the back. I made up some cardboard frames in my chosen layout and then experimented with paper shapes based on the stamps/post marks theme and with the red/blue/white colours. Looking through each individual section is really interesting and I like the effects that are created.

10.6a	10.6b	10.6c
10.6d	10.6e	10.6f

However, I had nagging doubts about the overall construction. Visually, it didn’t do anything for me and I felt it wasn’t something I would want displayed in my own house! Despite this I ploughed on – perhaps it would look better if the frames and their contents were finished properly. The brown cardboard and brown paper frames of the samples didn’t really go with the colours of the samples I had done. The main colour theme is blue and red with white. I considered various options for the frame colour:

• Each layer being a different colour or shade


• Each compartment being a different colour or shade.


• The frames being multi-coloured

Eventually I decided that white throughout would give a fresh look. I constructed some frames from cardboard and covered these with envelopes torn into strips. The torn edges showed the blue linings and there were also post marks and other writing on the paper.

I made some paper with textured effects eg bubble wrap and corrugated paper. The idea was to stick this on the frames in places to add interest. The joining up of the frames has proved to be very difficult. And I still don’t like the effect. I’ve experimented with different configurations – some are an improvement on the original design but I’m still not happy with it. Again the photos have gone missing. I think the design needs to be simpler with perhaps just one or two frames. I also think it might be too regular and boring - it needs more oomph. I’m now at the point of reconsidering the whole thing and I’ve started by taking the approach of what I would be happy to live with. From the various experiments I've done the panel is only really effective when it is at eye level and when it can be moved around so that internal space can be seen at different angles. This means that the panel needs to

• Be solid enough to be picked up and brought to eye level in the same way that a tunnel book is

OR

• Be placed in a position where it is at eye level and the viewer can move their head/eyes to see inside the panel

The sketch below explores the first option. The idea is that rather than have individual frames which are joined together, there is a central board with the necessary cutouts on to which indvidual frames can be mounted. The frames would be mounted so that they would be an inch or two above the surface of the board so that they create depth and space. The central frame would provide the rigidity required for handling and the individual frames could be less rigid and could take advatage of some of the methods learnt in this module such as paper on a frame of yarn or fabric. The second sketch below shows a more delicate panel. This could be placed on a shelf or hung in a window. The pictures below show two experimental constructions in cardboard based on the postmark shaped designs.

After a long break due to my house move I decided to finally crack this design. The idea of this being a free standing piece just doesn't grab me. The frames have to be quite substantial so that the piece could be picked up to view. The vision I have of the panel is it hanging in three layers. These are the initial sketches:
Top left, shows frames joined together. The intention is not to create a mobile effect so the frames will be joined so that the piece is rigid. (However the frames themselves don't have to be rigid but could be made from embroidery and/or paper and perhaps stiffened with Paverpol. It would be the way they are joined that would make a rigid structure) Each layer is the same size and the viewer can see through and around the framework. Top right is a development of the previous idea. The frames have been distorted - the idea is that they suggest a wavy postmark. The designs at the bottom have a top layer of frames but the next two layers are in one piece with windows cut out. This arrangement would give a greater area to decorate. I tried out the ideas using paper. 10.7.d to 10.7.f show the layers in the construction.

10.7.a	10.7.b	10.7.c
10.7.d	10.7.e	10.7.f
10.7.g	10.7.i

The paper models were too flimsy and didn't give the effect I was after so I made some more models using card. These models are approximately 27cm.

10.8.a All the models together	10.8.b Conventional frame design	10.8.c A nice effect is created looking between the frames
10.8.d Frames on a layered background	10.8.e Frame shapes influenced by postmark.	10.8.f With background layers.
10.8.g Experiment with contrasting colours	10.8.h Contrasting colours	10.8.i Contrasting colours

This is a video which tries to capture the sense of looking through the frames:



After Summer School
Various ideas were suggested at summer school. For example to look at using wire frames. I played around with some wire but my experiments weren't very successful because I didn't have suitable wire cutters for the thicker wire and the thinner wire was too bendy. For the time being I decided to substitute the good old kebab sticks to make a frame. One of the problems I've had with trying to design a panel with several vertical frames is how to join them together and how to hang them without cutting out too much light and without it looking a bit contrived. It occured to me that instead of hanging the shapes in a frame I could hang them from a horizontal frame.

I constructed a frame from kebab sticks with the idea that the "postmarks" and "stamps" would hang from this frame. The idea is that this frame could be suspended from threads at each corner. I tried suspending the frame in a window but there was too much light coming from behind. There was so much glare the shapes couldn't be seen properly. I added a background of a grid with paper pulp and this helped to reduce the glare. I tried adding a layer of tissue paper in front of the background grid and this improved things no end. The shapes of the background grid could be seen through the tissue paper as shadows and the foreground shapes could be seen more clearly. It was impossible to get a good photo at the window so I moved the panel to a wall. It's not necessary in this situation to have the backing panel to reduce glare but it provides a consistent background to the piece, adds interest and doesn't have any effect on the lighting. However, although the shapes look good and you get a good 3D effect, you lose the sense of looking through a frame. As an experiment I added vertical strips of handmade paper to each side. This provided a more contained area.
NB. The prototype shown below was created using existing samples to give an impression of what might be created. The colours, sizes and shapes that have been used aren't necessarily the best.

10.9.a Frame hanging in the window	10.9.b With the addition of tissue paper to reduce glare
10.9.c Away from the light	10.9.d And with the tissue backing and additional frames

The photos don't capture what this looks like in real life - it looks a lot better! I tried a video to see if that would capture the sense of depth.



This is only a very rough prototype and I've got a few ideas on how it could be improved and developed.

• Frame could be made from painted kebab sticks


• Frame could be made from wire - might be less obtrusive


• Frame could be made from wire mesh - eg chicken wire


• Translucent backing could be put behind the more decorative grid


• Translucent backing could be made from organza, tissue paper, tracing paper. Perhaps something along the lines of what we did with Cas at summer school. Mainly translucent but with an embedded design


• Change the shape of the frame. If the side pieces are used in the design then it might look better if it was wider or longer. It currently looks a bit boxy - like a suspended sugar cube


• Elements in the frame of different lengths


• Use fishing line to hang the frame so that it looks like it is floating
  

I made a mockup out of paper. The front frame panel was held on to the hanging frame by wire hooks attached to the inside of the paper. The inner frame panel had slits cut into it so it rested on the hanging frame. I adjusted the size by sticking paper where necessary to get the correct size. The idea is to have a back panel with a front frame and an inner frame. Within the frame objects will be hung at varying depths within the hanging frame. Dimensions

10.10.a Paper frames	10.10.b Hooks on the outer frame	10.10.c Cut outs on te inner frame for hanging

Constructing the Frames

Because the piece is suspended I realised that the frames didn’t have to be rigid and that they could be made to look soft. My difficulty with this panel had always been how to construct the frames and how to join them together. With the suspended arrangement they didn’t have to be joined. Another problem was the reduction in light that could occur if the frames are substantial. I tried the momigami techniques learned from Cas Holmes at the summer school with white tissue paper. This gave the tissue paper a lovely texture. I sewed strips of tissue paper together and added patches of torn tissue paper to add deeper tones and interesting edges.


The tissue paper strips had a very light and airy feeling and I thought that perhaps some text or images on a postal related theme could be embedded in the tissue paper and they would be revealed when it was hung up to the light. I copied some postmarks, labels and text from envelopes on to tissue paper and the images were placed underneath the tissue frames.


To hang the front frame I machine stitched pieces of wire to squares of muslin leaving a bare section which could be bent to form a hook. The squares of muslin were stitched to the back of the frame. The inside frame was made in a similar manner. To hang it, the area which would rest on the frame had a strip of muslin stitched to the back and this was stiffened by painting it with Paverpol.

10.12.a	10.12.b

Sorry about the poor quality photos.

Back Panel
I decided to make a backing panel using the techniques shown in the experiments for my original box idea:



I made a frame to the required size from the plastic cover of an old file strengthened with kebab sticks. String was woven on to the frame in a netting effect and I then infilled this with cotton to make a finer mesh. I wanted to create a pattern based on stamps so I attached plastic squares to the mesh as a mask. The idea was to be able to look through the pattem to a further backing layer. The frame was then dipped into paper pulp. The paper pulp was made from surplus computer listing paper. When the panel had dried I removed the plastic masks. The paper covering felt very fragile so I painted Paverpol on the back to strengthen it.

10.13.a The frame before dipping in pulp. Next to it are some frames for some of the hangng items	10.13.b After dipping in pulp. Size is 10x13 inches

I thought that the backing layer might look good if it had some colour in it, especially if it was translucent, perhaps giving the impression of stained glass. I experimented with various ways of achieving this. I made up some 3x3 inch card frames and filled them with various fabics and inked papers. I could combine two or three to povide different effects. I also added a frame wound with yarn - this created lovely shadow effect when held up to the light.

10.14.a Frame samples	10.14.b Inked printed tracing paper	10.14.c Tie dyed fabric held up to the lightTie dyed fabric held up to the light	10.14.d The previous two samples combined

The tracing paper with ink provided the best effect. I photocopied stamps and text from envelopes together with various typed in words and printed them out on tracing paper. The tracing paper was then dabbed with an inked sponge using blue writing ink. I also tried writing words using white crayon on tracing paper and then inking it. I made a couple of trial panels combining inked tracing paper with tissue paper and embroidery.

10.15.1 Layering tissue paper over inked tracing paper and rearing into it. 8x6 inches	10.15.2 Another experiment with a tissue paper grid stitched onto the tissue paper. 8x6 inches
10.15.3 Sample wth a light source behind it.	10.15.4 Detail showing shadows from stitched piece placed behind the sample

To make the main backing piece I was limited to using A4 sized tracing paper. I printed several sheets and inked them with blue and red ink. The tracing paper was ripped into pieces and these were joined together with hand stitching. I made a piece using the drawn thread technique ???. This was sandwiched between the tracing paper layer and a piece of tissue paper. I added a frame work of tissue paper on the top of the panel.

10.16.1 Construction of back panel showing uninked, printed tracing paper.	10.16.2 Tracing paper hand stitched.	10.16.3 The effect of back lighting.
10.16.4 Stitched grid for backing. The cords were made from withdrawn threads covered with machine stitching.	10.16.5 Finished piece with applied tissue paper	10.16.6 Detail of finished piece.

Hanging Frame
Whilst experimenting with the panel I had made a hanging frame from kebab sticks. I tried making a frame out of a piece of fabric by withdrawing threads and machine stitching it. I then soaked it in Paverpol. It was constructed so that there were loops along each edge so that kebab sticks could be inserted to strengthen it. However, it didn't prove strong enough so I went back to constructing the frame from kebab sticks. The kebab sticks were cut to measure 9 inches long and wrapped with the paper from old envelopes. The sticks were arranged to form a grid of nine rails each three quarters of an inch apart. From experiments this measurement seemed to provide enough distance between suspended objects to give an impression of depth. The idea was to have two rails for the backing panels, 6 rails for suspended objects and one rail for the front frame. The middle frame ould sit on the hanging frame and would not require a rail. The kebab sticks were stuck into position and the whole thing was strengthened by lashing them with cords made from threads withdrawn from fabric. Wire hooks were then added to the frame. The hanging harness was made from four cords with wire rings on each end. A hook was made from wire and covered with machine stitching. A collar was made from felt covered from paper. This was wrapped around the neck of the hook along with the four cords. The collar allows the hanging cords to be adjusted but stops them slipping. This means that the hanging frame can be adjusted to cater for different weights on various parts of the frame and also it can be hung against a wall by lengthening the front cords.

10.17.1 Hanging frame used for my experiments.	10.17.2 Fabric hanging frame
10.17.3 Finished hanging frame.	10.17.4 Hook and hanging threads

“Postmarks”
Florists wire was used to make a curvy frame. The shape was cut out of thick cardboard and the wire was bent around the cardboard to form the shape. The ends were joined and the wire was removed from the cardboard former. The wire was then covered with grey machine stitching. White cotton yarn was wrapped round the frame and this was woven into and then stitched. The frames were dipped into paper pulp and pressed. A small amount of red and blue dye powder was dabbed onto the wet pulp and it was allowed to dry slowly. As the pulp dries the dye spreads and the two colours merge. A lovely deep colour is achieved.

10.18.1 Cardboard former	10.18.2 Frames wrapped with yarn ready for dipping into paper pulp	10.18.3 After dipping in paper pulp.
10.18.4 Dye powder applied to pulp whilst still wet.	10.18.5 The finished articles

“Stamps”
I experimented with several methods of constructing the stamps. Most involved using a frame of wire or plastic with a central paper area. The effect I was trying to achieve is a coloured area with a white surround, suggested by the edge of most postage stamps. I also tried bundling pieces of hand made paper together and tying them together. This looked quite good but proved to be bulky and heavy.


10.19.1 Experiments to make the hanging stamps.

The stamps were the last things to be made and by this time I had decided to change things quite a bit - so the final design decision for the stamps is shown below.

Changes

When the backing piece was hung I thought the open squares were too big. So I added some paper pulp into the centre of each square to reduce the opening.

10.20.1 Before the changes	10.20.2 With infilled squares

I also didn’t like the effect of the coloured backing. Although it looked very nice it distracted from the colours of the hanging objects and the bright colours didn’t really go with the more muted colours of the hanging objects. I decided that the outer backing layer should be plain. I made another backing piece using the momigami tissue paper method with embedded printed tissue paper. This was layered and machine stitched in the same way as the frames. This looked much better hanging behind the decorative backing.


10.21.1 Detail of tissue paper backing

Once I started assembling the panel I decided that I didn’t actually like it! The effect of looking through the frame was just what I wanted but I thought it just looked strange hanging there.


10.22.1 A strange looking panel!

At this point I just wanted to rip it up and take up wood work! So, I did rip it up - but in a controlled way. I thought that the problem was that the proportions were wrong and that the frame would look better if it was slightly longer. I very bravely tore the frames and added some inserts of tissue paper. It looked better but it still looked strange. I then decided to try removing the top of the frame and just have the side pieces. This instantly made it look better especially making the side pieces longer.

10.23.1 View of panel during the re-design	10.23.2 A side view

Further trials showed that three strips on each side of the hanging frame were most effective so I made up 6 panels using the same techniques as the original frames. They measure 22x3 inches approx.

10.24.1 The 6 side panels	10.24.2 Detail of side panel
10.24.3 Detail of side panel	10.24.4 Detail of side panel

When working out the best method of suspending the side panels from the hanging frame it occurred to me that the easiest way would be to create a sleeve at the top of each panel and hang it in the same way that quilts are usually hung. This meant having to redesign the hanging frame. The cross braces were moved so that they were 2 inches from each side of the frame giving room to slide the panel on. I increased the measurements from 9x6 inches to 10x6 inches.

10.25.1 The re-designed frame.	10.25.2 Detail of frame

Changing the side panels and making them longer meant that the backing panels needed to be made longer too. Rather than starting again I adapted what I had already done. It was easy to add more layered tissue paper to the outer backing panel.


10.26.1 Altered backing panel. Actual panel size is 13x22 inches approx

The decorative panel was made longer by making up some “stamp” shapes from paper pulp. These were pressed around some string with embedded fibres from sisal string. Five of these were tied to the loops at the bottom of the panel.

10.27.1 Extension to the decorative back panel	10.27.2 Detail of back panel. Size is now 10x22 inches

The "postmarks" were extended by tying two of the three together. I decided that because of the longer narrower effect I only needed 3 hanging items for it to be effective. One of the postmarks is now approximately 12 inches long and the other is 18 inches long.


10.28.1 Postmarks tied together to extend length.

I hadn’t joined the “stamps” at this point and fortunately I had made some spares so it wasn’t a problem to make a long string of stamps. Pieces of florist's wire was covered in fabric and machine stitched. The wire was twisted round the frames and reinforced by stitching. The piece measures approximately 18 inches.

10.29.1 "Stamps"	10.29.2 Back view of the "stamps"

To hang the postmark, stamps and backing pieces I had used wire fashioned into hooks. I wasn’t really happy with this since things didn’t hang very naturally and it was quite fiddly to get everything hung on the frame. So, I decided to remove the hooks, make some cords and tie everything on to the frame.

The Finished Panel (At Last!)


10.30.1 The panel.


10.30.2 Side view of the panel.


10.30.3 Close up view.

NB.It's quite difficult to photograph the panel because of the back lighting.

Variations
I’m quite pleased with the result although it has lost some of the sense of looking through a frame. However, I’ve found that by hanging the decorative panel at the front, peepholes are created through which the stamps and postmarks can be viewed.


10.31.1 The panel with the decorative at the front.


10.31.2 Peeping through the panel


10.31.3 Peeping through the fringe.

Another variation is to put the decorative panel behind the plain panel and suspend it against a strong back light. This causes shadows from the decorative panel to be cast against the plain background.


10.32.1 Shadows cast by the decorative panel - these can just about be seen in the photo!


FINIS

Not quite finished! Here are the costings for the panel. The materials were quite cheap; where possible I recycled existing materials. The paper pulp used in the panel was made from computer listing paper. Whilst this hadn't previously been used, I consider this to be free since it had been languishing in the garage for years and would have been sent to the dump as part of the house move. So it was rescued rather than recycled! I/ve had to estimate some costs as being proportions of packets etc

Tissue Paper	£2.30
Computer listing paper	£0.00
String	£0.34
Yarn	£0.75
Wire	£1.00
Florists wire	£0.95
Kebab Sticks	£0.10
Envelopes	£0.00
Sewing thread - grey	£1.54
Sewing thread - white	£1.90
Sturdy plastic	£0.00
Dye - Carmine	£0.35
Dye - Magenta	£0.35
Dye - Fire Engine Red	£0.35
Dye - Medium Blue	£0.35
Dye - Colbalt Blue	£0.35
Dye - Cerulean Blue	£0.35
Total Cost	£10.98