Raffia Stitched Landscape

In this lesson students will create a textiles-based artwork using a simple landscape as inspiration. Students will create a landscape design using simple shapes and lines. They will then transfer this design on to felt and stitch their lines in using paper raffia.

Lesson 1

Students look at different landscape images. Discuss how a landscape could be broken down into a simple form. Show different landscapes and challenge students to redraw these using limited lines making them simple line drawings.

Students choose a landscape they like and redraw their design on to a piece of felt. Show students how to create a running stitch, basting stitch and arrowhead stitch using the raffia.

Students practice these stitches and tying the raffia on to the needles on another piece of felt. Students annotate their design with what stitch they will be using where and what colour.

Lesson 2

Students use the different colours of paper raffia to stitch in to their felt design. Ensure that the students have the drawn side of the felt as the back.

Reflection:

Students identify which stitches they have used within which part of their design and describe why they have chosen this. Students discuss how line creates shape in their work and how colour impacts the piece.