The next page of my swaddling band ledger is almost complete. The collage inserts are done and silk has been embroidered for other spaces. The final embellishment will be the addition of the stitched sample which inspired this piece.
The mosaic brings together a few images of the ledger, from recent work to the pages that were created way back, when this ledger was started.
I no longer feel directionless, creatively frustrated or devoid of direction. Don't ask me why. It came back just as quickly as it left with no action on my part that I'm aware of. I will just put it down to ''one of those days''. I have also decided to give that photo promotion offer a miss. No thanks. Like someone said, ''what's in it for them''?
I've had this paper piece for some time now, unfinished, needing a little more titivation before going to live in doodle doo. As you can see it's now done and quite by chance the page is perfect for it. I had no idea what this page was like until I got doodle doo out this morning, the paperwork was already cut and to me the outline of that fits perfectly with the marks on this page.
Another thing which has happened quite by chance is this. I was asked permission for an image to be used in that post and looking at it this morning I am convinced the image they chose is this very piece in its early stages......spooky....
I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment, directionless. I am in between things. There are plenty of things I could be doing, could be progressing but I feel as if I need to be doing something else. I know that must happen to you. Do you feel guilty about the things you put to one side ''for now'' when you start something new? My hankie cloth is in view and that is so tempting. Having said that I do have a real desire to progress the page from yesterday so perhaps I could work on that some more and see how I feel after a couple of hours immersed in ledgers.
Finally, has anyone heard of thisbefore? They have approached me with a view to marketing my photographs....not that I'm a photographer. (they say I would keep the copyright) I have done a little googling and they have aroused suspicion in some quarters yet have always made themselves available in those forums and responded positively. I am indecisive...help.
I'm hoping that from these images you can get a sense of how I hope to pull this page together. The blue and white, the doodles which have happened recently along with embroidered samples from some time ago....it's all coming together. It links tothis just as it links to this. My weekend will be spent working on this page and playing a little more with creating pattern for repeat.
These pieces evolved during Simply Stitch 4. That class was supposed to end this week but......it will continue into next week before Simply Stitch 5 begins on September 8. (mostly because I don't know when to stop talking. I go on and on and on and on....)
Blue and white is almost certain to feature at some point during Simply Stitch 5. To begin that new class however I will begin a new piece, drawing on all my previous work for inspiration in terms of stitch and ledgers.
I had a good visit with family yesterday. Cake, children, the beach......I would like to point out that images I post on Instagram of cake or cakes are not MY cakes exclusively. I have a big family. We have a slice each. The children take some home, ( in fact those kids get first dibs on EVERYTHING....I am insignificant, trust me) some goes in a tin for mother later in the week and I brought some home for my men.....that is still in the kitchen.
It's a good thing I like blue and white....adore blue and white. I am surrounded by it at the moment. It would have consumed my week completely if it weren't for the broken computer and the broken back gate. Today will be a stitch free day. I am here, probably eating cake. Tomorrow I will show you progress on the piece with letters....
OK...better late than never. The nice man came and whispered sweet nothings into my little computer and she is now happy, working away like a proper trouper!
Aside from blue and white there has been embroidery this week. Admittedly some of that embroidery has been blue and white but some has been bling, shiny, silver, lace, all things luscious! The blue and white piece is an evolving swaddling band which has been part of the focus for simply stitch 4, it's the reason for the blue and white ledger work, extending the design possibilities, sampling for new ideas, new directions all from this one piece of work. The past two evenings I have been adding bullion loops along a seam of that piece. There are so many of them, they are like ringlets, curls, a chain of knots.
The bling piece has new additions too, strips of silver purl, more French knots and more tiny glass beads.....It didn't occur to me until today how well these two live together.
Here it is, the cause of my excitement yesterday. I was equally as excited about the page as I was about the pattern. The first image of doodling...left the original, top right a modified version of the first piece, bottom right the repeat. I cropped the second doodle, top right, before attempting the repeat. That's why you may notice a difference. It needs work, it needs tweaking but the seed is there, I think I know what to do.
The page? I love it. It evolved in Simply Stitch 4. It took a while, a few days probably but was more than worth the time.
I am having computer issues, racing against the clock to schedule this post in case my computer dies. It is making some very strange noises. I have summoned help but don't know when that will arrive. If I go quiet that's the reason.
I really wish you could come in and have a look at what's on my table today. This is just a tiny corner, I'm afraid I can't show you the rest until tomorrow. Suffice to say it's all blue and white. I have been playing with repeat patterns too. I will warn you now, think carefully before you start down that road as it could easily become an addiction.
I do have one, a repeat pattern that is but again, it will be under wraps until tomorrow. Please don't imagine that it's perfect or finished or amazing in anyway. It is to me but that's because I can't quite believe I managed to do it!
Blue and white, work in progress from Simply Stitch 4. Stitched paper, lace, zips, French knots, doodling with pen, doodling with paint. The pen piece is A3 in size, started yesterday and the result of a full afternoon and evening of relaxing scribbling in a pad. I will show you that piece in its entirety when they've seen it in school.
It has crossed my mind to put that piece into the Spoonflower software and get myself some printed fabric and even wallpaper for my bedroom. After taking a quick look over there though it appears less than straightforward in terms of getting the drawing good enough and I am a little scared, fear may get in the way of that plan. I will play though, spend a little time looking at their tools, see if I can find a magic one that does everything for you.
The french knot piece and the zip piece, they aren't finished. They will become a ledger page. The piece with the buttons, I am in the process of thinking through page options for that one. So it's still about ledgers here but more importantly my creativity is getting a kick start.
I spent all day yesterday waiting to see my new favourite band on TV, Coverage by the BBC of Reading Festival. Would you believe they cancelled that screening at the last minute? I was aghast. But I won't let a crummy set up like the BBC spoil my plans so I watched them here and you can too. And.... I was in this crowd when this was filmed (at the back by the urinals....classy).....happy days.
( please watch this if only to see the amazing flags)
Thank goodness for ledgers.....the past week has been a write off embroidery wise for various reasons. I feel as if I have achieved zero. These are the images from my phone taken since last weekend, note the lack of embroidery. Ledgers ? There are quite a few of those however. That's because yesterday afternoon I decided to reignite my creativity, or at least try to and turning ledger pages generally works for that.
It also proved to be a good exercise pre simply stitch 5. It has given me a few ideas for that. If an athlete runs 10K to prepare for his next task, I turn pages...my equivalent of a 10K run.
This weekend I am hoping to make stitchery progress whilst watching this and wishing I was back at Glastonbury....
Just a quick word about flowers. It has been mentioned that I always have fresh flowers. I do, or at least I mostly do. Thing is, when we go and do our Friday ''big shop'' at the supermarket my husband likes to fill the trolley with beer. (for him, I don't drink alcohol, not for moral or religious reasons but because I can't be trusted under the influence of even the tiniest glass of wine!!) So he gets beer, I get flowers.....his treat, my treat.
I'm making good progress with this work, with these 7 inch embroidered squares for a new cloth book of embroidery. The paper piece featured in my last post and I...
