Three pieces, roughly 8 x 8 inches square. They have loops, prairie points, strips of cloth and for now, just a little stab stitch. These won't have a lot of hand embroidery. They are purely functional, I need them for something. They won't be for sale, they will become useful tools for me.
I put them together yesterday afternoon, had fun picking fabrics and playing with what goes where, mixing and matching, making points and loops and slipping them into seams. They have to be put away for a few days now though. I have pressing things to attend to for class, for Swathed in Stitch. I am psyching myself up to doodle over there....the dreaded and much feared drawing at which I am definitely not a natural. If you're patient you may eventually get to see some more doodled cloth .....but please don't hold your breath.
Remember the pile of unfinished things I was hoping to work my way through? This is from that pile. I pin tucked this silk at the same time as the silk I used for the pouch with lemon stitching. I think they were demonstration pieces for class. Last night I added lots of loops, just kind of needle doodling, aimless, no real plan. It had quite an impact though, it fed an idea, it informed, it prompted. I know exactly what I am going to do next.
There is also a plan to pin tuck more silk, just to have it, as a background, for cutting up into patches, for anything at all. It would be nice to have a little stock of that to call on.
My ''snow go away'' dance didn't work. It came down and then some overnight. I like snow, it's pretty. I just would rather not have any when my son or the person who pays for my holidays have to drive in it.
Last night I played with white silk. Snippets of lace cloth were added and edged with buttonhole stitch and chain stitch. I then embroidered a cross stitch heart border with a little bullion loop on each one. French knots found their way into spaces, random clusters. That was it for last night, I ran out of time. This isn't finished yet but it's getting there.
I have quite a few things ''on the go'' as I might have said before. Slowly I am working my way through them and finishing things. There is a real sense of accomplishment when something actually gets finished and the pile gets smaller.
This morning I finished my hankie cloth. Oh my, I love it, love, love, love...adore even. I will show you that as soon as I can but the Simply Stitch five girls need to see it first so wake up simply stitch five, pay attention, you have a video coming later today.
I just want to say a couple of things now.....public service announcements so to speak. I have had a couple of e mails from people who subscribe to the blog by e mail saying they aren't getting e mail when I post. I know. There is a problem their end, I am powerless. Maybe subscribe again? There is a little box on the right for you to do that. Otherwise, don't wait for the mail. I am here every day. I have no life. I have nothing else to do except witter away on here so just come without prompt. I won't desert you.
Finally, I sent out invoices on Monday for final payments in relation to the London class. I have had one or two mails saying those haven't been received. They will come from paypal not me so perhaps check spam. Otherwise, those of you who haven't received one please get in touch and we can sort something out. Most people have received them, it's just the odd one or two like I said.
OK I'm going now......I'm going to do a ''snow, snow go away'' dance.
witter
ˈwɪtə/
verb
BRITISHinformal
speak at length about trivial matters.
"she'd been wittering on about Jennifer and her illness"
This piece is almost finished surface embroidery wise. It was damp stretched last night and the final little bits of stitch will be added sometime over the next couple of days. Remember I promised you a video last week. Well, what to show you on camera? The ironing? The dusting? The bed changing? or....the process of deciding which way to fold this pocket when it comes to titivating those edges. Length ways? Width ways? decisions decisions....
I tidy every day, I have to. You will be the same I'm sure, things piling up, tables covered in all kinds of embroidery related stuff. Organised? ha.....never going to happen. I can move piles from A to B and then to C if I need more space. Don't ask me what is in which pile, mostly I wouldn't have a clue. The only things I keep a close eye on are finished things, like the pockets which are sitting on top of those books but which have now been moved to a cabinet to keep them safe.
I don't keep ledger sheets in piles either, I have those in folders so they don't crease. Actually, I just realised, that does make me a little bit organised doesn't it. Now I'm quite pleased with myself.....
If you are registered for '' a London gathering'' you should have received a request for the final balance. If you haven't received this can you please let me know.
A new piece is taking shape, cross stitch and French knots on white silk. This piece, this plan, it has arisen from and been fed by this....the lace overlay piece. There will be lace, there will also be hexagons. The plan is to use those techniques, mirror that process in a different way. Quite how this will turn out I have no idea. That's OK. I don't need to have an idea of that yet, I just need to know what to stitch and keep the other thoughts firmly at the front of my mind. In fact I should probably write them down....I am prone to forgetting, to losing my big ideas.
Father Christmas brought me a whoop de doo new folder, or to be more precise he brought me some money which I then used to buy this whoop de doo folder. I love it, I keep putting things in it and taking them out again. I keep opening it then closing it. The blue fits here I think because of the pattern on the pockets. Paper pockets, cloth pockets, it's all about pockets.
I got it from here. This is the ''office'' page but there are so many other things to love if you browse for a while includingthiswhich I want so badly. (I didn't go to denmark for it by the way. They have a concession in Selfridges)
Two more pockets, two very different pockets. One created using silk the other using hankies and Liberty cloth. The first two pictures are front and back...or back and front because really it doesn't matter which way you have these. Perhaps they could be called two (two fronted) pockets.
Hankies dominated these pockets at the start but now I have a silk one I kind of like that idea too. Posh pockets? and non posh pockets? You may yet see another ''posh'' one appear here.
You may have seen this configuration before, or something similar.....I can't remember. The difference now though is the lace is finished and it's permanently attached to the cross stitch and hexagon panel with both pieces secure on a header mount. As a sample this piece will remain like this. There is no danger of it getting damaged or creased as in addition to the header mount it is secured onto a mount board and will live in a folder with other samples.
Some of you may think it's wasted, in a folder, hidden............. trust me, this piece will inform and inspire indefinitely. When I'm struggling with an empty creative reservoir the samples come out. They've never failed me yet and to add to that library, that store of information is always a good thing.
I've been sampling this morning, moving ideas along for Swathed in Stitch.It's not work, it's like the best playtime ever! There is work on paper to finish and mount but the most exciting bit starts later today, actually stitching something on silk. I have a plan, the girls will see it first but I am itching to get going. I'm also going to make more lace for the new piece , lace like you saw yesterday.
Remember this cloth I had printed? I've been cutting that up this morning. I am trying, (trying hard honest) to get some kind of stuff happening for London. I will need to order more of the doodle cloth, order silk scrim, order silk muslin, create little pouches for my ''little bags of cloth''. I want to finish the hankie cloth, finish the body bag....I feel a list coming on.
(there is a short video in the post embedded in the body bag link)
