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Mounted samples, A3 sketchbooks, safe places for my stitched cloth and my embroidered paper......a library of information, a record of my creativity and a source of inspiration in the future, that's the plan. That is what I hope to achieve by carefully mounting samples and exploring design on paper. This is a little of what we are doing in embroidery school.
My A3 sketchbook has only two samples mounted inside at the moment, there's a long way to go but it's progress all the same.
I have a ''gathering'' coming up in London soon for which I am supplying little workshop packs. With that in mind I set about creating lace cloth on Saturday.....then got distracted by other lace, a few paper scraps and some spotty stuff. What can I say.....
Some lace cloth was created, you can see that here (it's very visible on the left of the third image). The other pieces? They are mine, all mine, for little artist books, for collage, for playtime.
All the pieces of this puzzle fell into place last night. A tiny pocket emerged with an embroidered reverse and a decorative lining. If you look closely at the reverse there are tiny seed beads too....a new fascination. I haven't been as excited about beads for years, mostly they haven't figured in my thought process at all but now I can't seem to get them out of my mind. This is something else ticked off my list....a big smiley face was also added alongside that tick as I am so happy with this very cute little pocket.
It's all about scraps here at the moment and it will be for some time. I am part way through creating my second ''crammed'' artist book in the manner of this one. (there is a video in the link which some of you may not have seen)
There is something very satisfying about gathering little scraps which may otherwise have been discarded, adding stitch, a few beads maybe, complimentary papers and little bits of lace, turning something insignificant into a decorative piece of sampling and securing that safely within the pages of a hand made artist book.
Monitor update.....I think it's all in the tilt. This new monitor is bigger than my last one, tilting seems to help. It's either that or I buy a very high chair!
A front, a reverse and a partial lining......pieces of a pocket, a tiny pocket, four by six inches. It's small but no less fiddly. The lining will have embroidery as will the reverse. There will be titivation and don't forget the toggles.
I'm still not sure about this monitor, (it's new) My eyes definitely don't like it and I have fiddled with it. I guess I will have to fiddle a little more.
In the spirit of ''artist books'' I have bought myself two A3 sketchbooks. These sketchbooks will become my own personal ''artist books''. They will be filled with ''keepers'', samples I need, samples I will use in workshops and embroidery school. One is for mainly cloth based samples, (a few paper and cloth mixes may appear in that one, the main thing is the sample will be predominantly cloth). The second one is for paper based sampling, design sheets and the like. At the end of this post is an image of the pieces which form my first page.
In other news.....storm Doris. A husband stuck on a train going nowhere in the middle of nowhere up North, a son stuck on a train going nowhere down South. A never ending stream of telephone calls and plans gone awry. It's been one of those days. Stitch will make it better, I know it will.
You saw these little samples last week I think. Since then they have been added to little pages for a new artist book, artist book number two. There is a little pile of other scrappy bits which is growing too, they need a little more attention before they can be placed on pages, before this book starts to take ''real'' shape.
When I was in London I bought lots of beads and buttons....they will be making their way into this work I am sure of it. The first thing I need to do though is figure out how to store them properly, how to store them so I can lay my hands on them easily and not have to scour the whole house for hours trying to find them. With my track rec0rd it won't be easy but at least the will is there....it's a start.
I'm back..did you miss me? London was fab, London is always fab. Returning to a dead PC monitor not so fab. It's replaced...ordered at 17.55 pm last night and delivered at 19.05 pm. Now that's what I call service. However.....it's new, it's bright and then some, my eyes are complaining already.....so, these images. Are they OK? It will take some getting used to I think.
This work? Well I know I said I wasn't making any more pockets for a while but I changed my mind. This will be a tiny one. And anyway, it's an excuse to make more toggles which are fast becoming my latest addiction.
I must dash, I have suitcases to unpack and a loft ladder to climb.
I just can't help myself, as soon as this artist book is finished I begin stitching little scraps of cloth and paper for the next one. The pages are already cut too......I'm on a roll. I may also have been heard to say I was finished with pockets for a while. Ha....don't believe it. This afternoon I am going to put another one together, the base anyway. I can't fight the urge....
I'm going away for a few days.....I will be missing until Tuesday. I can hear the sigh of relief from here. Be good whilst I am gone.
I promised you a video show and tell of my latest artist book and here it is.....more a show than a tell as I say very little.
And....a few images I have been saving from my ''day to day'' which I keep meaning to post.