My little artist book is filling up. Yesterday I added three little mirrors to collaged paper which I then used alongside a snippet of this piece I embroidered earlier in the week. There are still a few pages which are empty, white spaces dotted around this little book. I like the slow approach to this process. I like to think, to consider, to find the perfect piece for each page and if I don't yet have the perfect piece it's never a problem to make the one thing which will finish off a little composition.
If you are registered for the new ''artist book'' class which begins on Monday you should have received an e mail from me this morning. If you haven't received that please let me know.
If you are wondering if the ''artist book'' class is something you would like to be a part of then you can read morehere.
The surface of this piece has changed since you last saw it. There are mirrors, there is lace and there are bullion knots. This will be the first ''hoop'' piece I have made for France. It still needs a couple more mirrors and a little more lace before it's finished. I really feel like I am making progress for the event in France. I don't have any completely finished pieces yet but I have a few that are almost done, I have been organising labels for my work and I have sourced the materials for my workshop so I feel quite calm and in control. I hope it lasts.
The first day of class was a huge success yesterday too. (that's the feedback I've had so far) ...sigh of relief.....a confirmation that I'm moving in the right direction.
I have been asked a few times about ''London'', about the London gathering I held last year and whether it will be happening again. I'd like to get a sense of the demand for that. Can you let me know if you would be interested in me doing something similar again? Bear in mind I am hoping to hold classes from home later this year too so those of you quite near me may not want to go to London. (bear in mind also that there is NOTHING near me of interest to an embroiderer. We have a KFC and a football club....that's it)
In addition to the classes from home, which would be for a maximum of three people at a time I am hoping to hold one on one tuition/embroidery/cake eating days...again...would you be interested in that? I would be really grateful for any indication of whether or not these are good plans.
This morning I started to put Christmas away. I am half way there. I now need to hoover up a mountain of green needles and glitter......I will see you on the other side.
A tiny white pocket, this transformed. It's lined, the edges are secured, there are two Suffolk puffs to one side and a lace tab extending from a seam. I think I will struggle to give this one away. If it was for anyone but my daughter I would be keeping it close.
I struggled to get images, rain and cloud, gloom. The video is one minute fifty four seconds....humour me.
You last saw this piece here, it has been moved on a little bit now. Two edges have been hand finished and boning has been inserted into those. It looks a little like a bonnet, it won't look like a bonnet when it's finished. When it's finished it will be a tiny pocket but it's a gift so don't tell anyone.
I still need to stitch the side seam and create a lining. Then I will think about extra titivations. There won't be a drawstring or a cord...at least there are no plans for anything like that at the moment. I could change my mind but I don't think I will.
The lace frill at one edge, do you see that, I'm still deciding whether to have that at the base or at the top opening, hmmm....
Today's images are quite dark. It's bright sunshine but I still can't get a good, balanced light on this piece. I do however like the shadowing.
This little white piece started life here. I can't remember what the plan was back then but there is definitely a plan now...more on that when I get nearer completion. Last night I added five tiny mirrors to one seam. You might notice there is a small applique circle on that seam too, a little out of place perhaps. I added that some time ago and decided I didn't want to continue with those. That one will stay there as a reminder of that decision.
This is almost finished in terms of surface embroidery. There is a row of bullion loops to add at the top of the lace strip and then it's good to go, to be transformed into something special for someone special......shhhhhhhh.
I've got a hectic week ahead of me, not much time for intensive embroidery so I see videos in your future, a little doodling perhaps and a little stitch.......watch this space.
A couple of hours each afternoon this week spent on my sewing machine has resulted in this cloth, lace cloth and a piece of snippet cloth on silk net. There are mirrors and a little embroidery on the snippet cloth, the lace cloth is just that, unembellished cloth. At least it's unembellished in terms of hand stitch. There is none of that and there won't be any added, not by me anyway.
I'm a little bemused by the lighting in these images. They were all taken at the same time around half an hour ago yet some have a greenish tinge, others a pink one. We must have very strange sunlight here in Lancashire.
The lace piece I promised you yesterday, it's finished. I say finished, this piece is but whether it will stay like this or whether I will join it to something else I can't decide. For now I will just look, touch and scrutinise for any bits I may have missed. Every edge, every seam, every join is edged with buttonhole lace. Time consuming, very much a pleasure to stitch.
So many pictures today! Why? Well because there is a lot to see on this cloth. I actually, honestly, really, truthfully do wish you could all take hold of this and inspect it. That's what I was doing last night as I searched for more areas to titivate, more seams to edge, more holes to strengthen with stitch. I had an amazing time stitching on this for the whole of the evening yesterday, five hours in total probably or thereabouts.
This piece was started ages ago, a long time, last year I think. It has grown, similar to the manner of a doodle cloth in so far as bits were added haphazardly as and when I felt the cloth needed it. That explains it's non uniform shape, it grew as it wanted to grow. There is layer upon layer of lace, some vintage some new along with mirrors, applique, French knots and so many embroidered seams I lost count.
I think I can safely say it's finished now, embellished to within an inch of its life. It's now in the shop, it was always intended for the shop it just took me a little longer than I had planned. What can I say....I got carried away......
My handkerchief cloth is progressing over in Simply Stitch 5. (which is still open for registration if you are tempted, curious, pondering.) I have cut up this mirror pieceand that too is now living happily on a handkerchief. Cutting it up was painless, it's happier here. Being part of this cloth will give it permanence and purpose. The rest of the piece, the unused part will most definitely be saved, closely guarded and used in the future.
Yesterday, lacking inspiration day, thank you for the push, the suggestions, the concern. I wasn't really completely devoid of ideas, it was more that I'm wrapped up in these hankies and I was searching for something else too. I'm OK now I think, let's hope they aren't famous last words but at this moment in time I do have an idea. I'm hoping to start something later today and there will be more on that tomorrow if it is a success. Oh what the heck, if it's a failure I will still tell you.......at least then you won't think I have spent my day doing nothing, being idle.
It's been a funny couple of days creatively. I wouldn't say I lost my ''mojo'', I still had it I just wasn't sure what to do with it. There are a couple of ''pressure'' pieces going on in the background, things I want to finish or move on for class, quite time consuming in terms of what they need yet still a pleasure. My floundering occurred because I can't show you those until they have been seen by the SS4 group. (and yes SS4 group...all the hooks and eyes are added now :) I'm feeling quite pleased with myself on that one)
I am working on my sparkly cloth, adding bling and titivating that surface but I fear you will become bored with that. If I spend hours on it you can't tell the difference even though I know how much extra has been added it must look just the same to you. Essentially one bead looks the same as another despite the fact that it may be in a different area. One area of applied silver kid looks exactly the same as another regardless of where I put it....do you see what I mean.
What to do? Well I'm never one to turn down the chance to pin new pieces, to play with cloth, to lay different pieces down and see what lives happily with what. This morning I have put a tiny stitchery doodle together. An old hankie, soft, pastel stripes covered with a very fragile piece of vintage white and a snippet of vintage embroidery from a worn and ragged table cloth pinned on top. I will begin to stitch on this tonight, an hour on this, an hour on the bling piece. The strip of white with the jagged edge...whats that for? I am using that to extend the cloth for damp stretching, thinking ahead. The pins will go in there and not the edge of the hankie. But what about the other edge I hear you cry? I don't mind about that one, this piece will be cut, made smaller before it's finished and I will keep the other half of the hankie for something else.
Finally, a huge thank you, a massive hug and lots of appreciative grinning. Someone sent me one of these yesterday. I don't know who. There was no note, nothing. If it was you.....honestly...I'm so happy, thanks.
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...
