More paper embroidery, this time with extra lace, lots of pockets, bullion knots and hand wrapped ball buttons.
These images were taken with the new paper piece laid on one of my embroidered throws. As it's dark and grey here this allows the embroidered paper piece to be better captured, the details especially.
The small embroidered piece from this post has been extended. More has been added including a little lace pocket. (I have put a button in that in the last image just in case you can't see it)
This piece could grow and grow. I have a lot of small embroidered paper pieces which would live easily alongside these.
Meantime, I want to make more of these, you can never have too many of those and of course, there's knitting to do.
Also, my first class of 2022 is now open for registration.
Creative portfolio....
Begins Monday february 4th 2022 for 8 weeks.
Suitable for the beginner and the more experienced embroiderer.
You do not need to have participated in any of my previous online learning programmes to take part in this online learning programme.
Content suitable for those with a love of cloth, a preference for paper based work or both.
During the course of this 8 week learning experience we will examine the basics of design for embroidery, recording our sampling, our colour choices, our thread and fabric selections in a creative portfolio which will be an invaluable tool for future work and a unique resource for your creative library.
Think play, think small stitched samples, think colour studies, think fabric swatches, think presentation, think adorning pages, think 'artist book' if that is your preference over portfolio.
Instruction and demonstration will be provided regarding the creation of both a paper based presentation portfolio and a cloth based presentation portfolio.
Included in our timetable will be space for live demonstrations using Zoom along with the provision of one to one, face to face zoom sessions for anyone who would like guidance, support, an appraisal of works in progress or even just a chat.
The timing of Zoom sessions will be finalised in the early weeks of class once I have ascertained the needs of the group.
Participation in any Zoom session is entirely voluntary. Should you not wish to participate in that aspect of the course, demonstrations which take place on Zoom will be available to you for private viewing.
All video and instruction will be hosted on a private blog.
Access is also provided to a private online image sharing group which also allows for group discussion.
As requested, a little more information about my new class which begins on Monday February 8. I hope the short video answers the (very few) questions I have been asked.
Meanwhile I continue to piece papers and play with lace like fabrics to determine how the two compliment each other.
I am having a very hard time restraining myself from taking this further before class begins.
If you are registered for 'renewing the ledger' you should have received an email from me today. Please let me know if that hasn't popped into your inbox.
Renewing the ledger.
This morning I played with this a little. There are two pieces of embroidered and titvated paper here. It's a mix of papers, delicate papers, lace like papers. There is lace here too, overlaid and embroidered onto the paper layers. The embellishment consists of hand stitch, sequins, tiny buttons, knots, trailing thread, trailing ribbon and then there are the hand made buttons. One piece was on here earlier this week, the piece with the orange ribbon and the ribbon tied hand made button from class. That piece is now attached to a similar piece of embellished paper with three hand embroidered ball buttons, (also from class) at the seam. The edge with the very pretty (and scarce..can't find more of those anywhere), the pretty lemon sequins and Guilloche stitch is only pinned at the moment. I think a simple running stitch will suffice in that area.
The soft embroidered pages I shared on here the day before yesterday have now been lined. Each of them has a reverse of pieced vintage lace and vintage trim. I now have a firm plan for these pieces, a soft rolled book of embroidery. The images here almost exclusively show the reverse of these 'pages' but when it's finished I will show the fronts, the embellished surfaces in more detail.
I speak about the 'putting together' of this and the rolling in the short video below.
(Ledgers girls....you have videos coming in around an hour)
These three pages will be brought together to form a little, soft rolled book. Made from delicate paper, soft cloth and lace these pieces roll beautifully. (I already tried) The edges are in need of a little more embellishment and I have started that with the tiny white pom poms and lemon thread. I'm also going to titivate the reverses a little, layer them up with lace maybe.
Once rolled I will bind them with a ribbon string.....
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I'm here...I'm happier than I can say to be back. It's been an amazing four weeks, wonderful and stressful too. Where have I been? We went to Portugal for two weeks, a long planned family holiday with our kids and their partners. The weather was mostly glorious, the family time priceless.
We came back and moved into a new house, a new home for Paul and I. That's where the stress came in but it really doesn't matter anymore because I am so, so completely happy to be in this new place, be experiencing this new start for us both. I'm told I have made amazing progress with the unpacking but I would say there's a long way to go. It does look and feel like 'our' home but there is a little renovation to do, some decorating....then it will all come together properly.
I still haven't unpacked a lot of my cloth, paper, thread etc. etc. Those things are safer in boxes for now. There's also a lot of stuff at my mum's for safe keeping. She doesn't know it yet but that will be there for a little longer.....shhhh....don't tell her.
This work? I worked on this piece in the Portuguese sunshine. (it took me a long time to find this earlier today!)
So that's my news. I'm hoping to be posting and stitching regularly from now. If I see a cardboard box that needs to be unpacked I promise I'll shut my eyes and ignore it.
Registration is open again for both my current classes. Sorry it took me so long.
You can register here for ''stitch along''
and here for ''artist books''.
See you soon and thanks for still being here. xxxx
Do you remember these hankies I was embellishing with sequins, bling and heavily embellished silk recently? Well yesterday I made an executive decision to join two of them to this paper and lace cloth piece (which still has me in raptures). As you can see in the next image for this to work I need more paper and lace cloth, another panel. That will be a chore.....not...that will actually now be the first thing we do in the new class.
One of the seams where hankie meets lace and paper is embellished with bead droplets, white and gold seed beads. The other has 'floaty' dangly sequins. I do hope you can make those out in these images.
Before I go...the date for 'live' access to my recently recorded podcast has been changed. It will now be April 11 not April 4. I will have a link on here when it happens so don't worry there's no chance of you missing it.
When I posted about ''the white book'' earlier this week I was completely shocked with the response, the positive response. Thank you so much. The most asked question last week was 'is it for sale'? It's not sorry, it's for me. What normally happens with my artist books is I make them, I sell them, I don't allow myself to fall in love with them as they are going to be for sale before I even begin. That one however was always going to be for me. I have fallen completely in love with it and couldn't part with it for anything.
But....I had a thought...yes, I have those sometimes. Make more for all those who have asked. I don't mean I am taking orders or accepting commissions, rather I am working on these just to have some 'available'. Having said that, don't hold your breath. These are tiny, three inch by three inch pages and in theory should come together quickly...in theory. Thing is I can't rush these, I can't rush the bigger ones and I can't rush these either. I could never work in 'production line mode' churning things out quickly, after the quick sale. I can't chase the money, won't ever chase the money because embroidery means more to me than that.
So, the first one is here. It's not complete but as I said...rushing isn't going to figure anywhere in this. I did think about explaining to you how amazing I find working on these but I don't think I have the words, am unable to express just how much of a joy it is to compose these little pages with embroidered scraps. Hopefully the images illustrate that in a small way.
The following images and very short video are of the pre book stage, the search through my stash and the creation of lace, paper and stitched surfaces to embellish with hand embroidery and use on these tiny pages.
A simple row of turquoise beads along an edge of paper, a page enhancement. There's quite a bit of lace here too, some bought, some I made myself. It all somehow just lives together easily. The blue compliments the white and the lace, the white and the lace compliment the blue.
This is more work on one of the pieces commanding most of my attention at the moment, artist books. I am working on pieces for embroidery school too, creating tiny samples of embroidery stitches for the ''stitch ledgers'' we are making over there. Who knew there were so many embroidery stitches out there? It would seem the world doesn't revolve around bullion knots after all.
Also...prep is really hotting up for my London workshop and unfortunately I can't share that with you either yet...you will definitely get to see all that after the event though, I am taking pictures as I go along. I can't quite believe it's almost upon us. It's next week...time definitely flies.
You will be seeing more paper based pieces over the next couple of days as that seems to be my default media at the moment. That's no bad thing....