Yesterday morning I had all this laid out on the table.....or should I say piled haphazardly on the table. I looked, I chose, I mixed and matched, I changed my mind a million times. I then folded neatly and voila....I now have these. (it wasn't easy to choose.....really, to decide on which pieces went where)
Nine packets of embroidered and printed cloth.....that's ''morceaux de tissu broders et imprimes'' to those of you who aren't up on your French...and I include myself in that.
Today it's puffs, counting and packaging, mounting paperworkand packaging. My list is slowly getting ticked off...prepare yourself for more French.
Yesterday afternoon consisted of lots of mess on the table, lots of sticking and cutting too. The upshot is I made great strides with my latest batch of little books. There are new thread wrapped cards, new fabric swatch cards, more prints, little offcuts of stitch, some hanging tags with buttons and puffs sewn on......it's a great way to pass three hours, yes three hours. Honestly, time just goes so quickly and it's not a chore, it's the best kind of playtime.
I reckon these will be finished early next week. I just need to get cracking with my stitched pieces now......one is finished, one is almost finished and two require quite a bit of attention. It'll be a sewing weekend.....
I've been busy, despite the thumb twiddling I mentioned yesterday. I have mounted work, I now have nine mounted sheets with nine still to do. Even if London wasn't happening this is something that I have needed to do for a long time. This work is now safe, safe from creasing and able to be easily stored, not just put here and there loosely.
I've also been busy doodling, three pictures up, a large sheet of doodles next to a smaller sheet inspired by the bigger one to its left. Next image, the smaller sheet on its own. Final image the smaller sheet with a little bit of colour added by me last night along with some tiny blue sprigs I scattered over the background.
The second image here, the small doodle, that is A4 in size (8.3 inches x 11.7 inches) (21 x 29.7 cm). This doodle is now available to buy as a download, a PDF, for colouring in, for cutting up, for collage, print ten, print a million, it's entirely up to you. There are more details here. As we are on the subject of keeping me gainfully employed, a reminder, ''Reinventing the page''. We will be doing stuff like this in that class which begins in less than a fortnight. To read more about that one just go here.
Back to the decorating....I have worked very hard this morning, shifting things out of my bedroom, hoovering under the bed, putting precious things safely away in another room. (James bedroom...oops...sorry son!!) He doesn't know yet, he will when he gets home from work and finds his nice bachelor pad transformed into a home for all things girly and stitch related.
I had some cloth printed with my doodle design by spoonflower. It's not perfect, it needs tweaking but I am still delighted with it, love it in fact.
What needs changing? I want the overall pattern to be smaller, less white space with a greater density of doodling. Over the next few days I will play with that a little more.
Because I am so excited about this cloth and believe me I am VERY excited, I want to share. I am giving away one piece, 16 x 8 inches which is the overall size of a complete pattern. So if you need a new rag to clean the floor or wash the dog now is your chance. Just leave a comment, any comment. It can be about the weather, the price of cheese....anything. I will pick a winner next week sometime.
Now I really must dash, I am running very late today. That's because I was up half the night, something was happening in Scotland apparently and I didn't want to miss it.
I'm a bit late...I've been busy playing, sampling, writing. Why? A new class....
Lace, paper, cloth and stitch
A surface for embroidery, layers of lace, paper, cloth, stitch, print. A new class, two weeks. No deadlines, permanent access...forever. A resource for you of inspiration and process from which you can create paper cloth that money could never buy.
Lace will be layered upon paper, patterned cloth will be layered under sheer cloth, embellished cloth will be trapped between layers of light paper and embroidered lace. Layer, build, create a unique surface.
Commencing Wednesday July 9 for two weeks.
No deadlines, no set tasks. Groups which are formed through my online learning programmes are communities, friendly, interactive, supportive communities. It is my hope that each course takes place within a relaxed, informal and ''comfortable'' online environment. You are welcome to dip and and out of our experience as and when it is convenient for YOU. Access is permanent....forever.
Access to a private flickr group will be provided on commencement.
***It is essential that you have access to a sewing machine for this class.***
This programme will include techniques from my former ''lace'' class, however techniques demonstrated during the ''lace'' programme will be applied in a different manner having been extended, sampled and developed in a different direction.
Unlike previous classes this programme will not have a dedicated blog. Video links will be delivered via e-mail, as will relevant images.
This is what I have set the girls in school to work on this week......a brief glimpse for you into the world of Alchemy. Papers, stitch, print and collage, unique surfaces for my ledger.
I can't stay long today, I have some stuff to do. Tomorrow you will have a video....kind of a journey through a wrapping cloth.
