In preparation for my new class, (you can read more about that here) I have started another needle case. I'm testing ideas for adornment, sampling seams and tape and stitch placement. Whilst working on this I'm making mental notes of new ideas arising from this, taking it all in and writing it down.
One of the fabrics has bled on this piece, the red one. I am shocked. I have used this fabric many times in the past and it's never happened before. It's a mystery. I am scratching my head again....the piece isn't ruined, I'm just irritated and perplexed.
I haven't forgotten ''artist books'' either...our 12 months of playtime with pages. We are a few weeks into that, looking at embellished scraps, creating surfaces, examining new ways to create a page. Today I am leaving needle cases to one side and have plans for working with paper which I hope will feed into our next class post.
The day before yesterday this piece was pinned.....I had plans....the plans are taking shape. Buttonhole lace, sequins, two pieces joined and more edges to work on. My dilemma? What to work on next, today, this evening? Artist books are calling me, my own artist book specifically and then this piece today, I'm itching to stitch on it a bit more whilst over in class it's all about pink gingham, white silk and bullion loops with added sequins. (I will show you tomorrow.) I want to work on that too. I guess it's the best kind of dilemma to have. I'm thinking of writing a list of my current stitch addictions, closing my eyes and sticking a pin in it. It might well be the only way I will reach a decision.
When you saw thistwo days agothese were separate pieces.....I couldn't help myself, I had to join them. Piping cord, patterned cloth and hey presto. Joining these has made me anxious to make faster progress with this. It was my intention to create one more surface to take away with me when I go on holiday and embellish as and when I was relaxing as opposed to doing ''touristy'' holiday stuff. Now I want to make another surface and concentrate on that seam before I go away by joining it to these two and then embellish the surface when I am away. That will mean taking a much larger piece away with me as opposed to one small section. I like that idea. I like the thought of having a more substantial piece of this to handle and even if I do minimal embroidery on the surface it will be a pleasure just to look at it every day as opposed to suffering embroidery, cloth and sewing withdrawals which is what usually happens when I am away from home.
It's still swatch central here, most days anyway. Other things happen too, pages or paper pieces, artist books and the like but swatches are what I have the most of, all requiring headers, all requiring embroidered edges and all eventually needing to be mounted and turned into cloth books. Of course the swatch obsession began in embroidery school. It's continuing in ''studies in stitch'' for me at least, homework for teacher.
This one....turquoise beads on a seam, hankie corners too and the start of a row of pleated applique with beaded pleats, there will be more of those, a row.....
An incomplete seam on a new piece put together yesterday, a diversion, a new challenge. This one has sequins. I don't think I have ever used sequins before. It also has extra fat loops....one of which appears to have come alive overnight. I'm loving all the added titivation's appearing in my work recently, the beads, now sequins. Who knew? Allegedly I used to be afraid of colour.
The unruly loop will be corrected, I have to. It spoils the neatness of the line. (it's the fourth one from the left in the top image)
I changed my layout, did you spot that? Is it better? If not better is it ok? is it a non disaster?
Also.....just in case you missed it..... a new class.....
Join me whilst I create pages of stitch and collage using cloth, embroidered scraps, beads, buttons, lace, pattern and paper. My pages will, at the end of our 8 weeks, be combined in order to create an Artist Book, an Artist Book bursting with samples and inspiration. Your pages can be added to any book you wish, make your own ledger with fine paper, with hand made paper, with patterned paper or use a special sketchbook, maybe even a story book. These things will be discussed and considered during our 8 weeks of creativity.
***please note. I have only basic book making skills. This is not a book making class in terms of the creation of finely bound sketchbooks, journals or ledgers. My own book will be very basic and simple. I am happy for you to be more experimental and adventurous with your own books. I encourage the pushing of boundaries, the exploration of idea and thought.***
My role will be to demonstrate the creation of large collaged sheets of paper, cloth and embroidery, to illustrate the creation, from those sheets of stitched scraps for your pages and to then share how a page can be adorned in order to enhance the presentation of your sampling.
In addition I will make large sheets of stitched cloth and paper which will ''stand alone'' and not be added to my little Artist book''.
This is not an ''art'' class as you may imagine. There almost certainly will not be paint, pen, drawing, sketching.....my little book will be enhanced purely through the use of stitch.
Images of my own ''Artist Books'' can be seen here. From viewing these images you will gain an appreciation of what can be achieved during our 8 week programme and beyond.
Something new, a fourteen inch strip of pieced cloth with three seams running down the centre. Two seams are secured and embellished with bullion knots, the third with beaded bullion knots. There are several tiny little cloth titivation's ready to go on here too, I just need to decide where to put those.
This piece is ten inches wide and I will most likely fold it in half length ways to create a tiny pocket. First though I want to finish my row of little flowers, as you can see there are two of those at the moment and I reckon I will need to embroider another twelve. I just realised that will be fourteen flowers....on fourteen inches of cloth. Who knew? Not me, not planned, I'm not that clever.
My embroidery time, my sewing hours, my focus......this cloth. I started to count how many bullion knots were on here and gave up. I didn't give up in desperation, I just thought there will be more bullion loops added to this before you know it so that little task would be best left until this cloth is completely finished.
Today? A video for you, a brief show and tell and a little bit of embroidery.....
The latest addition to my ''happy cloth''....a tiny pocket secured in a seam with a very tactile bumpy bit on the inside. Embroidery is happening as often as I can fit it in, I also want to paint more, to make more sheets and pages however I am in the middle of emptying two rooms ready for the decorator. The upheaval and accumulated piles of things I ''just can't throw away'' is more than enough reason to never consider anything more disruptive than decorating such as moving house. If moving house is happening in your life at the moment you have my utmost sympathy.
First image, lowest seam running left to right.....29 inches, 101 bullion knots.Each bullion knot has 35 wraps......that makes a grand total of 3535 wraps. I need a lie down! In truth it was a pleasure, an exercise in relaxation and methodical stitch. I would go so far as to add meditative to that too but I still feel as if I want to say ''wow''.....I do this daily, nightly, hourly and never think about the numbers, the wraps, the knots.....it's almost automatic, eyes shut, lost in thought and moving my fingers without thinking. If I were to set you some homework.......count your stitches, count your wraps be they on French knots, bullion knots, cords...anything. Just do it and amaze yourself.
This piece is almost finished. There is a small square in progress for the final corner and then it can be backed, more pockets can be slipped into seams, titivation's for the edges can be considered and then it can be backed. The other day I spoke about this(the small check gingham option in pale grey) for the backing. I have changed my mind. I will take a few days to chose something else....I am leaning towards white. (no surprise there then)
The last time you saw this I had merely pinned these pieces together on the video at the end of this post. (it's a repeat, you saw it before)
It has now been stitched together with buttonhole lace used to join each seam. I made three little, plain buttons and added those too. It's a sample, an exercise, a pass the time activity. Something to do whilst thinking about something else.....you know what I mean. (I know that you know, you do it too).
