The act of wrapping something with cloth is very soothing, relaxing, satisfying.
The wraps shown today were created for a specific body of work, embroidered pages, a loosely put together artist book.
It's been used this week for demonstration in Alchemy to illustrate how the simple act of wrapping with cloth is perfect for protecting work, for recognising its importance, for acknowledging its status as something deserving of protection.
A little hand made sketchbook created with acrylic paper and a couple of pretty spotty and striped pages. I made this yesterday, I was only playing but I love it. The embroidered cover was compulsory, you know I can't help myself. It's not finished yet, more embroidery is needed on the cover which then has to be lined before being stitched to the spine of the book. I'm also thinking of little 'bits' I might be able to put in here. Little thread cards perhaps? Some tiny buttons on a card? I don't know yet...I'm thinking.
It could be a long one today.
I pieced this cloth together on camera, with you a few weeks ago. This will be a wrap for a small artist book I am making for myself. The book holds samples of stitch, of edges, of process. The wrap is mimicking that, the stitch, the process and the edges (edges will follow when it's lined). You can see the video of the initial pieceing process here. A few days ago I made a very short video for you just to show the progress I had made to that point following on from piecing the cloth.. You can see that video here.
Today I am sharing more progress and a new piece, the fourth piece which I think will be the final piece needed to make this wrap large enough to wrap around my artist book.
In the short video today I am indicating new areas of embellishment by pointing.......yes I know it's rude to point but some times you just have to.
Also, most of you probably know that I moved house recently. In my new place there is room for a studio, an artist studio. It needed work, window, door, plaster, cement....that is all done now and it's in the process of being painted. I am beyond excited. In addition to embroidery I am doing this.......the finish line is getting closer.
I am completely consumed at the moment with putting my happy cloth together. It's all I am working on aside from one or two small things for the new class. The back is on, the edges are pinned, I have started to apply the finishing stitches to the edges and I'm deciding on buttons, beads, puffs and toggles to adorn the edges, deciding if I need more of those.
So these images are of progress with that taken with my phone over the last couple of days. There's also a couple taken whilst preparing for the new class along with one of some much needed new supplies and a little gift of cloth I received. (the sumptuous rust coloured cloth laid under my new threads)
This weekend I aim to finish the happy cloth. There will also be more backgrounds, pages, surfaces created with paper and delicate cloth.
A wrapping cloth....traditional process, bright, modern cloth. I have set myself a challenge to make this work. In the past I have made wrapping cloths with gingham, with handkerchiefs and of course in all white. I think this is the first time I have created a wrapping cloth with patterned cloth, brightly patterned cloth. The process will be similar, the approach the same. Prairie points, applique, cutwork, patchwork, traditional technique and traditional embroidery stitches along with a few other as yet untested ideas.
This is what has happened in the first ten days of class.....so far so good.
It's a pillow top, the one from here. Progress is quite slow but it's progress all the same. There are bumps and loops and knots along with a little bit of colour.
As well as this piece I have been working more on the body bag over in 5, colour abounds there too but later today I am going to be playing with white. I often get a hankering for white, scraps of lace, old cottons, just mixing and matching, piecing little scraps. Today's white will be worked alongside paper, for the doodle class. I will share that with you as soon as I can.....
Don't worry, I haven't gone over to the dark side and developed an interest in bondage...well not in that sense anyway. This is all about wrapping, binding, swaddling in order to protect and keep safe. It has evolved over in Simply Stitch 4, part of a theme, swaddling bands. To be honest it looks like a shroud to me. Having said that I don't see that as a negative, I find it quite fascinating because if you think about it we swaddle newborn infants, we wrap them in cloth and then when it's time for someone to leave us we wrap them in cloth too.......a circle of being wrapped in cloth.
This particular sample is created from pleated muslin which has been bound with torn cloth strips and then embroidered. To add a little delicacy I have partially edged one side with little dangly things. I made the buttons for the edge too but I'm dithering over those, undecided. There's no rush, it's not finished, I will take my time.
If you have registered for Lace, paper, cloth and stitch you should have received your first installment this morning. If you haven't received that then please let me know as soon as possible.
Samples created for ''4'' are wrapping a finished piece from ''3''....that really excites me. Am I a bit too easily excited? I don't know. The fact that they live together, they compliment, they just fit. I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised as most of my work has the same starting point but for a few minutes this morning I was ecstatic that these two processes looked so good together.
The piece from ''3'' is now finished and mounted. The only delay there was the attic work, the dirt, the upheaval at home. The piece from ''4'' is only just beginning....I don't even know yet what it will be. I am enjoying the journey though.....
I'm late, delay after delay. I was delayed at the supermarket and then my husband needed emergency dental treatment....all I can say is that it's like emergency ward 10 here at times and it's a good thing I'm fighting fit and ready for anything, yes, anything.
But never mind I'm here now. I've been titivating another piece of silk for my ''sample cloth body bag''. This one has islands of fabric, (I'm trying to do a romantic description here so don't laugh) it has scattered flowers and fragile lace outlines along with tiny, delicate bridges of wrapped threads.....how did I do?
All I can say is I adore this work, each section already finished and those in progress. I am desperate for this to be finished but only so I can enjoy having it, owning it, touching it...When it is finished it may have a zip, then again it may have hooks and eyes, or maybe buttons. I haven't decided yet but that is why I get so much pleasure from the creative process......considering and making choices about exciting and wonderful things.
More cross stitch, it reminds me of a sampler. Lines of different stitches, different patterns, motifs, different placement. Do you know it was cross stitch that started my addiction to the needle and thread? Way back in what feels like another life my mum bought me a cross stitch kit. I still have that piece, framed and most likely in a cupboard somewhere but I shall always keep it. I would say it was the best gift I ever received because it led me here.....who knew....
There is a tiny piece of wrapping here aswell with a little too much ''spiral'' going on. If you are one of my Alchemy girls you will know what that means. Tut, tut...teacher falling short.
I put a couple of things back in the shop today. Why did I take them out in the first place? Haven't a clue? Seemed like a good idea at the time? I was having a 'moment'? Any of the above....however it was a positive thing to do as it has now got me thinking about starting something else to run alongside my wrapping cloth. Perhaps taking them out and putting them back again is good practice in terms of re awakening an idea, feeding the brain.