100 Today!!!!!!

I cannot believe this is my 100th post. Where has the time gone? In honour of the occasion, as promised, I have decided to hold a giveaway. I wish I could give you all a present but as that isn't possible I have been beavering away and made two pincushions for two readers. I'm afraid the method of choosing is not very original but here goes.... leave a comment on THIS post and on wednesday 5th march I will randomly select two names...hey presto, you will receive a pincushion. I have really enjoyed making these little things, they are such a contrast to my cloths which are huge and take an age to make. I have also made another one for the shop which will go in there tommorrow and I will put some pics of it up then aswell.
These two are made using the ever present cutwork, my latest favourite technique!!



They are both backed with vintage fabric




and are almost too cute to give away! I should have made one for myself I know, but doesn't that always happen? The builder whose own house is falling down or the painter and decorator whose own walls haven't seen paint for years. I am the embroiderer who has no embroidery of her own.



I am making steady progress with my latest cloth, there will be more of that tommorrow too.

Etsy Again!!.........and EARTHQUAKE survival!!

I was home alone last night. Laying in bed reading about 1 a.m. Now I am always a bit edgy when I am home alone at night, call me a wuss, whatever. So it didn't go down too well when there was an awfully loud noise and the bed began to shake and drop! I sat bolt upright in bed, grabbed my mobile phone and wondered how many people were trying to smash their way into the house. As I sat listening, waiting for the burglar to make his way up my creaky stairs, nothing, total silence. I considered the possibility that I was finally going insane and had imagined the whole thing, eventually falling asleep to wake up and discover I had survived an earthquake! Read about it here.
Lately, on earthquake free days, I have been REALLY busy. I am currently damp stretching the first part of my latest cloth. Whilst that is doing its work I have added a couple of things to the shop. A brooch with a cutwork section showing part of a vintage transfer,




another brooch with vintage lace which I have added embroidery to,

and a cute pincushion, again cutwork, this time revealing vintage fabric with vintage fabric backing.

The next time I post I will be 100. Can you imagine that, 100 posts. I cannot believe it has come round so quickly. For the occassion I am going to have some kind of giveaway. I haven't decided what I am going to giveaway yet, but check back to find out. I really must mark the occasion because I am so happy I started this blogging journey. I have met some fantastic people and had a great time. Thankyou all so much. xx

Back to Work!

It is good to be back on the blog! I noticed my visitors dropped dramatically whilst I was away, very scary, I may never have a holiday again! But don't tell my husband! We had a brilliant time 'down south' visiting Helen. It was so good to see her and see how happy she is in her new home. Her place is really nice, very homely with pretty little touches. So, I have a happy settled daughter. Why do I feel just a little bit down? Well, because I miss her so much, however, I will just have to get over myself won't I?
Back to reality and my latest cloth. At the moment I am applying cutwork to a very large panel of silk. I haven't put any images of that here yet because there have been a lot of similar things on here lately. By the time I have finished it though it won't really look like anything else I have made because I intend to EMBELLISH. The first step will be to add an embroidered grid to the surface. this is in recognition of running stitch, one of the basic utility stitches, and the role it has played in the lives of ordinary women for centuries. As a means of quilting, a means of repair, a means of construction........
I have been sampling ways to add these grid like lines and one of these was with my pin tuck foot on the sewing machine. This is how it looks,




and this is how it looks on the back or 'wrong' side. This is quite an interesting surface actually and I might use it in the future for something else.


These are hand stitched lines using running stitch. I know I am really predictable but I am almost certainly going to go with this. It's just such a pleasure to do and I always, always prefer to embroider by hand when I can.



Once I have completed the cutwork and the grid I intend to then applique onto that. I have ironed some vintage transfers onto silk and will use this for the applique. These transfers remind me of both my grandmothers who often embroidered onto cloth using transfers.



When this panel is finished I am going to make another, slightly smaller panel, using a different technique and join them together.
On another subject. It seems some of my images are missing from this page and have been replaced with a red x, anyone know why?

More for Etsy

My latest Cloth is under way but at the very early, not very interesting stage. I have however put some more small embroidered pieces on etsy today. The first, fourth, fifth and six images here are all from the same piece of work, a large piece with cutwork, applique, lace and embroidery sections. (I know it would be easier to have had them run consecutively but I can't get them to move...sorry!)




This piece (below) contains various techniques, couching, embroidery and applique.

Whilst this one also has some cutwork.

This one is purely a selection of hand embroidery stitches.

It may be that you have seen small sections of these before, I have been working on them for a while, just picking them up every so often. Anyway, now they are finished.

I am going away for a few days now, to visit my lovely daughter.

I hope you still come to visit and leave comments, please, please, please............................

See you next week xx

Now please don't think that because we have another loosely connected domestic image here that I am on a mission to become domestic goddess of the year....no way! I just had to show you this. I cut into my red pepper....and look...it had triplets! How exciting!


And here they are on my chopping board. I was that excited, like I am when I get a double yolk in my egg. Maybe I don't get out enough......



Now on to the main event. Here are my cloths at the exhibition, hung exactly as they should be, like kitchen cloths, like wraps around those things that are precious. If anyone touches them whilst they are hanging it may spoil the drape so I am debating wether to visit them on a regular basis to ensure they stay correctly hung.

And have you noticed my cute flickr badge on the right of the page. I did that today. For someone who couldn't even click and drag three weeks ago I am making tremendous progress!

I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I have sadly neglected my housewifely duties! I thought it was about time I re-introduced myself to the concept of housework, so I cleaned my living room window,


Then I cleaned my kitchen window.


Then I lost all motivation and returned to my embroidery! (don't think I will ever be named domestic goddess of the year) I have started a new cloth for the exhibition in April (more on that another day) but I am also conscious that if I want to make a success of etsy I need to keep going on a smaller scale with things for there.

These are going to be small embroidered pieces for the shop. I call them embroidered scraps. The lace pieces you can see in the work are 'scraps' of vintage cloth. Allthough they can go in a frame I also like to think that someone would use these little compositions in their own work, in part of a patchwork perhaps, or appliqued onto the surface of their own embroidery.

Also check out my link list, I have added a few more great blogs.

A happy Valentines Day to you all.xxx

The new etsy shop is now open. Please take a look, I really would welcome your feedback. Thanks x

Relief!!

Yesterday I delivered my Cloths to the exhibition venue. It was such a relief, allthough I won't be there when they are actually hung. It is the preview on friday evening so I am going early to fiddle with them...make sure they look o.k. I also hope I can get some good images of the whole exhibition to show you here next week.
My mind is now on my next cloth. I have another exhibition which overlaps the current one and I need to make more work incase I am lucky and sell. What with exhibitions and trying to get etsy up and going my brain is working overtime. Talking about etsy, here is a small selection of what you will be able to find there tommorrow.

More shop work

Have I been busy today! Making labels for the exhibition and getting things ready for the etsy re-opening on wednesday.
A few little peeks here,

Another award, problem solved...(hopefully) and shop update

I am a lucky lady indeed as Ulla from kotkaranki has given me another 'you make my day' award! I am truly flattered but if it is o.k with her I am going to think about this one a little longer as I gave SEVEN yesterday and don't want to waste it by gifting it in a hurry.
On another topic, remember my post about the dilema I had regarding how to display my work at the upcoming exhibition? I had thought that I would have to pull out as I absolutely do not want to hang my work flat against a wall, this would negate their domestic, wrapping reference and remove all the emotion I have put into them. So I have arrived at a solution which makes me happy and which I hope will meet the needs of the gallery.
I have stitched one of these to the corner at the back of each piece,



made three of these,




so now each piece can hang from the corner like a domestic cloth. Like this,

this,

and this. Phew....what a relief!


I have also been busy working on something new for the shop which I hope to re-open on wedenesday. Here is a sneaky peek for you!