For centuries women have used cloth as a tool of comfort and as an expression of beauty within their homes. Creating cloth for warmth, cloth for shelter, our female predecessors embellished these linens with hand stitch using laborious and time consuming techniques thereby enhancing the functional beauty of objects which enveloped and protected their families. Inspired by these women I hope my creations pay tribute to and recognise the devotion expressed in cloth by our female ancestors .







''the use of traditional often time consuming process alludes to the devotion of a mother''. c K. A. Ruane 2007







Sunday, March 20, 2011

white, white, white....

A lack of creative direction in this house is always best left to its own devices. I never tire of white on white whether there is an outcome in mind or not so at those times when I am wondering where to go next picking up some silk and making, mostly with french knots, is never a waste of time. Yesterday I picked this up again, ( this was started a while ago) did a little work on it and left it to damp stretch. Then I picked up some more silk, a different shade of white thread, number two dye lot as opposed to the number one dye lot I normally use and started another piece...hoping to show you that tomorrow.
Family stuff is going on around me, people coming in and out not needing much attention from me. For me it is merely enough to know they are around doing whatever it is that makes them happy. I am happy to sit and stitch whilst waiting for the blinding revelation that will tell me what to do next...secretly hoping it doesn't take longer than 24hrs!!
A little note on images now if that's o.k. It is very grey and overcast here today, not ideal for photographing white. I have manipulated these in photo editing. To me they look really good in so far as the detail goes yet I would like them to be brighter and despite my best efforts I couldn't get them as bright as I wanted. So a quetion...
how do they look on your screen?

19 comments:

deanna7trees said...

the photos look beautiful at this end. your lovely stitching makes up for the lack of light. never would have noticed had you not mentioned it. i so need a creative block. the ideas are flowing non-stop.

Poorvi said...

They look lovely. Not dark at all. Infact I just fell in love with how you make gorgeous silk look even more gorgeous with adding more texture through embroidery; adding forms to the random slubs. Beautiful and so inspirational!

Jane said...

Still clear enough to appreciate your beautiful work

Karen said...

Absolutely beautiful work. I love white-on-white, classic and timeless.

Lois Evensen said...

They look gorgeous from over here across The Pond. In fact, they nubs on the silk are wonderfully lit to show them off.

jill said...

It still looks stunning to me

Joanna said...

They look fine on the screen here. I don't think making them any brighter would actually help. At least you can see the definition here, not like my snow covered fields :o)

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

They do look a bit dark, but as everyone says, the detail is very clear. Good enough to see your work is beautiful as always, anyway.

Carrie said...

I have the same problem. Isn't it great living in one of the dampest counties in England?
For the purposes of blogging, I think the images are fine and still show the detail nicely. White on white is particularly difficult to photograph at the best of times.

Gina said...

Looks fabulous from here! I always have to click on them for the enlarged version anyway and thank you for allowing that. Some people are so afraid of being copied (which I know is a problem) that they only show small photos and you can't see the details that are so priceless in your work. One person I know asks for input and I can't even see the photo well enough to know what it is sometimes, so yours are absolutely a delight to view!

Suztats said...

Lovely,lovely, white bliss. Wonderful detail in the pics if not as bright as a sunny shot.....given the choice, it's the details!

dandelion said...

a little dark but still clear, I don't know how you manage to take such clear photographs of your work

Kate x

Tammie Lee said...

oh my, i imagine a wedding gown... someday, someone who is willing to pay a grand fortune to have a most beautiful gown will ask you; will you embroider my silk gown!

Anonymous said...

Actually, your photos look really good on my screen.

Elizabeth said...

Your embroidery looks so rich, so elegant, like a royal touch. Love it.

Sheeprustler said...

The photos look good to me. As indeed does the embroidery! Oh how I wish I was at home waiting for inspiration to strike instead of at work subversively reading blogs! OK, that bit's not too bad :) Work OK, quite fun actually, but I feel bloody awful all the time.

Sara lechner said...

No problem on my screen. The scattered flowers look so organic on the small pictures and so beautiful in the big ones!

Jacky said...

The photos look great to me...and I never tire of the white on white either. Made me smile when I saw your pics.

Jacky xox

Jackie said...

Ok so you think they are a little dull but there is something so seductive about the shadows in these pictures. It makes the silk look rich , as silk is.