03/29/2016
pieces of a pocket
These are the lower edges of what will eventually be a pocket. You saw this before...here. It's not finished yet, the lining has to be created and then it all needs to be put together. I will be doing all that with class later this week hopefully.
I have 18 pieces of lace cloth to create for my workshop in France and I hope to make progress with that later today....no pressure then. Meantime I have finished the cloth from yesterday and will share that with you tomorrow.
and a reminder....a new class.....read all about it here.....
03/28/2016
another one to finish....
I was speaking about a piece which had been languishing in an ''unfinished'' pile from a couple of years ago in this post and this post. Today it's another one of those pieces, not forgotten, not unloved....merely ''unfinished''. I had forgotten just how many rouleau loops there are on this piece. It would be lovely to have some for one edge, as a finishing touch but I no longer have enough of this fabric for that...the thinking cap is on for an alternative edge titivation. I damp stretched this yesterday, trimming the edges and cutting off a couple of unneeded sections which didn't fit with the overall shape I wanted. They will now become offcuts for goody bags and I will show you those later this week.
At the moment this is lying with it's backing tacked in place, ready to be taken to the sewing machine. When it's complete, backed and titivated I will come back and show you with a quick video.
03/27/2016
a brief show and tell, a wrapping cloth....
Remember this mammoth post? A wrapping cloth.......now finished.....backed, titivated at the edges....being drooled over as we speak. The video...a brief show and tell.
03/26/2016
cloth and titivations
Goody bags, bags of cloth, bags of snippets, bags of titivations. I plan to put a few goody bags together for France. So far I have ten pieces of doodles printed on silk, ten pieces of doodles printed on cotton, a couple of pieces of lace cloth, lots of Suffolk puffs with various patterning's and several embroidered offcuts not shown here. More lace cloth will need to be created and more off cuts ''cut up''. It's actually surprising how many off cuts you can find if you look hard enough. I have more than I knew and I still have boxes to look through. I tend to keep off cuts to use in my little books and now they will come in useful for goody bags....keeping those proving to be one of my better ideas.
The Wrapping cloth from yesterday is now backed. I am in the process of adding little titivations to the edges....so watch this space.
Finally, just in case you missed it......my new class.
Stitching a Story
A story.....
a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader...
or....in this case....to record with stitch.
Stitching a story, a children's book, a little doodling, play, stitch on pages, stitch on cloth.
Beginning Monday May 2 for 16 weeks.
There will be a two week break after week 7 (from June 19 to July 4)
Actual running length of class will therefore be 18 weeks.
Two posts a week on a private password protected blog. A minimum of two hours video per week.
Access to all resources is permanent.
**you do not need to have participated in any of my previous online learning programmes in order to participate in ''patched pockets.''***
No prerequisites. Suitable for the beginner and the more experienced stitcher.
In addition to a private blog you will be given access to a private Flickr group where you will be able to interact with other members of the group, upload images of your work, receive feedback, give feedback, share technique, hints, tips.....
Previous online learning programmes I have hosted have resulted in the formation of a tightly knit group of like minded people who share the creative process in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. It's almost as if groups ''hold hands'' throughout. For me, this is one of the most appealing and rewarding aspects of these classes.
(I am also aware that some people prefer to work quietly with minimal interaction. That is OK too.)
There are no deadlines, no set tasks. You are under no obligation to create what I am creating. Many people in previous classes have merely taken notes in order to apply ideas to their own work. Please take as much or as little as you wish from this programme, tailor my demonstrations to suit your own creative needs.
During the course of this 16 week online class, using a children's book for inspiration and as a ledger (sketchbook) for design ideas I hope to develop stitched pieces on cloth which will be inspired by images from my children's book. Using processes such as stitching, doodling, collage, layering, cutting, pleating etc on the pages of my children's book, I will develop ideas upon and within those pages by allowing paper and page to become a vehicle for sampling and developing embroidery before beginning embroidery on cloth.
Stitch
Collage
Doodle
Layer
Fold
etc etc
The use of a children's book or any other type of book is not compulsory. It is quite acceptable to participate in this class at a level of your own choosing. For example, you may have no desire to work in a book of any kind, preferring instead to take information from video and execute your ideas directly onto cloth. That is 100% OK. I want you to take from this experience whatever suits you, whatever works for you.
03/25/2016
Wrapping cloth
Did you think I wasn't coming today? I doubted it myself to be honest after spending most of last night in Accident and Emergency with someone who fell from a great height but thankfully has done no seriously serious damage but who is now hobbling about on crutches.....and no, it wasn't me.
Anyway.....a Wrapping Cloth.
''The wrapping cloth series evolved from my research into Motherhood and these pieces serve as a tribute to women who throughout time have used cloth as a tool of comfort for their families.''
(I wrote this quote many years ago, long before I began this piece which was also started a long time ago.)
This particular wrapping cloth was created in an online class three years ago at least and may look familiar to some of you. Yesterday it lay unfinished, with uneven edges, the plan having been to add to it to make it bigger. With France in mind, with filling space in France in mind I decided to square it off, to damp stretch it, to cut off the ''sticky out bits'', back it and take it to France with me. It won't be for sale, this is another ''keeper'' it will be for display and as I said, a space filler. The offcuts? They will find their way into little goody bags of cloth, puffs and buttons.....
Since I removed it from the damp stretching board earlier I am desperate to back it, to finish the edges, to titivate some more....that way I can fondle it to my hearts content.
There is cross stitch, applique, many, many layers of lace and edges which form little, unexpected pockets....it's a delight. I am so happy I rescued it from a life of languishing in an 'unfinished'' pile.
(it measures 20 x 34 inches. 50 x 86 cm)
In case you missed it yesterday...my new class Stitching a Story.
03/24/2016
Stitching a Story
Stitching a Story
A story.....
a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader...
or....in this case....to record with stitch.
Stitching a story, a children's book, a little doodling, play, stitch on pages, stitch on cloth.
Beginning Monday May 2 for 16 weeks.
There will be a two week break after week 7 (from June 19 to July 4)
Actual running length of class will therefore be 18 weeks.
Two posts a week on a private password protected blog. A minimum of two hours video per week.
Access to all resources is permanent.
**you do not need to have participated in any of my previous online learning programmes in order to participate in ''patched pockets.''***
No prerequisites. Suitable for the beginner and the more experienced stitcher.
In addition to a private blog you will be given access to a private Flickr group where you will be able to interact with other members of the group, upload images of your work, receive feedback, give feedback, share technique, hints, tips.....
Previous online learning programmes I have hosted have resulted in the formation of a tightly knit group of like minded people who share the creative process in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. It's almost as if groups ''hold hands'' throughout. For me, this is one of the most appealing and rewarding aspects of these classes.
(I am also aware that some people prefer to work quietly with minimal interaction. That is OK too.)
There are no deadlines, no set tasks. You are under no obligation to create what I am creating. Many people in previous classes have merely taken notes in order to apply ideas to their own work. Please take as much or as little as you wish from this programme, tailor my demonstrations to suit your own creative needs.
During the course of this 16 week online class, using a children's book for inspiration and as a ledger (sketchbook) for design ideas I hope to develop stitched pieces on cloth which will be inspired by images from my children's book. Using processes such as stitching, doodling, collage, layering, cutting, pleating etc on the pages of my children's book, I will develop ideas upon and within those pages by allowing paper and page to become a vehicle for sampling and developing embroidery before beginning embroidery on cloth.
Stitch
Collage
Doodle
Layer
Fold
etc etc
The use of a children's book or any other type of book is not compulsory. It is quite acceptable to participate in this class at a level of your own choosing. For example, you may have no desire to work in a book of any kind, preferring instead to take information from video and execute your ideas directly onto cloth. That is 100% OK. I want you to take from this experience whatever suits you, whatever works for you.
03/23/2016
cloth and pages
I'm putting together information for my next class at the moment and wrapped up in all that are pages, cloth samples, embroidered paper, inserting samples into pages......it helps to look back, to remind myself of the possibilities. I am at an advantage in so far as I already have my story book. (the next class will revolve around a story book...more information soon I promise) as I say, I already have my story book so know what to look for in terms of similarity of pattern and surfaces...not that I will be copying anything...I won't. Aside from that you wouldn't believe how excited I get looking back at old work. It's like seeing it for the first time all over again.
03/22/2016
five pages
As promised yesterday...more pages, five to be exact. ''A few pages here and there'' books....they're taking shape. There are little scraps of stitched cloth with small pieces of torn, painted paper...a few puffs for texture and interest along with rolled cloth and painted cloth.
I do think I need an afternoon playing, just painting more papers, creating little textured scraps of cloth and paper before these books will be sufficiently crammed....that's not a chore, in my opinion that's a win win...
03/21/2016
Paperwork, a growing collection
Sigh.....cloudy day equals gloomy images....I must have a word with the guy who's responsible for the weather. Another finished piece of paperwork to add to the growing collection. You last saw it here, it's been added to since then. I now have five pieces....I would like to have ten but may have to settle for seven, we''ll see how it goes. These will shortly be mounted onto A3 bright white mount board then these too can be ticked off the France list.
Later today, imminently, I will be working more in my little books.....filling a few pages. Perhaps I should rename those ''a few pages here and there'' books.
03/20/2016
button cloth
After much deliberation and dithering I finally made choices about which buttons lived together happily, complimented each other and them tied them to little pieces of button cloth, attached them to textured card and put them in little bags...button cloth is now ticked off the France list.
Button cloth could however find itself back on the France list if I make more buttons over the next four weeks.....and I can't guarantee I won't.
There is an old post about button cloth here...with a short video....
03/19/2016
yesterday
Friday, lace cloth and Suffolk puffs. The lace cloth here is for my workshop in France. I need 20 pieces...so far I have two. I'm not worried.....it is achievable, a couple of days intense work on the sewing machine and I can put my little kits together for the class.
My current online classes end this coming week. I will then have around four weeks to immerse myself in all things France. I would still like to create at least one more pin pillow, at least two more pockets and another three pieces of paperwork. Alongside that I hope to put together a few little ''goody bags'' made up of lace cloth, doodled cloth, Suffolk puffs and buttons.
In essence that is a mini list of what you can expect to see on here between now and then.
I will be listing a new class soon too, to begin when I get back from my trip. Keep an eye open for a short video regarding that sometime in the next seven days.
03/18/2016
four days later
You last saw this one here four days ago. Not a lot of work for four days you might think but I've been doing other stuff too....honest....
Four days ago this had a single, solitary bumpy bit. Now it has three rather large bumpy bits and five tiny ones along with stems, French knots and bullion knots. There will be more tiny bumpy bits, white ones, applied to the patterned cloth here before I begin a titivation marathon for the other areas. It's all planned out in my head, all that's needed now is an ironing board, an iron, some scissors, thread, cloth and sewing needles.....
03/17/2016
titivated with puffs....
I can understand if your first thought coming here today is ''on no, not this again'', but bear with me....it's finished!! You have seen it at various stages ''in progress''....now you get to see the bigger picture, the finished article, the completed pocket. Edges have been adorned with Suffolk puffs, there is a button, there is a hint of stitch on the lining, the back has a garden of flowers....done, finished, complete, stitched to death, titivated to the nth degree.
03/16/2016
folded hankies
This surface was put together in class a few weeks ago. Vintage white hankies, folded, secured with embroidery, a tiny pocket at the top edge of one, (visible in the foreground of the second image with a bullion loop edge) and applique petals, flowers.....
More applique will be added to this before I decide on my options for the reverse and the lining. I am hoping to finish it in such a way that the longest hankie drape extends beyond the finished edge, remains free just like the folds and drapes have been preserved in this one.
03/15/2016
cloth and titivations
Yesterday afternoon....creating lace cloth on the sewing machine, measuring, pressing and marking silk and patterned cloth for buttons and Suffolk puffs. The buttons and Suffolk puffs were embroidered last night. I now have ingredients for goody bags.....not many goody bags as yet but it's a start.
Other cloth pieces here are from my stash, my stash of things I have made, I have stitched or doodled and then had printed. If you have watched any of the videos posted on here about putting my little books together you will know that I embroider pieces of cloth, paint sheets of paper, doodle on paper in order to build a stock of pieces I can use in my artist books....just like in this video which I chose at random. Now that stash is coming in handy for goody bags.....who knew.
03/14/2016
piping cord, prairie points and bumps
A new pocket taking shape, the early stages. So far it has three oversize prairie points, one bumpy bit and a strip of piping cord. The three fabrics pieced together here compliment each other I think although the very open pattern on some of the Broderie Anglaise might present a challenge further down the line in terms of embellishment. I may add applique on the surface of that area...or perhaps create a few buttons to decorate that section....or Suffolk puffs......who knows.
03/13/2016
Saturday and Sunday
This weekend has mostly been about the sewing machine...and cloth of course. I've made lace cloth and pin pillow cloth. The pin pillow cloth needs more work, it's in its very early stages here, that's my plan for later......more time spent with the sewing machine finishing the pin pillow cloth.
Oh yes, almost forgot.....I made more puffs for this....
03/12/2016
complimentary.....
Yesterday afternoon I made lace cloth, this piece and more. I thought it might be a good idea to have a little bit of cohesion going on....( just generally) so I am picking pattern out of finished pieces and making lace cloth to compliment, to live alongside pockets and pillows and things. I won't be building ''collections'' as such because I don't have time but somewhere down the line there may be a couple of buttons thrown into this new desire for cohesion too.
03/11/2016
a pocket of puffs
Last week it was in pieces, today it's joined, it has running stitch seams and a pocket crammed with silk Suffolk puffs. This is the front panel, the reverse and the lining are in progress. It's another one I know I'm going to want to keep. I have to give myself a good talking to.
There will be more silk Suffolk puffs, perhaps for an edge or an opening once the reverse and the lining are put in place. I am hoping to have this finished before Monday so watch this space.....then again, I have weekend plans for lace cloth too. Decisions, decisions.....
03/10/2016
pages
More pages have been filled in my little artist books. These follow on from these ones and these ones....piling samples, scraps of paper, snippets of cloth, interesting textures and these little books on the table means playtime for me and the actual ''putting together'' of the pages does not take long at all....it's the gathering which takes time, the selecting of embroidered scraps and lovely paper.
As you can see, occasionally I doodle on them too...
03/09/2016
how paper might inspire stitch
There is a point to all this paper. Aside from it being quite pleasing on the eye it sparks ideas for stitch. I could take this further in so many ways...the button idea being just one of many.
It won't be happening today though. Today I am here...blowing away some cobwebs....
03/08/2016
just pin pillows....
Pillows, pillows to stick pins in...pin pillows, four of them....the pink one is new. It's this piece, backed, stuffed and titivated. I love how they look together. I think I need more though, at least one more. For some reason I'm not comfortable with even numbers.
All of these will be coming here with me. I need to get a shift on. I have been a bit distracted over the past few weeks and that has resulted in some slacking off embroidery wise. I best get my fingers limbered up now because a stitch marathon is needed.
03/07/2016
beads, French knots and an ironing board
It's finished, another piece of paperwork to add to the collection. Can you spot a theme here? Domesticity, ironing boards, patchwork, domestic cloth......
This one has bling....little glass beads, cubes. An ironing bard like you haven't seen before and which in truth would be absolutely useless for ironing on. Imagine the creases those beads would cause.
If you are registered for ''Reinventing the Page'' you should have received sign in information for our private blog and an invitation to our private Flickr group this morning. If you haven't received that please let me know.
03/06/2016
old books and an old cloth
If you are on Facebook you will no doubt know that every day Facebook provides you with memories, things you posted in the past. Yesterday I was shown these, my memories for March 6. The shocking thing to me is that these were posted FIVE years ago. I had to share them. I honestly cannot believe that five years has gone by since these were made.
The cloth, the wrapping cloth, I see that daily. It lives on my sofa and keeps my feet warm in the morning or of an evening...hence its name....my ''toe wrap''. The books are long gone, the hexagons, the pages.....do you have one of these? How has it survived over the past five years? I would love to know.
Five years.....I'm astounded.
If you are registered for ''reinventing the page'' which begins tomorrow you should have received an e mail from me this morning. If you haven't received that please let me know.
03/05/2016
pieces for a pocket
Do you remember this post, this red and white pocket? I said in that post that this pocket would look a lot different when it was finished and here are two more pieces of that puzzle, two pieces which will alter how you might expect that pocket to look when it's finished. I can' t say any more at the moment and this one may not be finished for a couple of weeks. There is stitching to add to these surfaces and then there's the lining to make before it's all put together.
In terms of stitching I need another two bumpy bits and possibly more Suffolk puffs.....the lining will be embellished too and let's not forget the button....
03/04/2016
with and without holes....
Same process.....scrim, metallic silk tissue, one with holes and one without. These have different uses, create different effects in embroidery, catch the light differently, handle differently. I have immediate plans for the piece without holes. The other? I just like to have a stash of that one. (I like to have a stash of both actually....)
03/03/2016
bling on paper
More work on the same theme as yesterday, the same collection, another piece. There are beads on this one....In case you missed my explanation a while ago..... the ironing board...it features heavily in my life as I'm sure it does in yours and in my case in a negative, groaning, moaning, awful task kind of way. So why not make it into something special? Why not transform it into something pleasurable just as I do when I use it to press cloth for embroidery or to piece cloth for a project. This is me turning my ironing board on its head, turning it into something I love to look at as opposed to something I dread getting out.
Some time ago, for a project when my children were small I asked them to name everyday items they associated with me, with mummy. They said cups of coffee, the radio, a particular favourite trinket box I own, needle and thread.....and the ironing board! From that moment I have been determined to turn the ironing board into something pleasurable, for me at least. Hence the stitched ironing boards and the paper ones too.
You can see an embroidered ironing board here and here....
To answer the questions I have been getting about this paper collection, this paperwork is being created in the current class ''patched pockets''. Reinventing the page begins on Monday. That class does not include this paper technique but does include other fun things to do with paper in order to create sheets of work or to enhance your ledger/sketchbook work.
03/02/2016
the paper collection
A new piece of finished paperwork, that makes three up to now. Number four is already taking shape and number five is doodled on a scrap of paper ready to be brought to life. I don't have a favourite and if I had to choose.....well I wouldn't. I love the ironing board piece because...well...it's an ironing board which is pleasant to look at as opposed to being an instrument of torture. The new piece? I love the little black marks on that one and how they enhance the other areas of cloth and texture and it wouldn't take a genius to guess that the lace cloth on the third piece has me drooling...so favourite aspects maybe but no favourite piece.
03/01/2016
a glimpse into embroidery school
Two pieces being worked on in class, both still have some way to go before they're finished. The white piece is in its very early stages and I will be doing more with that over the coming days.
The red piece is slightly misleading I think. It will look a lot different to this when it's finished. This particular pocket will be two pockets.....it will become clearer when I have done quite a bit more stitching on it.
My collection of paperwork is growing....I will show you a new piece tomorrow...
02/29/2016
three more
Another three pages, following on from these that makes 27 minimum still needed but who is counting! Mini compositions, scraps of paper, little snippets of stitch, tiny doodles....all of which could be enlarged, used as inspiration for fabric pieces....inspiration....food for my brain...
There are more artist book related ramblings for you to pore over here, here and here.
If you like these, if you're curious then ''reinventing the page'' begins next Monday, yes...next Monday.....
I must also say that I didn't make the books. I bought them from this amazing place with her consent to use them in this way, to titivate and pass them on.
02/28/2016
hankies, embroidery, ribbon, boning, a pocket
This is finished....when you saw it last it wasn't lined and it wasn't stuffed with wadding which is there to ensure it holds it's shape until I make a decision on what to do with it. I tried to photograph it standing up, which it does easily because of the boned lower edge. Getting a good image of that is a completely different matter though.
It's 15 inches tall (38 cm) . It's lined with Broderie Anglaise onto which I have stitched strips of silk Habotai and metallic silk tissue. You can just about make that out in the last image.
There are two more pockets in progress here.....smaller, flatter, no boning. You will see those just as soon as I get my fingers in gear and stitch.
02/27/2016
three pages
Slowly, slowly I am putting together five little artist books. Three pieces of paper have been stitched and doodled and I now have another three finished pages. Stitch has been extended on to the pages...cohesion.....
My best guess is that I need at least another 30 pages minimum, spread over the five books. It sounds much more of a task that it actually is.
02/26/2016
almost
We still have pins, we still have tacking stitches and we don't yet have a lining but what we do have is a boned lower edge, a hand stitched reverse and a couple of decorative lengths of silk ribbon. It's almost finished.......the white hankie pocket being made in class. This is one of those pieces I am going to struggle to part with. You can't keep everything Karen I keep repeating to myself, after all....I'm keeping this one and how many pockets does one girl need. (haven't we heard that before about pin pillows??)
(just to remind you.....this is how this piece looked last time you saw it)
02/25/2016
Buttons.......and more buttons....
It looks like there has been a button making marathon going on here over the past week but there hasn't. These have been created gradually over a number of weeks, this marathon is a long running process. The latest buttons, the first two images, those were created this week in class. (the puffy ones were, we just talked about the blue and white ones) The labels you can see are attached to the edges of small pieces of pin tucked Broderie Anglaise. Those cloth pieces will each have five buttons attached to them, button cloths.
Very soon I will need to have a ''stock take'' of makes for France. I can then decide what else I need to make, (quite scary because I know I still need a lot of stuff) Maybe a list will be required....I'm good at making lists, not quite so good at ticking them off.
02/24/2016
pages and buttons
Doodle doo....do you remember? The reason this is out, (not that it's ever hidden), the reason it's open, pages being turned, old images being perused is to keep the momentum going for the collection of pieces following on from those in yesterdays post. There will be quite a few of you, new readers, for whom Doodle doo is an unknown.....there is a short video here made some time ago which will tell you more....
Buttons.....more buttons are being made here too. Here are a few ''in progress''. Tomorrow there will be oodles of them.
Another reminder for those of you who didn't catch this one first time round.....''Reinventing the page'' makes a return on March 7.
02/23/2016
Domesticity on paper...
No, your eyes do not deceive you.....it's an ironing board. The implement of torture which is the ironing board features a lot in my life (yours too I'm guessing) consequently it features in my doodles too, in my embroidery, in my thought process. Domesticity, or more precisely my own domesticity has been a starting point for me creatively for some time now. The other piece here is a domestic cloth, a kitchen towel.....and of course, there is a Grandmothers Flower garden patchwork motif. Grandmother, home, domesticity, cloth......all create memories for me, are massively important to me.
These paper pieces are part of what I hope will be a bigger series, a collection.
Don't forget...''Reinventing the page'' is making another appearance for those of you who missed it first time round.
OK...I'm off. I'm going here to see these......I need to put on my dancing shoes.
02/22/2016
Reinventing the page
As promised....a past class....new to those who didn't take part in this first time round. Not a ''work on your own'', this one is a work with me, work within a group. We start on March 7. Below is all the information you need, above are images of what we will be creating. I am so excited about this, reconnecting with this work, reconnecting with play and paper and stitch and doodle for design and finished textile pieces. All process is transferable to other projects, use it again and again. Access to all resources, video, images....is forever. There are no deadlines, no set tasks....
The cost? Exactly the same as if this were a ''work on your own'' class. Access to me is free.
Beginning Monday 7 March. !8 videos. 3 weeks.
This class is an exact copy of ''reinventing the page'', first run as an online learning programme in March of 2015. If you participated in that online class you do not need to purchase this rerun. Video content is EXACTLY the same as that provided in 2015.
If you did not take part in this class in 2015 this will be a new and exciting learning programme for you.
The reason for this rerun?
Work on your own online learning does not suit everyone. Some people prefer interaction within a group, some people prefer an online forum in which to participate along with the support, encouragement and interaction that provides.
This run of ''reinventing the page'' will include access to a new online, private blog and a new, private flickr group where you can interact with other group members, share work, share process, ideas and benefit from group support. I will be active in providing feedback within that group. (this does not happen with ''work on your own classes'')
Please note.....video content was recorded in 2015 and may contain reference to events from that period of time.
To reinvent
''to change something that already exists and give it a different form or purpose''
***You do not need to have participated in any of my previous online learning programmes to participate in ''reinventing the page''***
***An advanced knowledge of embroidery is not required for this learning programme. Suitable for beginners and the more experienced.***
Reinventing the page, a ledger class and more.....it's about creating interesting pages, creating sheets of design work by use of overlaid paper, by folding, by cutting and scrunching paper. There's no need to worry that you have pencil, paint and art phobia, I suffer from those too. We will be playing, having fun, you will be holding my hand, I will be supporting you, encouraging you.
Lets play with paper , transform our ledger pages or create new and unique stand alone sheets of design, art and inspiration.
We
will begin with the basics of design/ledger work, examining colour and
pattern before we begin to add colour to doodles, add stitch to paper,
create overlaid pages, fold, cut shapes, scrunch paper, manipulate
images, create collage with snippets of cloth and coloured tissue
scraps.......all this and more will be used to create a collection of
original paper sheets or pages which will provide inspiration for stitch
and design.
All process demonstrated is completely transferable for future work, being applicable over and over a
NO PREREQUISITES
YOUR ACCESS TO ALL RESOURCES IS PERMANENT. Videos will remain in your possession forever.
NO DEADLINES
NO SET TASKS
Please allow 24 hours from registration to receipt of mail containing a list of suggested equipment
Please respect my copyright. Do not share passwords with anyone else. You are welcome to post work from this class in any online forum, Facebook, Flickr, blogs etc but please do not share process, instruction.
Please note.....video content was recorded in 2015 and may contain reference to events from that period of time.
02/21/2016
White...lace cloth
Lace, lace cloth......the white piece is the latest of three pieces. This is what we will be doing in my Workshop at Pour L'amour du Fil. We will be embellishing lace cloth, lace cloth provided by me. It will be titivated with hand embroidery and perhaps a few puffs. It will be ''holey'', maybe even raggedy at first but once we embellish and titivate it will also hopefully be pretty and beautiful.
02/20/2016
Pink Gingham....flowers...
Another pillow top is taking shape, pink gingham flowers, silk background, lots of bullion knots and a a little chain stitch. This one will hopefully have oversized funky puffs too, somewhere to stick the pins!!
There is a lot going on in the background here, all being photographed and recorded to share with you at some point. Final titivations are needed on some things but tomorrow I hope to show you a little white ''thing'' I have just finished.
As you may know I have been listing a lot of past classes as ''work on your own'' where there is no interaction with others on the private class blog and no interaction within a private forum on Flickr. I realise that a lot of people prefer to be part of an active group, a group where ideas can be shared and support is freely available as opposed to working in complete isolation. For that reason I will be ''rerunning'' some classes with new Private blogs and new Private flickr groups. All videos will be those used in the initial classes but the difference will be the access to a wider group and regular appraisal and input from me. (this does not happen with work on your own classes) (and....the price will be the same as that for the equivalent ''work on your own'' class. ....extra features....no extra charge)
If you took part in any of these classes first time round there is no need for you to register now...Video content is exactly the same as that posted in the initial run of the class. These ''rerun'' classes are for those people who have not taken these classes in the past.
There will be more news on the first class to be posted as a ''rerun'' on Monday.
02/19/2016
buttons
Buttons......quite a few buttons. These are the latest ones I have made but there are more....
Eventually these buttons will find their way onto Button Cloths.....eventually.
02/18/2016
the next stage of a pocket
A new panel has been added to the lower edge of this pocket, an extension, strips of silk Habotai, strips of metallic silk tissue, strips of vintage lace. It's part of a bigger plan to show off the layered hankie corners, to make them more obvious and more of a feature. You will see what I mean when this is eventually finished but there's still quite a way to go yet.
The last time you saw this pocket in waiting it looked like this. Next time you see it hopefully it will be finished. Meantime we created the lining in class earlier this week.
02/17/2016
a few days....
A few images from my phone, taken at home. I've been on the sewing machine a lot lately, making cloth for pin pillows and making lace cloth for who knows what....I just like to have it to hand, to pick it up and play with it whenever I feel the need.
I've been making a lot of buttons too.....there are more which you can't see here but which I hope to show you later this week. All these buttons will be used for ''button cloths'' and taken with me to France.
Off camera, in class and not shown here ''paperwork'' is evolving. I always seem to forget how much I love that process until I begin a new piece, then I see how easy it would be to forget cloth for a while and lose myself in paper.
02/16/2016
pin pillows
Two pin pillows....finished. Spaghetti edges, flounces of gimp. Each pillow has a label button too......more things which will be difficult to part with but how many pin pillows does a girl need? I have five or six already. I think the answer is to stop buying pins!
02/15/2016
a few glass beads
Before I did my disappearing act I made you a very short video.....just me chatting away about nothing much whilst I added a few glass beads to my pin pillow cloth. Tomorrow you can see the finished item, the pin pillow, two of them actually.
02/14/2016
a lace edge, a button, a pocket,
Image overload? Sorry.....I couldn't decide which ones to leave out. This pocket is finished. Well, I say it's finished there could be Suffolk puffs appearing on here too in the near future. This one is all about hankies and hexagons and was the first piece I started in class. Silk, vintage hankies, vintage lace, embroidery, a button and hey presto. There is patchwork on the lining too, hexagons, Grandmothers flower garden. In theory I am making for France but I have a sneaky feeling this one is a keeper, mine, never to be parted with.
Where have I been? Just a life hiccup. Thanks for all the mails and the search parties which were sent out in my honour it was very much appreciated.
02/04/2016
a five minute page
Thursday, wet and dreary Thursday. What to do? What to do to make the world seem brighter? Play....so I did. Five minutes, a little scrap of paper and a tiny scrap of snippet cloth and hey presto another page ticked off the ''to do'' list. I reckon if I have a few more of these five minute play times over the coming weeks I will have my little books crammed in no time at all.
02/03/2016
layer upon layer of hankies...
Compare these images to these images......it's come a long way. The upper surface now has complimentary strips of silk habotai, metallic silk tissue and lace secured and embellished using gimp, bullion knots and French knots. This piece is slowly evolving over in class, one of many things evolving over there including buttons and pin pillows.
There is still quite a way to go with this one though. Two seams here still need bullion knots added and another panel is being embellished in the background to add to this later. It will then need to be backed...with what? and there is also a lining to consider. It might be a good idea to put the kettle on....
02/02/2016
ingredients for a pin pillow....
Embroidery is now complete on the pin pillow cloth from this post. It was damp stretched last night and now the fun of putting these two pin pillows together can begin. That will involve adding beads to the surface, tiny glass cubes.....they will be given an edge of gimp, (like spaghetti) and there will be buttons, label buttons just like these. I am going to miss working on this cloth, it's such a beautiful surface to embroider. I would watch this space as the pin pillow cloth could reappear in another form some time soon.
02/01/2016
a button as a finishing touch, a video
It languishes no more, forgotten on the ''in progress'' pile. It's finished. it has a button now, a label button tucked just inside the lining. I said here that I hoped to finish this one over the weekend and I made it....I love it.
We are entering our fourth week of twelve over in class. Patched pockets has morphed into more. Yes there are pockets, there are lots of pockets but there are also buttons, ledgers, pages. We will be playing with scraps of paper and cloth too, creating more pages, embroidering lace cloth...all manner of things and I am so excited about what we are making on Wednesday of this week that I need to go and lie down! Unlike some online classes this one does not close down after a set period of time. You keep your access to all resources including videos forever. You also get to keep me forever too if you like for support and feedback. (that however is not compulsory...lol...feel free to disown me any time you want) Take a look here whilst you decide if you want to join us.
01/31/2016
a few pages.....
Five little books, five pages. It's a start. My aim is to cram these little books with samples....like this.....in readiness for France. There will be doodles, scraps of cloth, snippets of stitched samples, printed images, torn paper, lined paper, graph paper, all kinds of things to hopefully feed creative thought and process.
These little books will be completed in a relaxed manner, an hour here and there. I'm not going to set off on a marathon of page filling all at once. If I take a more relaxed approach I hope they will evolve more naturally, unexpectedly.
I didn't make the little books. I bought them from my friend Kaija. I have her permission to use them in this manner, to alter them, to create tiny sample books and hopefully sell them. You can find these little books and other wonderful things here.... Her shop is so beautiful it's worth drooling over for five minutes even if you don't buy anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment