09/09/2013
special.....
Do
you remember I said I had been making hexagons? Did I tell you they
were for something special? I think I did. This is the start, the
beginning of probably one of the most important things I will ever
make......a pouch for my daughter to use on her wedding day. She
asked....I hadn't dared to presume.
I have been thinking about this process with the Simply Stitch 2 group, discussing various aspects and designing placement with them etc. The hexagon piece consists of cross stitched text, cut up rendering the words private. These words will be known only to myself and Helen.....along with the simply stitch 2 group. They are sworn to secrecy on pain of death.
The main body of this is Dupion Silk. The hexagon circle is the base. Spilling from the base is beautiful lace I bought a few years ago in San Francisco. It was ridiculously expensive but I knew that one day I would need it for something....Helen's wedding day is that day. The ribbon? It is special ribbon......enough said....
I intend to embroider, to encrust this with stitch. I will keep you posted as I make progress. I am on a deadline.....
09/08/2013
Wow....
Why the wow? The wow is in response to your feedback from yesterday....thank you, honestly. I was wavering, I was wondering, I was unsure. You helped....a lot. Because of that I think I need to get on with it don't you? I can't linger today. There are lists to make, plans to get down on paper, e-mails to compose. I shan't be listing for at least a week, I think that will be time enough as I don't envisage the start date will be until November 6 or thereabouts. It needs to be listed though as I will have to take it down in October when I go to Vegas for the wedding of the year............watch this space....
Today I removed this piece of embroidered silk from the damp stretching board. This is another section for my sampler cloth, pouch, pocket, body bag!! There is a lot of applique, some surface stitching and quite a few bullion knots. It may just be time to get all these pieces together and evaluate....how many more do I need? How should they be worked, what am I short of in terms of surface and cohesion?
It's a good thing I have no plans to leave the house for quite some time.....
09/07/2013
design, placement, composition.......playing!
This morning has been fun....I've been playing. Playing with composition, with mini design sheets, with ready made ledger pages. I couldn't decide which images to leave out so I have put them all on.
(ss2 girls...I will talk to you about these on Monday. Monday will be fabulous...I have started the ''round'' thing for you know who!)
Making these has taught me something, reinforced something.....it pays to keep all your junk. It is brilliant to have so many little scrappy things to hand in order to mix and match, to see what fits with what, which pieces compliment each other. A tip.....print pictures of your own work every so often.....KEEP THEM.....they can but cut up, a tiny section of one image can change the whole perception of that piece of work.
Sadly I have to stop playing now for a little while. There is dusting to be done......can't work with white amongst dust.
Finally, a question for you....to ponder. Who wants to join me on a revamped simply stitch? Simply Stitch 3, running for TWELVE weeks and including more than stitch.......including PAPERWORK......design sheets, ledgers, LACE cloth......who? We will have a two week break for Christmas.....there will be a small discount if you have already taken Lace and/or Ledgers.....I am planning.....
09/06/2013
sampling continues
Silk sample pieces are still ongoing. I am going to need several more of these in order to finish this pouch/bag/pocket. I won't tire of stitching them, or damp stretching them, or measuring them alongside the pleated muslin to see how they fit, how accurate the match will be. I am also thinking about, (and getting excited too!!) the seams...where the silk meets the muslin, those edges and opportunities for more embroidery.....
09/05/2013
pleated muslin and embroidered silk continued......
Pleating and embroidery is ongoing, it will be for some time yet. My sampler cloth has evolved and continues to alter course. It is now going to be a human size pocket, pouch....or body bag as it is becoming fondly known in the simply stitch group. I say human size....don't forget that humans come in many sizes....we shall see later in the process the size of human that will be required to go inside...........to be ''bagged''.
There are some hexagons going on out of sight. They are for something special. I will say more about that when I am further along the process and can put images on here. It won't be a secret once I do put it on here....it was a special request from my little girl. She knows...it was her idea....
In other news....I am in class mode...thoughts, ideas, plans. I am a little undecided about what will come next. I have a few ideas and am considering requests.....I am being asked for various things. Can I run ''Lace'' again? Can I run ''Ledgers'' again. Will I continue with ''Simply Stitch''? At the moment my thought process is evolving something like this....
1. simply stitch.....a programme that follows my ''day'', my process.
2. Lace.....something I make regularly to use in my ''everyday'' pieces.
3. Ledgers......a process I use to record my everyday creativity.
4. Everything I do is wrapped up with my creativity, ledgers crosses with simply stitch as does lace....
5. Another simply stitch in a new form? Longer? 12 weeks? combine EVERYTHING, Stitch, ledgers, lace.....a discount for those who have already taken a lace and ledgers class?
??????
09/04/2013
glass cabinet
I have started filling my new cabinet with my embroidery. Realistically I don't think I can afford to be precious in terms of the spacing, the placing of the pieces. Going forward I will have to fold smaller, create more space for more pieces, perhaps lay pieces on top of each other. I'm just playing today though, feeling my way and feeding thoughts, making mental plans. My biggest fear is that this will begin to look like a shop counter. That isn't my intention. My intention is to have these pieces around me, visible, to inspire and inform.....and just to love.
09/03/2013
pleated muslin and embroidered silk
Muslin, it is so gorgeous. It's soft, it manipulates beautifully. This piece has been pleated, you saw it on Sunday I think. Now I have added a little embroidery and laid it alongside a small piece of silk I embroidered with applique and chain stitch last night. These are all samples, I'm surrounded by samples. I think it's about time I got something actually made....enough sampling.
09/02/2013
a ledger show and tell
As promised, a short video show and tell of the ledger from last week....it is very dull and dreary here today, no sunshine at all so I apologise for the lack of brightness in the video.
The work at home, the sorting out and moving around is coming along. Most of it is done now, just my bedroom to sort out and change a little. This morning I took three huge bags of unwanted things to the charity shop...one mans junk is another mans treasure and all that. I ache a little today. I wasn't created for furniture moving. I am sure I was created for a purely supervisory role in that situation. Thankfully nothing of a furniture nature needs moved now, that aspect of the current upheaval is finished. I am hoping that everything will be back to normal by the weekend......
09/01/2013
a quick hello
I'm a bit busy at the moment sorting stuff out....the chaos of which can be partly seen on my instagram
For now my glass cabinet contains some special paper, a jar and a piece of pleated cloth. I do have some rather lovely pleating from yesterday though....
08/31/2013
coming together
Lots of images today....I have been gathering the pieces together that I have up to now which will form my sampler cloth, my pouch, pocket, human sized bag. They are laid on a ledger page, a ledger from way back. I photographed the pin pillows on a page from this ledger and you seemed to like it so I thought I would share some more. I was actually wondering if you would like a video show and tell of this ledger? Let me know If you would like that and I will see what I can do.
We are two weeks in to ''simply stitch 2'' now. There are 6 weeks remaining. I am going to close my shop this weekend, ''lace'' is cancelled for now. I need to do some thinking, some reassessing. I feel the need for a ''shift' in my focus, my long term plans.....all I can say at the moment is it is all very confused in my own mind so I can't possibly expect you to have a clue if I don't have one.....more information will available when I get my head there......
If you would like to jump into simply stitch now then you only have a few hours to do so. There would be no pressure to ''catch up'', it is all very relaxed over there. Last chance....to read more just go here....
As you can see this morning was mostly spent taking photographs. This weekend will be a little busy. My husband has four precious days off work....phew. We can begin to move furniture, sort things out, put another cabinet in its place, lots of trips to the tip, lots of parting with junk. That will start in the morning as this afternoon he is out, at the football and this evening we are taking our son and his girlfriend out for something to eat. It will be a chance for us to catch up with him after he has spent two full weeks in his new home.......
I will be back tomorrow. I will make time. I will find time.
(stand by your computers simply stitch girls....videos are coming shortly)
08/30/2013
patches and embroidery
Patches of printed cloth, strips of silk, hand embroidery....a day in the life...
I am beginning to get very excited about this work. My sampler cloth is evolving and will morph into a human sized pocket, pouch, bag form. I don't know how long it will take but getting there is amazing. I have been playing with muslin for the past couple of days...a sampling process. There aren't any images of that yet but the results and the imagining of how all this will come together is beyond exciting. I know you get that....that you don't think I'm pathetic or need to get a life. I know that you know how I feel...I know.
08/29/2013
a little piece of this....
I'm back. I didn't do a runner. You don't get rid of me that easy! Before I went I made a little piece of lace cloth. My days seem more balanced if I can manage even the smallest amount of creativity. This morning I have been planning my next piece of work, no doodling , except in my head that is. When will you get to see that? I'm not sure. I don't like to make promises in that regard incase I can't keep them.....one thing I can say about it.....if it works I can guarantee there will become a point where you will be sick of looking at it!!
08/28/2013
process....the doodling part.
I was doodling
in simply stitch yesterday. Note I never said ''I did some gorgeously
stunning doodles in simply stitch yesterday''. I merely stated the
fact....I doodled. The doodling informed the placement of these patches
and will also inform the placement of embroidery on the same piece. It
wasn't a frivolous exercise, it was a valuable one.
I will be incommunicado for the rest of today :(..........I have to go North....way up North...to another country in fact...to Scotland. It isn't a holiday, it isn't a day trip, it's something that must be done and no......there won't be cake.
08/27/2013
titivated, packaged and posted.....
I reached a milestone last night. A big tick was placed on my ''to do'' list. I finished the buttonhole lace edge on the last pin pillow you will see for some time. I love them, adore them even but my ''to do'' list is huge...mammoth...there just isn't the time for any more. I even have one person waiting for a pouch, as yet to be started and thankfully she doesn't mind waiting until she is 94. She may have to wait that long...(you know who you are . How are you???x) I just hope you are not yet 93 and have omitted to tell me that.
The next item on the list is my human sized bag, pouch, pocket.............whatever you want to call it. No pressure then....
08/26/2013
petals.....
A scattering of applique petals on white silk....the second chapter in this piece of cloth.
The first was ruffles....do you remember those? There will be a third
but not until the applique is finished and not until the girls have seen
it. For the petals I used some shop bought Broderie Anglaise and some
cotton cloth that I had embroidered with cross stitch.
There is something very satisfying about using your own embroidered
fabric for applique, for any form of surface embellishment. I feel that
it makes the work more ''mine''....that there is a little bit more of me
in there.
I was up with the lark again this morning. The car was filled with things to take to the tip....the local refuse collection centre for heavy, uncollectable items to be more specific. It is a Holiday day in England but the good people of refuse collection were still open, working hard and helping me unload enough packaging to make 4 zillion toilet rolls once it is recycled. Just call me ''mother earth''.....
08/25/2013
still calm....
I am very calm...calm enough to be here....I wasn't going to come today but I can't keep away. You are an addiction.....fact.
I am cheating a bit with images from ancient design books and a cloth diary, hope you don't mind. I was up at what felt like the middle of the night this morning. A man has been and sorted out all my new furniture for me. It is a good thing I didn't try and do it myself because skirting boards have been removed...yes, honestly. I never do anything the easy way. His part is finished now. The only thing left to do is for me to get things out of boxes and put them in their new home...on new shelves. I may disappear now for a couple of hours. I hope that's ok.
There are some pictures of today's goings on over on Instagram.
08/24/2013
almost there.....
I am making progress with the pin pillow backlog. Admittedly it is slow progress but I'm getting there. These just need to be stuffed and edged now and then they can be sent to their new homes. I feel as if I am doing a lot of juggling at the moment. Boxes are being delivered. Boxes are yet to be delivered. I have a nice man coming tomorrow...yes on a Sunday to assemble all my new cupboards meantime I have to move things and put things out of the way so he has room to move. I threw so many things away yesterday, sacks full of junk and I have merely scratched the surface.
My biggest achievement is how calm I am feeling. I just keep repeating to myself 'this time next week it will all be sorted out'. I even considered taping that sentence and playing it over to myself, with earphones as I slept. No need .....I am calm....I am the epitome of calm....
and...I'm back....I forgot to say.....I am so calm that I have made chutney this morning!!! I deserve some kind of badge for that. A sticker at least.
08/23/2013
a garden....
This is a little sample I made with the girls in simply stitch two...a gentle exercise to start off, to lull them into a false sense of security. I will be cracking the whip over there soon....only joking!!! Don't panic! In all honesty it really was a starting point, a warming up exercise and a very pleasant one too. If you want to take a look at what's happening over there then you had best do that today because from tomorrow we are going private.....now doesn't that sound scary???? Just click this link and it will take you there....it's quiet...we have been going for less than a week...please don't make a lot of noise, don't disturb them whilst they are working.....
Yesterday......well, yesterday.......I went cabinet shopping.....I had a blast....five hours. Yes...really. The bad news first. They have sold out of the fabric I wanted for my curtains. I'm not too bothered. I'm not sure I want it anymore if everyone else has got it too. There was success on the cabinet front though.....I bought one of these, One of these, but three not two (this is a double one...imagine it with half again...triple) and one of these....for shoes, for the hall. There are baskets that fit in those spaces to hold things....shoes in my case.
This will all arrive tomorrow. It will be in boxes and require assembly. I am trying to find a nice man to come and do it...waiting for a phone call as we speak. (I know I have a nice man of my own but he's useless at stuff like this. He is very good in a medical emergency or if you need a bandage applying but DIY...not so good, plus he has to go to work) I think there will be quite a bit of disruption here for a week or so as old stuff is removed and new stuff is sorted out. I mean.....that's a lot of shelves to fill with MY things....
08/22/2013
five minutes with my hoop
For the first part of yesterday evening I was putting pin pillows together. Once that was done I worked on this a little, an alphabet sampler which will become part of my sampler cloth.
My sampler cloth is very much on my mind at the moment, it needs
attention, it demands attention and will definitely need more time spent
on it from here on in.
At the moment there are lots of pieces on my mind....samples, sampler cloth, pin pillows, tabs...a new piece I have been asked to make for someone that I can't talk about yet. Then there is lace cloth....I feel a list coming on.
I made a list yesterday....but not an embroidery list, a shopping list. Yes, today is cabinet shopping day and fabric shopping day and ........well who knows. It depends on how restrained I can be. All I will say is that I have a lot of space to fill in this little place I call home. When I get there, to the shops, I will be putting things I love on Instagram and facebook....stand by....
08/21/2013
three pieces...
This is what I was so excited about yesterday. Three pieces of lace cloth that I made on Monday. They are quite small, the stitched area is approximately 5 x 7 inches but I was very pleased I got them done. Two of these are made with lace and metallic silk tissue, the other with some scraps of silk velvet and some deep gold coloured, (kind of) lace...I think that colour scheme suits one of the recipients better. They are gifts....so I now have one piece to send to Veronica and these three to post. I best get some envelopes bought.
Today I got up late....I really hope the childless situation doesn't turn me into some kind of idle wastrel....
wast·rel
|
Noun
|
I need to be on the ball tomorrow...it's cabinet shopping day. I'm not going until late afternoon but can I really justify treating myself if I can't even get my backside out of bed in a morning?
I've also got my eye on this.....light and fresh for lounge curtains????? What do you think??? On the plus side it's cheap.....
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