11/06/2016
ten buttons
I've been making buttons, the little ones are for my happy cloth, the three big ones? as yet they don't have a purpose apart from just ''being buttons''. As I've been sorting out (ready for the decorator is you remember) I have been finding little scraps of cloth and this scrap shouted ''make some buttons'' at me. So I stitched it, I added more buttons and a few little glass beads and hey presto.
11/05/2016
snippets of colour
I've been playing a little with another sheet. A little scrap of snippet cloth has been stitched to embroidered paper, white French knots along one seam with a few coloured knots dotted alongside. I've then attempted to extend that theme across the sheet with a row of French knots , more snippet cloth and a simple wash of watercolour paint. Does it have possibilities? The jury is out.......
11/04/2016
a little pocket secured in a seam
The latest addition to my ''happy cloth''....a tiny pocket secured in a seam with a very tactile bumpy bit on the inside. Embroidery is happening as often as I can fit it in, I also want to paint more, to make more sheets and pages however I am in the middle of emptying two rooms ready for the decorator. The upheaval and accumulated piles of things I ''just can't throw away'' is more than enough reason to never consider anything more disruptive than decorating such as moving house. If moving house is happening in your life at the moment you have my utmost sympathy.
11/03/2016
tearing and stitching
These pieces, scraps of embroidered paper, snippet cloth, torn edges, delicate and fragile pieces were out yesterday for a little play. I was making a ''sample portfolio'' video for class and I was struck by how the light added to the fragility, to the delicacy, especially with the paper.
If you have been coming here for a while you will know I like to have a ''stash'' of this kind of thing. It's good to have a lot of these in various colours and combinations for when you need something extra for a page or a design sheet. It's very relaxing to pick up a few pieces, move them around, create a little composition which will come alive if you add a small amount of stitch, maybe a button or two...even beads.
I am still looking, considering my images from yesterdays post before deciding where to take that work next, how to progress that collection.
Recently I have been itching to create some octagonal patchwork scraps and ordered templates, cut outs....had a huge splurge online. However.....I ordered the wrong size of everything which has kind of stopped me in my tracks but I hope to find a way round that and create something, anything octagon related later today. I will keep you posted on that.....
11/02/2016
sheets, pages, curiosity,
Another sheet is finished, the hexagon sheet, painted, stitched, texture added, fabric swatches added, French knots, web stitches and gimp. I don't want to just keep ''churning'' these out without asking questions, wondering, thinking how they may develop. With that in mind curiosity came into play this morning. I wondered how two of my sheets would look when laid alongside work I had created on pages, in my ''visual thinkers journal'' which you can see here and here... I wondered if that exercise, the laying together, the overlapping would feed new ideas, set new pieces in motion.
I am still digesting the images, still thinking. I will return to these images throughout the day, for a few days even and make notes, perhaps scribble a little on scrap paper.
If you are taking the Ledger class this would be an amazing exercise for you too.
11/01/2016
a new panel and new titivations
More of my happy cloth today. I did warn you that you would be seeing this a lot from now on. This is another finished panel which will be added to the others using a decoratively stitched seam, most likely comprising bullion knots and French knots. The beads here, the puffs,, the adornments....they will be added at the very end of the making process, after the whole piece is embroidered, backed and edged with stitch.
I still have a long way to go before I get to that point which gives me lots of time to make more of these, lots more.
10/31/2016
watercolour doodles and cross stitch
Watercolour doodles, doodles within hexagons. The hexagons had a light wash of colour before the floral doodles were added and painted. They were then finished off with a few tiny stitches. The cloth swatches are Liberty....sigh......got to love a bit of Liberty. There's another row of cross stitch too and unseen here, worked after I took these images, a narrow panel of watercolour paint waiting to be titivated with stitch.
Last night I worked some more on my happy cloth. I think we will be alternating between that and these paper pieces for the foreseeable future. Focus is needed here for a few weeks. Pay attention Karen and keep checking your list.
10/30/2016
working on my happy cloth
I am so pleased with myself today. I am progressing my ''happy cloth'' outside of class, working on areas which still need embroidery. My girls have seen all the process I have used here so what I am doing is filling space with things they have seen, process which has been demonstrated in class in order that I can move my cloth on, (maybe even catch up a little because they are speeding ahead of me!!) I see lots of progress here, more than I had thought. I love it when a plan comes together. (you may notice a little gimp obsession taking hold)
This will be my focus embroidery wise for the foreseeable future. Alongside this I will be continuing my colour, pattern, stitch sheets. The one from yesterday has been added to and I will share that soon. Last night I wondered... should I have started that collection in a ledger but realised it doesn't matter because they can be mounted into a ledger, a journal at a later date.
(If you are registered for ''an embroiderers ledger, extra'', you should have received sign in details for our private blog this morning along with an invitation to our private Flickr group. If you haven't received either of those can you please let me know)
10/29/2016
hexagons, colour, stitch
When I look at thesee, the new one and the one laid alongside it here, (the one I put together first, the one which started this exploration, this new direction) I am thinking the other two, this one and this one need more work. My ideas for these are evolving as I play. The little padded beads here, the puffs, are made form Liberty fabric so this one may be extended with patterning taken from that cloth, a few stitches scattered across the colour perhaps, more hexagon shapes and definitely more squares. I like the orderly nature of the squares, the uniformity.
The use of the watercolour paint is also growing on me. I'm less precise with that, less neat I suppose but somehow it doesn't seem to matter to me, I can live with the less than perfect painting because I can add another focus with embroidery and swatches of cloth making the less than perfect painting less noticeable.
As with the previous compositions my colour matching is not precise....that is deliberate. I don't want to be too hard on myself, to give myself goals which I am liable to fall short of because I will get disheartened and I'm having too much fun to let that happen.
10/28/2016
a finished sheet
It's finished, my ''kind of'' colour study. I say ''kind of'' because anyone with a discerning eye will see the lack of meticulous colour matching. That wasn't what I wanted, colour was what I wanted, loosely matched colour not exactly matched colour. This was a play exercise, an exercise in creating a little sheet of colour, stitch and cloth. I did wonder if the block of rectangular and square shapes was too heavy as I was working on that area but the addition of a few scattered French knots adds a little bit of ''daintiness'' and if you look closely a few of the shapes are actually cloth inserts.
That's two finished ones I have now. I still have this one to finish and last night I started another one. You will almost certainly see that tomorrow.
10/27/2016
Wrapped and bound in stitch, a happy cloth.
Today, more embroidery, more cloth, another diversion from the paper and colour which you have seen a lot of recently but which I am still working on, having fun, beavering away......paintbrush in hand, yikes!
These are the latest images from wrapped and bound in stitch, progress on my happy cloth, creating texture, adding dangly, stringy things, placing a huge, oversized pocket on a panel front. Already this has a beautiful weight to it even though I am barely half way there. There are several panels in progress, a few have been joined in order that we could think about seams but aside from that most panels remain separate from the main piece. We've also started to think about titivation's and embellishments making these buttons as a means of adorning a panel.
Who knows what will happen next. I'm the teacher and even I don't know. It's evolving, it's telling me what it needs, it's suggesting pattern and cloth and stitches as I work on it, as it progresses.
(if you are registered for an embroiders ledger ''extra'' you should have received a mail from me today. If you didn't receive that can you please let me know)
10/26/2016
just buttons and puffs
I promised you yesterday that you would see embroidery today and last night I had a hankering to make buttons , it was the arrival of the rich, red cloth (courtesy of the postman) laid next to some silk velvet which fed that . Four buttons were finished and damp stretched late yesterday before being put together this morning. The padded puffs, the funky puffs are from my stash. I think they compliment, give you a sense of how my titivation jar will look when all these little things are put in there for safe keeping.
I should have said titivation ''jars'', plural. I have several. It's almost a shame I ever have to dip into them to adorn an edge or a seam so for that reason I like to keep on top of filling them up, keep them well stocked.
10/25/2016
colour and pattern
The third colour/pattern study. This one is much less involved than the sheet from yesterday. This one was an exercise in what could be achieved quickly. The sheet from yesterday is a slower process. Now I'm thinking about combinations of the three sheets I have begun over the past week or so and wondering how that might look, how that might work. I am also thinking there's an overload of circles. I need a few angular shapes in my life....
Tomorrow I might show you some embroidery, cloth, embellished cloth, embroidered knots....remember those?
10/24/2016
developing a colour study
More colour, more pattern, more stitch, more cloth. You will be seeing a lot of this kind of thing from now. I want to devote my embroidery hours to my ''happy cloth'', to my girls in ''wrapped and bound in stitch''. I can't always show you straight away what's happening over there so this is what you will mostly get, or variations of this.
This work is good for me, it's making me think, making me investigate and discover possibilities for ledger work, for design work. If I continue with this enthusiasm for long enough I will have a new portfolio, a pattern and colour portfolio. That's got to be a good thing.
I started this as a means of refreshing my work for the re run of ''an embroiderers ledger.'' What you are seeing here, all the recent design based work on this, my public blog is happening in addition to unseen and very different work which comprises new video for ''an embroiderers ledger''. I can't show you that unfortunately but alongside this public work an equal amount of private, different stuff is being created too. Occasionally I am getting the two confused, I need to keep stopping to think which piece I am actually working on.....I even thought I had steam coming out of my ears yesterday I was so confused! A quiet five minutes contemplation put that right though.....
10/23/2016
how one thing leads to another
My table this morning was fascinating, two very different classes, three pieces of work in progress yet a seamless flow from one busy pile to the next. ''An embroiderers ledger'', still thinking about that and playing quietly, ''wrapped and bound in stitch'', making buttons and adding those to an embellished seam. That leads me to plans for later, taking inspiration from all three pieces and working more on a new piece for the first day of ''an embroiderers ledger'' before being re inspired in order to develop ideas for ''wrapped and bound in stitch''.
Now I am going to make anyone who has ever done a class with me either laugh out loud or choke but........have you ever heard of the word cohesion?
Cohesion
| synonyms: | unity, togetherness, solidarity, bond, sticking together, continuity, coherence,connection, linkage, interrelatedness |
10/22/2016
pattern
Following on from yesterday....a look at pattern more than colour, at least up to now. There will be a mini colour study happening here at some point I just haven't got round to it yet. My head is full of colour study ideas and pattern study possibilities. That's in addition to the excitement I am getting from my happy cloth class.....is there such a thing as too much excitement?? If there is I don't think it's a bad thing. This paper, colour and pattern play is feeding my wrapping cloth class too, giving me ideas for that, adding more things to the list I have for creating over there.
I was once told I was frightened of colour. Not any more.......
10/21/2016
colour studies
First of all, please don't judge me on my painting skills....or lack of painting skills. I'm not a happy painter. What I am is a happy player, happy to play with thread, fabric, paper and I occasionally suffer my demons and hold a paintbrush for the minimum amount of time.
Colour studies....I started the new one in the top image yesterday, a new idea. The class I have listed which will begin in just over a week will, (or was supposed to) consist mainly of old videos. Within those videos, in the first week are colour studies. I have been thinking though, I love a colour study, love to play like this so why not include extra, new video. What I am doing here is playing with ideas for that, for the new colour study ideas I have which will be included in the embroiderers ledger class.
There's still along way to go with this one but who's in a hurry....not me....
10/20/2016
Wrapped and Bound in Stitch
My happy cloth, my wrapping cloth from class.....at the risk of boring you I have to say I am in love again. New embellishments have been added since you last saw it. There's a new seam, there's more applique, more padded applique and there's a lot more gimp. Someone in class said I've gone gimp crazy....I think she's right. It's gimp central....good thing I have a little bit of a crush on gimp then.
I may be going a bit bullion knot crazy too....then again I think I've always been inclined towards that particular craze.
10/19/2016
a sample and textured paper
A sample portfolio is in progress over in class. It's an extra, a diversion.....this is my effort up to now. It's very much unfinished, more work is needed on the paper section. I did have a lot of fun stitching those papers though, tearing them up, mixing them with scraps of cloth, stitching them and tearing them up again. There are some gorgeous paper and fabric creations appearing in the group too, they put this little scrappy thing to shame!!
The embroidered sample is a mix of old cloth, new cloth and printed cloth which I am using in my ''happy cloth'' . The prairie points look very dramatic against the softer, old cloth don't they. I love that contrast between old and bright, modern, fresh and new. However..... that side of this double page spread isn't finished yet either.....
Tut tut Karen.....get a move on!
10/18/2016
spots, puffs, buttons....a finished pocket.
It's finished....the spotty pocket. I lined it with spotty cloth. It had been suggested I line it with a paler spotty cloth but I don't have any. Thankfully this one works, the happiness extends to the lining now! Once I had put it all together, just before I hand finished the edges, I added buttons and puffs as finishing touches. It's now in the shop.
I have had a couple of e mails asking why some of you aren't getting my blog updates by e mail. I honestly don't know. Maybe if you subscribe again? It seems to go up and down in terms of efficiency without me actually doing anything. I haven't changed anything, added anything, ticked anything so it must be a problem their end.
Sorry :(
10/17/2016
little half pockets
Mostly I am working on pieces for class, my happy cloth, samples, paper pieces, sample portfolio. It isn't always possible to share that on here so I like to also have a little something going on for you to see. So.........a new pocket in progress. More spots, Borderie Anglaise. bullion knots, Prairie points and two tiny half circular pockets added to the surface for decoration. There is still quite a way to go with this one.
This one is finished in terms of surface embroidery but still needs to be lined. I couldn't so that at the weekend because I had visitors, I'm hoping to do it later today........
(wrapped and bound in stitch girls.....I am uploading the sample portfolio videos as we speak. One of them is very long and might take a while so you have time to put the kettle on!!)
10/16/2016
allsorts
It's been busy here, mostly the postman knocking on my door with surprises. The last four images, all gifts...wow. Cloth, buttons, needles and Pinocchio!! Thank you!!!! .....you know who you are.
The other images? Those were taken with my phone whilst I was beavering away. I feed Instagram, some days more than others.
I hope you're all having a brilliant weekend. My little girl is home so I'm keeping it brief.
10/15/2016
pleats, spots...cutwork, progress
The surface embroidery on my spotty pocket is finished. I added pleated cloth, cutwork and bullion knots. I've folded it here in a couple of the images to see how it will look when it's all put together, finished, lined, titivated. It gets folded like this before I even start, so I can get an idea of how to distribute the patterning, the stitches and anything extra I might add like buttons and puffs....I love it when a plan comes together. Now I need to line it....I'm thinking spots......that can't happen for a few days though. Never mind, I have that to look forward to.
A reminder....''an embroiderers ledger (extended)'' starts in just over two weeks. You can read more here. Also, it's not too late to join us for ''wrapped and bound in stitch'', ( I showed my work in progress from that class yesterday). You can read more about that here.
10/14/2016
wrapped and bound in stitch
My wrapping cloth from class, my happy cloth, bright colours, bright patterning, white silk, embroidery.....this isn't half way there yet but already it has a weight, a lovely heaviness to it when it's handled. I have big plans for the reverse too, can't say much about those yet but it's something I haven't done before and it excites me.
There will be a ''sample portfolio'' to go along with my cloth, a little booklet, a little collection of papers and fabrics and stitch. We are working on that in class too as an added extra which wasn't initially planned but has evolved...it's early days but already we have created papers and beautifully textured pieces of cloth so watch this space.....
10/13/2016
pages of white, blue, grey and stitch
My obsession with pages and artist books continues in fact now this one is finished I may be compelled to start another one. This one is ''white'' focused, collages of white paper, embroidery on white cloth, clear beads. There are a few bluey grey beads too, they compliment white I think. I made a short video, a show and tell of this one and it's now in the shop.
I was asked last time how I could bear to part with these. If I begin something with a view to selling it I don't usually get ''emotionally attached''. It does happen occasionally, I can't part with some things regardless of their initial purpose.... but not very often. Also, I have lots and lots and lots of these....artist books, ledgers created using story books, huge research sketchbooks.......swatches everywhere, professionally mounted samples, three zip up portfolios under my bed crammed with design work....every now and then I need to display a little self control and not add to the pile.
10/12/2016
spotty hexagons
My spotty pocket has had a little more attention. A few hexagons have been added to the surface, eight of them to be precise and there will be more. I haven't finished edging the lace cloth yet, French knots need to be embroidered around the full piece which will add more texture. After that I'm not sure............I will think about it. I'm not in a hurry.
I ordered myself an octagon metal patchwork template today. I am so excited about that, it's a completely new shape for me. Octagons could be appearing everywhere......you have been warned.
10/11/2016
inspired by ledgers
It's a hive of activity here. I won't say it's like a production line because ''production line'' makes me think of boredom and boring repetitiveness as opposed to creative repetitiveness. Instead i'll say there's a lot of creative repeating going on......that's better.
More pages, all for one artist book and believe it or not there are still a few pages which need attention. I get so inspired when I'm putting these pages together, thinking about little extra titivation's I can add, wondering would a page be enhanced by a French knot or a button or a bead.
It's good time to be working on this, it's getting me all fired up for the re run of an Embroiderers Ledger. In case you missed that you can read about it here. We may see this kind of play in our final week of that class, titivation to the nth degree.
Tomorrow I will show you progress on the spotty cloth.
10/10/2016
an embroiderers ledger....extended...
Colour studies, identifying pattern, extending pattern , design, composition.....an embroiderers ledger. This is the most popular of my work on your own classes. I am altering this one into a ''current'' online learning programme, old video combined with new video, new private blog and new private Flickr Group. This is in response to the thing which is lacking for some with ''work on your own'' programmes, ''group interaction'' and feedback on your creative process. Feedback from me, from the group, the sharing of ideas, inspiration, resources and creativity. You can read more here and this sort video explains the class in more detail.....
10/09/2016
buttons and puffs.....titvations
Buttons and puffs, spotty ones. These will be used to titivate this cloth when it's finished. Most of the lace surface is embroidered now, each circle of spotty cloth is edged with chain stitch and each ''hole'' edged with buttonhole lace. I now need to finish edging the lace section with French knots before moving on to the remainder of the silk. I do have an idea of how I might embellish the rest of this but I won't say yet if that's ok.
I also need? want? to make more puffs. These four took quite some time as they are embroidered with cutwork but I am sure I can find time to create another three at least.
10/08/2016
composition
Scraps of cloth, waste canvas, four cross stitches, French knots, a little paper pricked texture, three randomly sized pages, five stencilled letters in blue.....three mini compositions, the beginnings of a new artist book. What can I say...they're popular.
If you haven't taken my ledger/sketchbook class I am re running it soon. It will be old video to begin with but hosted on a new blog, with a new Flickr group and with extra videos, new videos added in the final week. There will be more on that on Monday. Meanwhile you can read about it here.
Pages and compositions are taking up a large part of my days at the moment but I will spare you more paper tomorrow. Tomorrow I am hoping to have made progress of sorts on my spotty piece. I'm also getting very excited at the way my happy cloth from class is developing....I will share that with you soon.
10/07/2016
Surfaces
It's been a productive week making surfaces, stitching paper and then stitching it to cloth, using cloth scraps to create base fabrics which live alongside torn papers. Some of you will know I like to have a stash of these surfaces, pieces of cloth and paper which I can use for design, in ledgers, for stand alone sheets, for sample portfolios.
Some of these newly created surfaces are for a ''sample portfolio' we are putting together in my current class, the wrapping cloth class ''wrapped and bound in stitch''. Some are for new artist books, some are for new ''sample portfolios unrelated to the wrapping cloth class and some are for another class, an old class with a bit of new added.
I am in the process of writing that one up but the basics can be read here. I hope to have it ready for Monday
...we shall see.
10/06/2016
spotty
Spots, dots, spotty cloth. My sewing machine has been working overtime lately. There have been several pieces of new lace cloth created, lots of stitched papers, lots of cloth and paper combinations. Whilst I am working on all of those things I get ideas for other things, too many ideas if that's possible. I think next time I suffer a creative block all I need to do is get the sewing machine out along with a few scraps of cloth. A little hand stitch has been added to this, you can see that in the last two images.
This piece of lace cloth will form the surface of another pocket similar to this one. I'm going to make a little more too, for more artist books. Some of the papers I have been stitching will also be used in artist books. I will show you the paper tomorrow.
10/05/2016
pink and lime green pocket
Wow....you like paper, you like little books. Thank you so much for wanting my things, really. Today it's cloth, a pocket, a pretty pocket with pink and lime green and Prairie points and bullion loops and applique and Suffolk Puffs. This is now in the shop. Having said that....if it isn't claimed it won't be any kind of hardship to keep it for myself. Last night I really enjoyed adding the tiny Suffolk puffs and I have to confess I fondled and touched and folded and unfolded for quite some time.
Today is running away with me. I have a full day alone until around 7 pm. No cooking, nobody to think about but me. I had big plans. This morning I made a little progress with those plans and before I knew it the time had come for blogging. As soon as I finish here I am going back to my plan of action. Paper will be stitched, lace cloth will be created and stitching for this evening will be planned and put together.
10/04/2016
artist books and paperwork
Three little books, two Art Pieces....now in the shop. I am becoming addicted to the little books, loving playing with fiddly things and dangly things. I think I will make more of those, quietly, over a period of time, adding a little something every so often. There's something quite satisfying about cutting fabric swatches, stitching buttons to pages, tearing paper for collage and wrapping thread onto tiny cards. You should try it, I can recommend it.
The paperwork was a joy to create, if less ''relaxed'' than the little books. The large paper pieces need precision and very careful handling whilst you add stitch and beads and embellish....not so relaxing but equally as satisfying when finished.
I made a little video for you, a look through the tiny books....
10/03/2016
Wrapped and Bound in Stitch
I am having so much fun in embroidery school. This work is so far removed from how my usual 'wrapping cloths' look. Same techniques, different approach and different patterning. I'm a little bit in love. (I know I say it all the time....but I'm just a big soft, sensitive wuss) There is applique, padded applique, lots of trailing gimp, more bullion knots than I can count and little pockets are beginning to appear. Alongside this I'm playing with a complimentary ''sample portfolio'', class are following along being very well behaved and I shall soon be running out of Gold stars.
(If you want to join in you can read more here)
Next up for me in class is a new panel, a little playing with new ideas and more machine stitched paper for samples and titivation's....
I am happy to have my embroidery, my class and my blog. It keeps me calm, it keeps me from getting very stressed. The messaging section of my facebook account was hacked yesterday. I am desperately trying to fix it but it's not easy. Facebook help section? worse than useless. If you get a message from me over there do not click on the video link inside the message. Please do look at the message though (which you can do without clicking on the video link) because I need you to report it as spam. After you have reported it as spam you can then block that account from sending you messages using the small circular icon top right in the message pop up window. Hopefully it will all be sorted out soon. I do apologise even though I have been told it isn't my fault. Regardless....I feel responsible.
10/02/2016
lime green, pink and bullion loops
The ''nod to the bored minority'' pocket....progress. In truth there isn't a lot of embellishment left to be added to this. A couple of strategically placed hexagons will complete the surface later today and then I can line this, fold it, titivate the edges and it will be finished....a little pocket, a little pouch. The fourth and fifth images here give an idea of how this will look after folding.....
I have a huge ''to do'' list today. The good thing about my list, it's not a list of chores it's a list of good things, collage, machine embroidery with paper and cloth....I might fit in a little whizz round with the hoover too, (best keep the domestic goddess aspect happy). I started early today, finished the third little artist book. I plan on showing you those on Tuesday if all goes to plan because tomorrow I want you to see how good I am being with my class work.
10/01/2016
a gimp wrapped card and other titivations
The next artist book in progress. I began this one with the intention of making a book which would be smaller than this one and this one.....less complicated, less crammed...ha.....failed. It may be smaller in terms of page sizes but so far it is equally as crammed. What can I say, I just can't help myself.
If you have ever put something like this together you will know how unexpectedly long it takes. You wouldn't be surprised at the hours which go in to each one. Choose a page, choose a sample, said chosen sample inspires another sample which you then need to create. Samples on pages create ideas for tags, make tags, pages inspire ideas for extra touches...a thread wrap, a gimp wrap, a tiny collage and before you know it you are building an encyclopaedia. (or so you would think). I could honestly lose myself in this artist book production line. It's like dreaming the happiest of dreams about scraps, about snippets of paper, about buttons and beads and stitch. If I were stranded on a desert island I would hope to have all my worldly goods with me and I would stay there happily creating little books for the rest of my days!
There is a short, dull (blame the cloud which rolled in at the wrong moment) video about this little thing here.
09/30/2016
a nod to the bored minority....
You are spared books today, spared pages and samples. (can't promise you won't see those tomorrow though) Today there's a little bit of colour for the ''bored minority''...lol. Check yesterday's comments! I'm still laughing, wish I could put a few emoji's on here.
Lace cloth, bright and cheery lace cloth, now applied to white with prairie points added and partially embroidered. This will be a little pocket, a pouch. The white cloth looks more textured in the first few images. That was pre damp stretching. Unfortunately this cloth hasn't retained much of it's texture following damp stretching....can't do anything about that though....a girl has got to damp stretch. It's non negotiable.
09/29/2016
paper and cloth
You may remember this paper piece from a few weeks ago....last night I added snippets of cloth before embellishing this edge with gimp. I'm now at the pondering stage, pondering possibilities, pondering what to do next. I have several ideas and I'm not in a hurry, I will take my time.
I've had a sewing machine morning today, creating cloth and paper pieces for the little books. (have I been working on those for too long? are you bored of them?) I am taking my time, I really don't want to rush them. Later today I will put some of my newly created cloth and collage onto pages so you can see that tomorrow.
09/28/2016
little samples....
I have put together three little inserts for pages in little artist books. There are two quite big artist books finished and waiting to go in the shop so I thought I would make a baby one to go with them. The next things to create are mounted fabric swatch samples, thread wraps and a little collage. I haven't set myself a time limit for these, they will happen as and when. If I put pressure on myself, give myself a deadline then I won't enjoy the process as much. And who knows....I may want to make more than one of the tiny books.
(The biggest of these pieces is 4 x 4 inches....that should give you an idea of the size of the others)
09/27/2016
jewels.....bright and happy snippet cloth.
Continuing the colourful theme from yesterday....happy snippet cloth. The piece on the right in the first image is for class, for a sample portfolio. The piece on the left was made in response to that, to fulfil a hankering to make more which wasn't for class, which can be used anywhere, in anything.
So far a scrap has been used on a ledger page. Another scrap is also being added to paper, out of sight for now until all titivation's are complete....
09/26/2016
Wrapped and Bound in Stitch
Classwork, homework, wrapping cloth, pattern, silk, fabric manipulation, happy, fun, bright......this is my growing wrapping cloth from class. We are still in the early stages......it's not too late to join us. Don't let the pattern or colour put you off. This work is transferable to whites, lace, anything at all. You can read more here.
I am loving working with colour at the moment. I revert to white every now and then, to reconnect, white is where my heart lies but it does you good to escape the comfort zone every now and then.
Little books?
Artist books?
How's progress on those Karen?
I'm getting there. I have only one or two pages to finish in the second one. I am now wondering should there be a third? If you look at my Instagram from this morning you will see a little scrap of cloth in progress for another page...I'm not slacking.
09/25/2016
loose pages
I'm very paper focused at the moment.....loose pages and a few pages which need to be finished before I can stitch this little book together. I am surrounded by mess, chaos, torn paper, off cuts and cloth scraps today. In addition to this little book I have been working on a couple of collages for a sample portfolio we will be making in ''wrapped and bound in stitch''. (those videos will be with you tomorrow girls)
I'm happy surrounded by all this.....I won't be happy when I need to tidy it all away so we can eat later.
This little book will have fourteen pages. This one has ten. How did that happen? What can I say....I get carried away.
09/24/2016
two pillow tops
Similar images I know but I couldn't pick a favourite....two pillow tops in progress. The biggest one has had more cutwork added. The smaller one which you saw in a hoop earlier this week is finished, it's just waiting for me to decide what to do with it next. I can't decide what to back it with or what to add to the edges. I have too many options.......quite a happy dilemma to have.
This afternoon is going to be another chaotic artist book afternoon. I say chaotic because you wouldn't believe the mess I create when I am putting pages together. It takes me longer to tidy up afterwards than it does to actually put the pages together. A creative space is a messy space......at least it is here.
09/23/2016
scraps of white
I am still in book mode, putting together little compositions which will live on pages. Last night it was a white one, scraps of white cloth stitched together then mounted on a little square of embellished paper. Working these small pieces is a good way to generate ideas for the big paper pieces which I have been creating lately.....two birds, one stone and all that.
Later today I will be working on more pages but not until I have cleaned up a little bit.....yikes....don't ask me how much dust there is at Ruane towers.
09/22/2016
pages
There's been another morning of putting pages together here. One artist book is finished, now to make a start on number two. I like the non uniform page sizes in this one. I wonder why I haven't done that before? I can remember having a mini meltdown in the past if even one page was a tiny bit smaller than another....now? Now I like it that way. Who knows....in six months I might have reverted back to the ''pages must be exactly the same size'' way of thinking.
I created a short video of this little book for Instagram. I can't figure out how to put it on here but if you follow this link you should be able to see it.
09/21/2016
three hoops
Three hoops, three pieces in progress. The two scratty pieces are FME samples which will be mounted in pages of little books, artist books. (they will be tidied up first I promise) The white piece is hand embroidery, progress towards a little pillow. If you look closely at the white one you will see tiny seed beads embedded in the clusters of French knots.
I'm not here today....I put this post together yesterday and pre timed it......yes...I'm a technology whizz! (Not really, it was easy.) I am here, my first visit to mums since we lost my best friend Stinky Tinks....it will be very strange indeed.
09/20/2016
the second paper piece
Another finished piece of paper, beads, embroidery and complimentary cloth. Can you tell I am having fun? It's like paper party time every day in this house recently. There will be a shop update soon, just as soon as I get a couple of little books put together. If you remember I started one here. That one is almost finished and pages have been cut for a second.
My cloth for class is evolving in such an exciting way. I can't show too much of that here but I will try and post at least one image each week. (you got a little glimpse here) Hopefully at the weekend I can show you some progress on that cloth, my happy cloth.
09/19/2016
paper and circular beads
There's progress with the paper pieces I have been working on recently. This one is finished...edged with circular, disc like beads. I embroidered silk and cotton cloth (which I put together myself ) with gimp, bullion loops and French knots. It just goes to show that having a stash of self made cloth comes in very handy.
I think the titivated cloth contrasts well with the minimalist paper piece in this one. A few French knots have been stitched to the mount, a finishing touch.
I'm having fun playing with paper like this. I'm working with bright, colourful pieces in class and this is a good way to balance that out, colour there (which excites me...my happy cloth), white here, not forgetting the pages which are being put together for little books.
09/18/2016
pages
I spent a lovely couple of hours this morning putting a little artist book together, or at least starting to. (it isn't finished yet) I was taking pictures with my phone as I went along. This one has different sized pages, different heights, different widths. There is ribbon trailing from one edge and a few buttons have been stitched in too.
I only stopped under protest because I have to go out. (somewhere very boring, car related) I did have a mini tantrum because I could have played with this all day especially as my head was buzzing with ideas. Hopefully I can continue with this tomorrow...
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