show and tell

external link

http://vimeo.com/35417766

the video as promised...it looks dark in the still....go with it, it's quite bright after the first minute or so...

hardware....

The next stage of paperwork four. I have added hooks and eyes along both edges of the ruched muslin and I have to say I love it. This is still not finished though, French knots are needed on the ruched muslin......alas it won't be finished before I go. Never mind, I will have it to look forward to when I get back!

I thought I would share with you a little of what I will be doing whilst I am gone. I am going here, an annual trip for me and well worth the visit. I always come away so inspired and happy  to sense the excitement and promise of these really talented youngsters. I also well remember when I was there, twice...the second time as a specially selected exhibitor! Woo!! Get me!! Then I will be going here, a little culture and a sense of history. I have often sat outside this, usually eating ice cream but have never been in so I think it's about time I visited a little of my heritage, got educated so to speak.

Then...I am so spoilt!! There is this...I am sooooooo excited....

and finally....I have saved up all my birthday money from last month in order to treat myself to this BEAUTIFUL quilt for my boudoir......(it's the quilt at the bottom)

So there you have it, my activities mapped out. I have disabled comments for this post, sorry. It's because I am overwhelmed with unanswered mail and I need to stop the pile growing. It's not because I don't love you honest. I hope you miss me...I miss you already!!

introducing....

Introducing paperwork one, two and three....all of whom have new homes already so it's all good! Lots of pictures for you today so I hope you've got your feet up with a nice cuppa and a biscuit alternatively ...gin...depending on your preference!! Not a lot to say about these really. You have watched the progress and most of the process too. It has been mentioned that it may be nice for some of you to see the rejects, the ideas I try but don't follow through. Thing with that is on a personal level I would feel I was putting inferior stuff on here and I don't really want to show you my worst. I prefer to stick with things I am happy with. Having said that I did machine stitch some paper for these that was never used in the final pieces so I could show you that next time. 

It's been hectic today. I had my hair cut this morning and since then I seem to have arrived at 2 pm without achieving very much so I am running behind. I have ironing to do, a meal to start preparing and I had hoped to get to the art shop for more paper. I am hoping to start a larger piece of paperwork this evening but to do that I need more paper so please forgive me if I rush off. My inbox is once again full to bursting and I plan to sort that out tomorrow if I can ask you to bear with me. I'm not ignorant honestly and I value all the mail I get....tomorrow...promise.

Finally.....your weekly gift from me.....this weeks buttons above, subtle to match paperwork. Once again just a comment, any comment, hello, goodbye, go away, anything! Last weeks ''pickee'' is poorvi. Let me have the postal stuff!! Over and out...phew...

slow progress

They are still not lined. They have the backs attached and are pinned and waiting for the linings. I got kind of sidetracked yesterday by the excitement of starting a third one and that took precedence. I did have a little spare time to cut out the linings but.....my fabric scissors are wrecked, wouldn't cut butter. I suspect someone has been using them for such unmentionable tasks as cutting the rind off bacon...or clipping beards...or maybe even clipping toe nails...well thanks!!! They will cut, after a fashion, more like they will shred so today I am going out to buy some more and I will store those in a secure, alarmed box with explosive devices fitted. You have been warned.

more hardware...with paper this time.

I nearly never came today, there were plans for spring cleaning you see. Well you have those plans to thank for me being here because in the course of clearing out all those cobwebs I came across these. You may have seen some of them before in the dim and distant past, some probably not. Anyway I got to wondering why am I keeping them...I tell you I am in a proper let's get rid of it mood. These were made when I was at Uni, got top marks for these too...very pleased with myself I was. Sorry,., I'm babbling again, some time today, in between the cleaning, I intend to put these in the shop. Worth a try I think...

We have paper with zips, paper with hooks and eyes, even paper with press studs. There is pricked paper, printed paper, beaded paper. There is pleated metallic silk tissue, freely smocked metallic silk tissue...I'm exhausted just thinking about the hours and sweat that went into these.......best days of my life...

AND....the hooks and eyes are done, are you proud?

hardware....

Just so you know I haven't been slacking....the progress on applying hooks and eyes. I have three sections finshed, one left to do. Four in total which comprise a left and right back for two pieces. Confused?? Yep.me too...no particular reason why I haven't steamed ahead and finished the whole pieces yet apart from myself, my fear, I use a thing that I call avoidance technique. It works something like this....

''Karen, finish those important pieces''

''yes I will when I have cleaned up a bit''

''O.K. Karen you've cleaned up a bit...finish them now''

''well actually I was just about to cut some cloth for my toe wrap, I'll do it tonight''

You get my drift, it's a nightmare. Thing is what if I do it , join them on the machine and they don't match up? What if I get them finished and don't like them anymore? Believe me, where these are going I NEED TO LIKE THEM!! No, I NEED TO LOVE AND ADORE THEM. Can't go there with tat, or what I perceive to be tat. So there you have it, the reason for my procrastination.

As a way of avoiding the thing that must be finished I have been cutting out something else that I hope to show you a bit of tomorrow, see, I can't finish them yet, I need to work on the stuff I need for tomorrow............O.K. I admit I need help....

Away from embroidery which I have to admit is becoming a very stressful pastime, I have a question.....Circles on Etsy??? I am being added to more and more of them and I don't have any of my own. I don't even know what they are for? Do I need some? Is it rude not to have any so I can invite people to be in my circle if they have me in theirs? Told you......stressful....

points, loops and progress....

Broderie anglaise prairie points are now added to the seam of red stripe with cutwork. My thinking was that they would ''dampen'' it down a little and I think they look really effective along that edge. I embroidered two rows of buttonhole stitch and finished with a simple row of running stitches. I think that although they are very plain there is something really appealing about these points, I've even snapped the reverse further down...I think that's a first. Infact I just had an idea, yes just now, a revelation, why not have reverse praire points somewhere else??? watch this space...see, you inspire me!

This morning I have taken over the dining table with all the sections of toe wrap two. I am pleasantly suprised at how quickly this is growing. Later on today I want to consider which two pieces to join next and give some thought to the seam for that part, loops or points? Last night I also managed to add hooks and eyes to one reverse section of the hook and eye piece...there is no panic re those at the moment, I am quite calm, let's hope it stays that way. The deadline is looming, I've had an e-mail from them setting out things I should be considering. Am I considering them? Have I considered them? I think I have...but then again I probably live in a different universe to them...I think I live in a different universe to most people, the creative universe where I live with you...

white silk and hooks and eyes....

Do you remember these?? Initially due in february then moved to april? Well, it's now march so me thinks I should maybe get them finished don't you? They are damp stretched and hanging carefully in a place where they should come to no harm. I now need to make the backs and the linings and then finish the construction by sewing them all together. The backs involve very little, (probably none,)  hand embroidery but a lot of hooks and eyes.

There are two of these, now I wonder should there be three? I think that decision will wait until these two are finished.

Today, so far, has been hectic. Lots of photographs have been taken of books, I have had my hair cut and I have edited photos too. I still have photos to edit (more books) and then I must clean, clean and clean some more.  Tonight my little girl comes home......Tomorrow is my guest spot, tomorrow will be a book post here and a toe wrap post there. Let's hope I get it the right way round in the morning....or maybe the afternoon depending on when I drag myself out of bed.

p.s. if I owe you an e mail please bear with me...I hope to set aside an hour for that this evening before Helen gets here. I haven't forgotten you honest!

decisions, decisions.....

Oh dear....the deadline, finsh date, finishing line for this body of work has been moved to April. Damn it! Some of you might think ''well that's a good thing'', not for me it isn't. The thing with me is that I ruminate, get disheartened, low on confidence with things. Waiting until  April gives plenty of time for me to get fed up with this work, question this work, wonder if it's good eneough, wonder if it could be better. By March it could even be in the bin. So what to do??? I could finish the pieces in progress and then put them away for a while, come back to them maybe at the beginning of February? I could stop now, don't take them any further? Actually probably not a good idea because then I will definitely have another idea by the time I come back. Oh well, there's only me that can decide so I will ruminate on that, let the cogs turn for a bit. To explain...this strip is now complete, the plan... add it to a plain piece of silk, titivate the edges and hey presto, a cushion front.

and then there is this. A piece spawned by the frst piece, another idea, moving it on. See that's a measure of what can happen here in a week never mind a couple of months. Maybe now you get a sense of why April is scary!! and also, a very important question....does the world have enough hooks and eyes for my indecision????

Might not be a bad thing to have a break from this, not immediately but when these two are finished. For a while now I have had a hankering for paper, pencil, maybe even paint but definitely paper. Remember I mentioned a design sheet recently? Well it's still there, chipping away at my consciousness, a yearning. Don't know where it came from or why it arrived but it won't go away. As far as plans go I'm aware that these are vague but vague is all I can manage at the moment, especially when the goal posts have been moved.

In other news.....

nailing the bedroom door shut didn't work. Daughter has gone, (insert very sad face)

and I have decided that I quite like the text centred on here so centred it shall be, for now anyway...

moving on....

I think I am moving this piece on in a good way, a positive even innovative way. What do you think? It is the same yet different if you know what I mean. It is fascinating how the addition of only a single element can change something so drastically. The stitches are the same, the cloth the same, the colour the same, the inspiration the same, yet adding the fold, pockets and hooks and eyes has changed even this tiny section dramatically. These are only tacked at the moment so please ignore any loose or straggling threads,

I am going to continue with the hook and eye strip. I am going to lay it next to each section that is already finished. I am going to doodle and play wirth arrangement and then if all goes to plan I will have a jigsaw puzzle of pieces which will hopefully fit into a collection of cushions. Yes, a collection, four to be exact, again different yet the same, linked by colour and stitch.
Now I've noticed a blogging variation going on have you? Some people are shut down already for christmas. Some hardy, dedicated souls are doing blog advents, every day commitments, I take my hat off to you, well done. Then there are people like me, no plan, no schedule , just waffling on as the need takes them. Truth be told I am scared to take a break, my stats will drop like a stone and I am SOOOO stat obsessed that I need some kind of medication. Don't be fooled and start thinking ''oh Karen must be all ready for christmas, she is so organised she can do yuletide and continue to stitch and waffle''. Well oh no she can't. I am so behind with my festivity preparations that I am getting palpitations. I will be last minute shopping christmas eve the way I'm going. I was going to sign off for the holidays today, the thought crept into my subconscious as I worried over how much I still have to do for the holidays but hey....if you take it down to the bare bones, the actual hours and minutes needed to accomplish everything then it doesn't  feel too daunting. Then subtract sleeping and eating and you have even more time....so you will have to put up with me just a little longer before I put my santa hat on!!