Season's Greetings

and very best wishes for a creative New Year

I knew I would be hopeless at blogging!

Perhaps trying harder should be a New Year's resolution

I seem to have spent the last few weeks like that poor fellow in the sculpture in St David's Cathedral.

But life seems to be a bit clearer now.

So it's back to work. Just like these chaps on a misericord in St David's.

In the DS course I do go on a bit about students drawing!

I think it helps you to 'see' and to 'think', before you stitch.

But so many students say that they can't draw!

I have put this next information for those who need encouragement to draw.

Find something you like and just draw 'copy' it.

One of my absolute favourite textiles is Kuba Cloth. It is palm leaf woven with a cut pile embroidered in geometric designs. I first saw them at the Museum of Mankind in London.

It was one of those truly magic moments.

I drew (copied) many of the designs. Just because I liked them! I had no project in mind.

Then I coloured them in.

When I was starting the Historical Heirloom C & G course at Urchfont Manor,

with Val Campbell-Harding I needed a design source that, I thought, had that 'tingle factor'.

This was the opportunity to develop those drawings into stitch.

One of the plans for stitching using the designs.

And this is the stitching.

Carving in St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

Don't we all feel like this sometimes?

I am now back from Wales and have had a quick look at your blogs. I can see some really good work. I will send messages on Monday as I am off to Urchfont Manor for the first weekend of the 'face to face' C & G Level 2 Machine Embroidery course.

Beside the seaside

This was the first piece of work I tried, using the embellisher. The doorways of the beach huts were knitted Colinette yarn. I used the embellisher (needle felter) to attach the doorways to the handmade felt of the beach huts. Both were rather thick. Yes, I broke several needles, but it worked as a way of attaching one piece to the other.

The embellisher is now my favorite! We have spent many happy, industrious hours together.,

Colour

Colour

a closeup from Pieced and Patched bag

The importance of colour in a piece of work can never be underestimated.

This a from a letter from Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo

'This time its just simply my bedroom, only here colour is to do everything and giving by its simplification a grander style to things, is to be suggestive here of rest or of sleeping in general. In a word, to look at, the picture ought to rest the brain or rather the imagination.

The walls are of pale violet, the floor is of red tiles, the wood of the bed and chairs is the yellow of fresh butter, the sheet and pillows very light lemon green. The coverlet scarlet, the windows green, the toilet table orange, the basin blue, the doors lilac.

At that is all - there is nothing in this room with closed shutters.'

Follow that with 'Open your mind, open your imagination' and you will see where I am coming from!

Sharing your blog

Bird Tree

Based on Yoraba beaded headdresses

Stitched with a 100 year old Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch sewing machine

When I teach students 'face to face' I often use sayings and quotes.

I haven't put any in the Modules for Distant Stitch, but thought I would share them with you on this blog.

One of my favourite, and one I always use at the beginning of a course is this:

'We all live under the same sky,

But we do not all share the same horizons.

Always remember to use what talents you possess,

For the woods would be very silent,

If the only birds that sang there

Were those that sang best'

Author unknown

As, I hope, you will share your Distant Stitch work with the other students on the course I hope you think it appropriate.

Today is the day

After many weeks of trying to start a blog today has to be the day!

I thought I would start with showing some images of my textile work

Indigo Spice Jar

Indigo Spice Jar was one of a series of vessels. It was constructed using basketry techniques, with wire as the 'uppers' and indigo and madder dyed raffia, sisal, french knitting, with some leather and handmade felt and paper.