After our “Out in the garden” exhibition last year, what were we doing and where were we going as a group this time?
It was suggested that we did an exhibition at All Saints Church in Grasby as part of West Lindsey Churches Festival.
Although the Festival is over two weekends in May, the Grasby Church and our exhibition are open only on 11 and 12 May, 10am-5pm.
As for “what”, we took a new title of “Botanicals”, which has been interpreted completely differently by each of the six of us, as always. In the end, my pieces were inspired by this photograph of hydrangeas that I took many years ago.
We’ve all done a piece in a black frame called “Putting the garden to bed”, based on taking down the “Out in the garden” exhibition last August. Some of the pieces are from “Out in the garden”, but will look completely different in the different setting.
Jean gave us all a lovely piece of vintage linen tablecloth with a pre-printed design, and even with so much the same starting point, we have six very varied finished pieces of work.
We all had 8-plus labels for our own work at the last meeting, and there is also a large communal piece to see, that we’ve all contributed to.
Local ladies are providing refreshments (but there’s no loo, so don’t drink too much tea!). We are taking turns with the stewarding and answering any questions about the work. There are fabulous views over the Wolds from the church porch, and if the weather is clear enough you can even see Lincoln Cathedral.
I managed to finish my “bubbles” piece for Lincolnshire Textiles before last week’s meeting. The sequins, beads and French knots took longer than I expected, mainly because there were lots of little areas still to fill, and each bead and sequin had to be attached individually(see above).
There’s a “hole”, at the end of the kitchen table! The hoop is still resting on the chair with the remaining fabric and backing still attached.
I also stitched in my initials, tiny and difficult to spot! I ended up cutting it out once I got there, wanting to make sure I left enough seam allowance for the assembly.
Several other pieces have been finished, all of them very different from each other, but there are lots more to be handed in yet. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them joined together.
I kept thinking mine would look good on the back of a jacket, it twinkles beautifully when the light catches it. I’d thought that it was all going to stay as one piece after the exhibition, but I’ve now found out that we’ll all get our work back.
For quite a while I’ve been looking in the charity shops for a suitable jacket to embellish, but hadn’t found anything and had given up. Recently I bought a piece of cotton drill in the same green off a sales table, and needed to find a suitable pattern. But now I know I’ll get “bubbles” back, it’s on hold until August 2024 after the exhibition in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral. Jo has also very kindly said to keep the rest of the fabric, so it might work for a collar or pockets.
Having given up on finding a jacket to stitch on, I’ve found a perfect lightweight one for £3.00, “Dash”, unlined, 55 linen, 45 cotton, slightly fitted and looks unworn or barely worn. It’s more taupe than the grey it looks in the photo, and will go with most of the colours I tend to wear. I’m going to wash it before I start stitching, in case it shrinks.
Some of the button holes look slightly frayed, but I’ve seen some decorative finishes for button holes recently and some fancy embroidered buttons in a book, so I’m thinking that’s where I’ll start. My plan is to wear it and it’ll gradually evolve over time. I’ll just have to check for pins and needles before I put it on. At the moment, I’m thinking a brightly coloured silky lining once it’s finished.Several other pieces have been finished, all of them very different from each other, but there are lots more to be handed in yet. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them joined together.
I kept thinking mine would look good on the back of a jacket, it twinkles beautifully when the light catches it. I’d thought that it was all going to stay as one piece after the exhibition, but I’ve now found out that we’ll all get our work back.
For quite a while I’ve been looking in the charity shops for a suitable jacket to embellish, but hadn’t found anything and had given up. Recently I bought a piece of cotton drill in the same green off a sales table, and needed to find a suitable pattern. But now I know I’ll get “bubbles” back, it’s on hold until August 2024 after the exhibition in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral. Jo has also very kindly said to keep the rest of the fabric, so it might work for a collar or pockets.
Having given up on finding a jacket to stitch on, I’ve found a perfect lightweight one for £3.00, “Dash”, unlined, 55 linen, 45 cotton, slightly fitted and looks unworn or barely worn. It’s more taupe than the grey it looks in the photo, and will go with most of the colours I tend to wear. I’m going to wash it before I start stitching, in case it shrinks.
Some of the button holes look slightly frayed, but I’ve seen some decorative finishes for button holes recently and some fancy embroidered buttons in a book, so I’m thinking that’s where I’ll start. My plan is to wear it and it’ll gradually evolve over time. I’ll just have to check for pins and needles before I put it on. At the moment, I’m thinking a brightly coloured silky lining once it’s finished.
I’ve continued with the outline for my blackwork palace, making the most of the good natural light we have at the moment.
I’ve done little bits of unpicking in places to get the shapes looking balanced and symmetrical where relevant.
It was all working until I got to the top of this turret, which so far has been unpicked twice and is still not right. I stopped as I had run out of patience, also so I can try drawing it up on graph or squared paper. I thought it was the last bit before being able to go back to do the easy in-fill stitches, but looking at the photo I’ve noticed a stray line on the bottom left! I need to check that out…… and it needs another turret!
I missed doing my blog last week, because Colin and later I had Covid. I felt better by Christmas morning, having spent two days in bed, but still tested positive. Colin had tested negative, but was still feeling very tired and washed out; thankfully, we’d both managed to avoid it until now.
So, lots of the Christmas things that we usually do just haven’t happened. However, rather than focus on the things we’ve not done, I thought I’d have a quick look back at some of the things I have done this year.
I started the year off with finally braving cutting the Sari fabric for a dress for my friend Alicia. It took ages as I rarely had chance to fit it on her, since she lives more than two hours away. There are several posts about it, including More and Dress and eventually Finished dress. It still needs a good press here.
We all also did a little coaster-size canvas work and French knot pieces on a garden theme. My first one was based on roses, which was just a starting point for colours……
…….and my second one on daffodils and narcissi.
The other exhibition was at the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral, over the August Bank Holiday weekend. I was supposed to act as steward on the Tuesday morning, but unfortunately didn’t make it as Colin had been hospitalised the night before with a nose bleed that wouldn’t stop. I had done work on two collaborative pieces “Shard” and a Banner for the exhibition.
We also all did a fabric origami butterfly to be hung en masse. We’d been given a pack of fabric in a range of colours and patterns, with notions and instructions. This was mine.
I’ve also done several workshops: stitching, felting, printing and a copper-wire wren. Alongside my usual classes in stitching and painting, I’ve gone to Scunthorpe Embroidery and Textiles Association (travelling book pages until the last couple of months), Lincolnshire Textiles monthly meetings, and various other creative projects.
Yes, I have several WIPs (works in progress), things to pick up and continue. But all in all, I’ve been pretty productive throughout the year one way and another. I’ve learnt lots of new techniques and stitches, and new ways of using familiar stitches…… and lots of ideas for future work.
I’d almost finished my “Lincolnshire Poacher” piece last week before our Ukrainian “Sunflowers” arrived. In fact on Friday morning I started the last bit, the mounting, so I could blog about it, but things went slightly awry, so in the end I didn’t even get to do my blog until Monday!
Earlier in the week I started the “cheese-making”, using the template that I’d cut to the right size to cut a piece of wool / cotton wadding, which was a scrap left over from my stained glass window quilt, then a slightly larger piece of the yellow to cover it. I loosely tacked it through the wadding, making sure not to go through to the right side.
Just checking the scale.
I then added the “rind” with the textured stretchy fabric, after working out where it needed to go, and putting a long line of thread to define the wedge.
The “cheese” was attached with tiny stitching.
The grapes were stitched in the same way over the wadding, and placed in front of the cheese; no photo of this stage.
Then, after trying various rigid circular things (a DVD was not quite big enough, the lettering touched the edge), a lid off the large bucket of Lidl Greek yogurt was found to be the perfect size. DVDs filled the inside, to raise it level with the top. Next I did running stitches around the edge of the circle to gather it up, and the blue soluble pen was removed.
The “plate of cheese, lettuce and grapes” ready to attach to the 6 inch piece of mount board.
The piece of calico had a really deep crease that wouldn’t iron out, so I blocked it.
A piece of felt was stuck to the mount board to soften it all, and all set to go last Friday morning. We knew the “Sunflowers” were due to dock at Dover at 1 o’clock lunchtime, so there was time to finish the mounting and do my blog before the last-minute preparations for when they arrived.
I attached the “plate” to the backing fabric, then put a couple of pins to hold it in place, even having remembered to sign it with my logo initials.
I started mitreing the corners, and had almost finished the fourth one, feeling quite proud of myself, when I suddenly realised that the felt was facing me, not softening the right side. I could hear my mum’s voice in my head saying “pride comes before a fall”.
And having looked at it before I took it apart again, I realised the lettering was closer to the edge on one side, so laced across the back with it still partly attached to the backing fabric.
I then set to re-mounting it, mitred corners, lacing across the back, thinking I was still alright for time, called Colin through to see if it looked OK….. only for him to say the whole thing looked wrong and the lettering was in the wrong place.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked properly. I hadn’t re-checked the alignment after lacing the back of the “plate” and it had moved on the few stitches holding it down. More haste less speed, another of my mum’s favourite quotes to me.
So, off it came again. Breathe, calm down and slow down. Finally, third time lucky and it was done. It just needed a felt backing to cover the lacing, which I cut ready. But by now I had not only run out of patience, but also of time to do my blog.
I ended up quietly stitching it on once I’d got to the meeting on Saturday morning, and it was handed in and positioned amongst the rest of the pieces. Four more are yet to be added, but all is in hand.
I’ve also handed in my finished shard, so all is ready for the exhibition at Lincoln Cathedral.
Lincolnshire Textiles are having an exhibition in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral at the end of August, and the banner they have used needed updating to say “Lincolnshire Textiles” rather than “Lincoln Embroiderers Guild”. To go alongside this, the newer members have been asked to do a 6-inch square with something that represents some aspect of the county of Lincolnshire. The obvious landmarks have already been done.
What struck me as missing was Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. I’ve had a few ideas, but have finally got to roughing things out when I was on library duty this week. I started with trying to use Publisher on the computer, which I found extremely frustrating, because it has changed so much since I used it years ago. In the end I managed to get the lettering going round in two semi-circles, which at least gave me an idea of placing the letters. I did a couple of quick sketches of wedges of cheese. I’d cut the one out before I photographed the rough sheet (see below, toward the end).
I ended up drawing a couple of circles and hand-sketching the letters, then I altered the placing slightly when I went over them in permanent marker.
I could then trace them through on to the fabric with water soluble pen. It was then hooped up and the Quaker Stitch started, a cross between backstitch and stem stitch that is ideal for lettering, I was told.
I used a blue perlé 8 to give a fairly bold line. It is also a relatively quick stitch to do.
I used the soldering iron to cut out from organza some “lettuce leaves” to serve with my cheese.
The rest of the letters were stitched.
The paper pattern was cut down to scale for the wedge of cheese, and flipped to face the other way.
I’ve found fabric for the cheese, and one the perfect texture for the rind.
I also had a recollection of doing grapes for a travelling book several years ago, no idea whose it was or what the theme was! Does it look familiar to anyone? I thought it might give me some ideas how to tackle a few grapes.
I’ve also found some potential grape-coloured fabric. This is as far as I’ve got so far, but there’s another week before it needs to be handed in.
The above photo shows the finished needle lace. It looks rather messy, with all the loose ends, knots of the cords and fraying edges, and it needs cutting down to the pattern shape. But before I dared to cut it, I re-machined with a small machine stitch over the existing pale blue machine stitch outline, that I’d used to hold the cords in place, with a thread that matched the background fabric. The fabric frays fairly badly.
I checked the original piece with perlé threads. This really was the stitching in thin (mid) air, between the sides of my improvised plastic-coated wire frame work the size of the finished piece.
I offered them up to check the two matched size-wise. The photo just shows them together.
I used my rotary cutter, quilting ruler and a cutting board to cut as close to the machine stitching as possible. I then went all round the edge with watered-down PVA, left it to dry, and just to make sure I’d not missed anywhere put on a second coat. I also did two coats on the back piece, making sure it was all covered but not too gluey, which might have left dried bits of glue visible. It all seems fairly secure and shouldn’t fray either.
I used blue pony beads to raise the stitched-in thin air piece on the back of the shard.
I made a twisted cord (much too long, so lots of spare) to stitch around the two long sides. The stitching was a bit tricky with the glued edge. I resorted to a thimble in the end, as I was making holes in the end of my middle finger trying to push it through. This meant I didn’t get it finished last week in time to hand in. The assembly team want the bottom to be left as it is, so they can make any adjustments as they put the whole lot together on the framework.
A close-up of the finished point, it worked better than I expected.
On the back I’ve left the extra threads at the bottom. I think it must have stretched a little with the glue, but it can be cut off or not as they see fit. It’s already to hand in next month.
I’ve stayed focused on my shard piece this week, and apart from a Schwam workshop at Lincolnshire Textiles last Saturday, I’ve continued with it each chance I’ve had to stitch.
The first thing was to find some more threads, to vary the shades, texture, gloss and add a bit of sparkle. The “Bella Donna” viscose ones above may look beautiful and glossy, but they are horrendous to stitch with, very quickly untwisting, separating and becoming fluffy. I usually try only to couch with them, but thought the blue was such a good colour that I’d have a go (bottom right). It’s slightly better stitching in thin air with them, at least the fabric isn’t abraiding it, and it does glide against itself ok. It would have been easier to do Corded Brussels, and if I use it for another section it certainly will be the corded stitch.
I also used two of these trusty Madeira threads. I bought them years and years ago in a tiny little shop in Alnwick when we touring in the camper-van. Over the years I’ve used them a lot at some time or other, only for hand stitching, and often with another thread of some sort.
The difficulty with these was using two strands, the first time the blue with a fine perlé, not too bad (middle bottom), and it catches the light more than the photo shows. Then I started using it for the section that went down to the point.
The cord was less anchored, and going into the machine stitch down one side, it pulled it across, and I ran out of thread. While finishing off the end, I realised I could pull it over a little more and leave myself a new section. So I used a strand of the blue and the silver together, both very fine and inclined to tangle, especially as they were rather long with wanting to make sure I didn’t run out of thread again. Again the photo doesn’t show the sparkle.
It’s certainly a slow process. I’d done eight sections by last week and have now done seventeen, and started the eighteenth. I’m not sure how many more I’ll do as I’m assessing where to go next as I go, but I’m enjoying the process. The Corded Brussels Stitch is not only much better to do, it is also significantly quicker than the Brussels Stitch.
The coasters in the photo, showing the piece as is, are from Barcelona; Gaudí’s work is so stimulating and inspiring.
A couple of people have asked me about the piece in the last week or so, and thought it might be based on a stained glass window when I’d told them it was for a piece for Lincolnshire Textiles Exhibition to be held in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral in August. Certainly rose windows and stained glass generally do inspire me.
Looking through photos a couple of days ago I found this, which we came across by accident when we were walking in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter in April 2013, in the Plaça de Sant Miquel. It reminded me of some of my degree work “Informed by the organic”, that I was working on for the degree show in May.
New work is often influenced by earlier work and input, even when it is subconsciously. Looking through photos is often a good starting point, and although I didn’t find many pictures of the people and dog that I was looking for, I did find lots and lots of things that are ideas for my art and textile work.
debbidipity 