..red for protection...

You can't think of magic stitching...

...without thinking of the colour red.

It appears in SO many places...

...and will be doing in my new work too.

Yesterday I got out the beer-glasses again...

...and wound a couple of skeins.

One pure silk, the other a silk and linen mix.

The sunlight on the table this morning makes them look more pink than red...

...but they'll be just perfect for protection...

...little stitches, little stitches...

...ga-zillions of them!!

It's ridiculous I know....

...but the pleasure I get from doing seeding stitch...

...is right off the meter...

..mind you...

...it still comes second to eating chocolate!!  :-)))

x C

..round and round and round and round.....

...block print on hand-dyed Egyptian cotton ....

...hand-dyed fine cotton thread...

...and a few beads to help it along :-)

..destined to become part of something bigger....

Tassels meet stitch...

This one was finished a little while ago ...

...it's a mini-quilt sample for a workshop later in the year....

.....notice the chemanthy popping up in this one too!! :-)

I'm now dyeing more fabric to do a larger one...


Don't you just looooooooooooove those tassel colours against that background!!?

...playing with print blocks...

...again!!!

Just experimenting with an idea or three...

...don't quite know where it's going yet...

No choir tonight :-(

...over 30cms of snow today...

...and Bloke has had to dig the car out for the second time in as many days.

Looks pretty...

...but it's damned cold out there...

Cauliflower and chickpea curry with freshly-made flatbreads should do the trick this evening though..:-)

x C

Magic Sketchbook Saturday

I'm not promising to post sketchbook pages EVERY Saturday....

...but if there are any to show, then this is the day of the week when they'll appear!

I've started a new one for this year's "Very Special Project"....

...and I think I may as well spill the beans on what it is.

It's been a while since I did a LARGE body of work. 2008-9 actually.

That was for a series of solo exhibitions where most of the pieces sold.

I kept three of the larger panels, and these are the ones I've been putting up on the wall of my stand at shows over the last couple of years.

Well.....it's high time for something new...

...and....after some negotiations...I shall be having a "Designer Stand" at the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate this year, where a WHOLE NEW body of work will be on display.

Title?

"Magic"

Why?

...because I shall be focussing on the magical elements in tribal embroidery....

Symbols and their meanings. Why certain colours feature so prominently. .....etc.

It's not just the actual pieces that I'm working on now though...

..there'll be a book too....

"Stitching Magic"

...which will be a pictorial and written account of the journey....with lots of photos and info....

My sketchbooks and lots of pieces of original tribal embroidery will be on the stand.....and I'm planning some workshops...

I'll try to show as much as I can here, but, obviously, there are some things that have to stay out of public view until the book hits the stand :-o

There may be some strange camera angles happening.....

Comments and opinions will be MOST appreciated!! :-))

x C

Watch the birdie!!

Looky looky......

...what the postie brought this weekend!!

Wooden birdie print blocks...

...from a selection available at Colouricious

Just perfect for what I have planned for 2013...... :-)

...panel progress...

I still have LOADS of sequins and beads to stitch on...

...but while we were away, I took the opportunity to work out what to do with the strip on the opposite side of the panel.

Luckily, I had this gorgeous shot silk dupion in my stash...

...and then picked-up some scrummy silk threads at Colinette.

Result so far...

....now I'm thinking about even MORE beads!! :-)))

..a bit of glitz occurring!

I had thought to fill in the shapes with chain stitch...

...but then decided that I want to go a bit "over the top" with this piece...

(given what I have in mind for the other side of the fabric strip!)

So, the outlines are being done with a couched heavy wool...

...and the shape filled with beaded sequins :-)

Ooooooooooooooo!

I'm having fun!!! :-)

Delicious textile bits.....and a new start...

The weather was glorious on Saturday....

...so we left our (usually gloomy) hilltop...

...and headed for Glastonbury!

We love wandering around here...

...there are always loads of good books to browse...

...and, of course, a great shop that sells Indian textile treasures.

Some delicious indulgences....

A toran hanging....

...and a lovely bag.

I'll be working with these over the next few months, alongside the blanket from Artique...

...lots and lots of stitching and writing involved here ;-)

I'm trying my best to get something new ready for the wall at Harrogate (only 4 weeks away now!!!), so a start has been made on this 4 ft x 2 ft piece.

(I've taken a few photos so you can see the change in colour from top to bottom)

For the strip to the left of the fabric, I wanted something that echoed the printed design, so I chose a shape from one of the blocks and scaled it up.

Felt isn't the easiest fabric to mark for stitching, so I traced the shapes onto some tissue through which I could  stitch.

The paper is then torn away leaving a nice line to follow with chain stitching...

...which is exactly what I'm off to do now :-D