Mindless ?

Sue created these beads from an old cashmere jersey ,some machine made cords and some sparkly thread.Her inspiration came from a workshop with Bristol Stitchers and a talk given by people who worked with Kaffe Fassett .We thought they reminded us of Tibetan/Chinese type beads.

She had also unearthed this extremely neat and regular  stitch sample piece . It had been created when she was awaiting the birth of her son ,and gave her something "mindless" to do when she didn't feel like doing anything else.It  has lain in her stash for almost 50 years and  has now been turned into a cushion cover and will have a use just like the beads.

 

Old and new.

Kirsten brought her two wall hangings she has been working on .They detail her use of tools old and new that she has lovingly 'drawn' with Inktense colours .The wall hangings use some old linen and a variety of fabrics and lace that have special meaning.They will be exhibited but will not be for sale as they hold a lot of memories.

She also brought this amazing 'fish' made from some very expensive merino wool tops.It is hollow and quite large and all the more remarkable  as she watched 14 hours of videos filmed in Russian to create it ! 

 

December.

Traditionally we meet and share a meal at this time of year, with all the restrictions last year it was not permitted . We decided to plan for a 'gathering ' being mindful of the suggested ways of minimising risk.We were also aware it could be halted at any time.Thankfully it went ahead and we enjoyed a very toothsome spread and exchanged our customary handmade cards .

We wish you all a healthy and creative 2022.

Afghanistan,Japan and Russia.

Carol had been putting her creative talents to use in making some toys for Afghanistan refugees prompted by the Knit Knatter Stitch group she belongs to .We thought they were just delightful and would quite happily have kept them.The one on the left is made from some fleece scraps ,while the one on the right is crocheted.

She had also taken a look at the  Stitch Club workshop run by www.sarahdesmarais.com in conjunction with www.textileartist.org.It was a Japanese technique called Katazome ,where a resist paste is passed through stencils .It is allowed to dry before colour is applied .When dry the while thing is washed to remove the paste.

The paste consisted of 2 tablespoons of cornflour to 11/2 tablespoons of PVA glue.

Kirsten remembered to bring her felted fungi that she had left behind on her work table last month.She has been taking online workshops from around the globe ,sometimes having to navigate language barriers ! These look very lifelike but involve some seriously complicated techniques to create the various layers.She only had white wool but thought it too pristine so decided to dye with a teabag but the bag broke and deposited some leaf into the felt .We thought it added a very authentic touch ,sometimes serendipity adds something that would be too difficult to contrive. 

 

A weekend away and an online course.

Jenn had been on a masterclass weekend with Sian Martin.They had been asked to choose an inspiration image or object and to collect suitable coloured threads and fabrics to match.Jenn chose the image of birch bark of a tree in her local park.

They then had to paint the cloth with appropriate colour dyes and add fabrics being careful to tack ,not pin in position.

The task was then to turn the fabric over and cut into six pieces, all oblongs.Then starting with one piece to begin to  stitch from the back, not peeking until much stitching had been achieved.It was very strange having knots on the 'right' side and using usual stitches from the back !Running stitch and seeding were okay but French knots a whole different matter.How this piece will resolve is still under consideration.

Jenn also showed her progress with the short online course 'Approaches to drawing through materials and mark making' with West Dean and Joanna Veevers.

The course explores mark making with ink ,wax and graphite.

It entails making some simple folded books ,looking at marks in nature , and using a viewfinder to isolate areas of interest as in the below image.

The course also has you make papers for collage with rubbings and mono printing.

These can then be used to inspire and develop ideas for further work.Jenn has enjoyed the process so far and hopes it will lead to some new ideas.

 

collecting information.

Sue ,like Sally, had been revisiting past work, samples etc.She brought her sample book she uses to collect information about working with the embellisher .

There are lots of useful pages showing the different effects she can get from using different materials, such as silk ties and fleece jersey .

She has also a bit box that she  can delve into. She can  add pieces together to create whole new fabrics.

The embellisher could also be called the ultimate recycling machine! We wonder what she will work into her embellishing next ?

 

What can you do with a shelf full of books?

Sally has been pondering what to do next .She has been creating textile pieces and wonderful sketchbooks for so many years.She has a bookshelf crammed with lots done over time cataloguing and detailing her worldwide travels.

She had torn up lots of pieces and collaged them into a small concertina sketchbook to kickstart some ideas by working into them.

While doing this she happened across a sketchbook containing images and sketches of lots of windows she became fascinated with on a trip to Simla some eleven years ago.

We got excited too and feel this has much mileage .She had bought Shelley Rhodes new book 'Fragmentation and Repair' but wanted to pass it on as she didn't feel it relevant to her .We disagreed feeling these little jewel like drawings lend themselves to lots of lovely little pieces . 

 

Sashiko ,mindful mending and North Bristol Arts trail.

Debby had been trying her hand at Sashiko having chanced upon some books about the subject and tuned in to an online workshop 'Zen Stitching, The Art of Mindful Mending' An interesting fact is although running stitch is used 'Yokogusi',in Sashiko it is not pulled tight so that it lays flat whereas the same stitch in Kantha creates ripples in the fabric because of the tension created.Many of the stitches are given descriptive names such as  'rice stitch' and' falling rain'

Following on from the success of her  embroidered  beret she has been working on a few more to have on sale for the www.North Bristol Arts Trail.org.You can find her at Venue 46 from Saturday 27th -Sunday 28th November. It looks like being a super event as they are celebrating 20 years!

 

November comes around again.

Viv brought another finished painted canvas piece from last month.She felt it is a much better finish than just printing the sketch .It is a river in Oslo near where her son lives.She has kept to purely straight stitch for the whole series which has proved very effective.Now she is going to deliberate how to display them.

Deryll also brought along her Madder piece from last time.She had added a stronger colour stitching which had lifted the embroidery from the background.There is more to complete but it is going in the right direction.Much discussion ensued about how she might display it ,not wanting to put it behind glass.

 

Continuing the foiling.

Following on from the workshop Debby led for the new Bristol Stitchers she brought along a great variety of samples.They include gold transfoil ,Caramac chocolate papers ,foiling thread, hot dots and imitation shisha. Invention really is the name of the game , if it works use it.

She had been creating a piece using a variety of collage ,hand and machine stitch.She exhibited at Court House Farm and has been invited back to deliver some workshops for them before Christmas .If you want to treat yourself consult their website www.courthousefarm.com

She had also been embroidering a beret for herself, such a very pretty selection of colours and stitches against the cream.

 

Sorting through.

Sally had been taking a look at  work and samples she had made over the years it included some fabrics dyed with Omega dyes exploring colour contrasts.

Playing around with rust, which resulted from a trip to the Antarctic and  in her producing a book.

Then her beloved sketchbooks of which she has many, including concertina ones.The pages below have been reproduced on fabric to create personal imagery in her work.It is sometimes interesting to revisit work in order to mull over exactly what is your favourite thing to do, in Sally's case producing books is very high on the list! Very often a period of reflection and review  can spark new ideas and directions.

 

Workshops.

Carol brought along a selection of work produced on various workshops she had taken.The first was a Nikki Parmenter one 'Plastic Entrapment'.They had been given a choice of image ,Carol chose the butterfly .it was drawn onto the plastic with a sharpie pen and then various pieces were trapped by free machining .It is very attractive and we wonder if it might be durable enough to sit outside? 

Carol signed up for the first run of Stitch Club.She has a book of meticulous notes detailing every workshop they gave.She admitted she could not keep up and do every one but has the notes should she wish to go back to them.The one she did below was stitching on leaves ,some questioned why 

would you want to !

This was one run by Debby for Bristol Stitchers and involved a background of painted  Bondaweb with a small appliqued  lace butterfly with fly stitch .

At the same workshop they experimented with foiling on fabric, cutting out shapes and using  embroidery to foil over .They give some lovely effects.

 

Time to sketch and having a need to stitch.

Viv had spent some time on the Gower this summer .

She had taken a sketchbook and some colours ,recording some of the beautiful beaches encountered on her walks.

Back at home and she felt the need to stitch.She decided to add another straight stitch piece to those already completed.This time she chose a view of Norway and painted the canvas in preparation.Her colours of thread selected she is ready to go ahead.

 

Resurrect and rework.

Sue also brought previously worked pieces for some suggestions as how to move them forward.

She had mounted the above piece on an old wool garment piece but found the black had sucked the life out of the colours.She had begun to add swirls of the oranges and pinks to come out of the middle to edge into the black which we felt was a good idea.However ,we felt that the black piece and it's uneven edge would give her further problems as to how to work around it to finish the piece.

The other piece  was almost there but needed  the addition of some stronger shaped beads .We also deliberated as to what colour backing might best show it off .

Seeing finished work at an exhibition often doesn't portray the many stages it goes through to get there.