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.

 

Borrowed and recycled.

Last meeting Sally had cut up one of her City and Guilds pieces as she no longer wanted to store it .We each took parts of it to see how it might be reworked.

 Deryll and Jenn took the edges .Above and below are the machine stitched 

landscapes created by Deryll using the right side of the fabric.

Jenn worked on the wrong side of the fabric ,first using Inktense blocks to paint in the bare bones before handstitching over.The bottom right has no stitch as yet.

It shows the possibility of bringing new life to pieces.

Deryll also discovered a previous piece she had forgotten about.It had been dyed by her using Madder also grown by her .The background consisted of strips of the fabric then been woven together .She had machine stitched the Madder plant in green over .She felt that it did not really show up and was seeking some advice as how she might rectify it.Theree were several suggestions so we will wait to see if she uses any.

 

Colour play.

Jane had been creating textiles but not with fabric and thread.She had purchased an automated spinning wheel and had been plying wool tops and some nylon together.The first image shows her first attempts.It felt so soft to the touch.

She had then created lots of yarns by blending what she had.She created this warm shawl by knitting them as they came.Apologies for the out of focus image.

Here are some close-ups showing the lovely blends she created by plying different colours together.

She had also gone back to her using weaving frame and made herself a sleeveless gilet.

The colours just sing!

Her spinning wheel is like this one but in a different colour .It is about the size of a mug so takes up very little space.It runs on an energy pack which is plugged in to a charger just like a phone.Technology can be so innovative.

 

Mark making fragments.

Jenn brought some small pieced  patches of fabrics.They had been  made in the online course 'Perfectly Imperfect Discovering Your Visual Language 'with Lorna Crane and Fiber Arts Two.

They had been selected from larger pieces of cloth which had been spoiled because the ink she used had run.They may be combined into a larger piece or left as small individual fragments.

She had also made a vessel using other parts of fabrics, and felt this had been the most successful outcome of the course.A base fabric with applied patches had been mounted on wadding ,machine stitched and then embellished with hand stitch.

If she revisits the course she will use acrylic ink and base her mark making on a particular location ,perhaps one of her Lockdown walks.

 

All done.

Sally had found a lovely cream fabric to back this piece which had started as pieces produced in a Gelli print workshop we did before Lockdown. The addition of machine lace leaves and hand stitch have really complemented the prints and brought them to life.

She used leaves again on her book cover.She had used Printaid on calico which gives good clear results.

She had been busy sorting through some of her City and Guilds pieces feeling they had served their purpose .She had begun to cut them up .Below is part of her final piece which we thought might be refashioned into a new vessel.Sally remained unconvinced and challenged us to take some bits away to work on and present next time.We'll see what ensues.

 

Winning ways.

Deryll ,as usual, entered the crafts section of the Long Ashton show .This lovely card displaying her exquisitely made courronnes.

A collage depicting waves crashing to shore 

and this stitched piece celebrating the apple.

Not only did she receive some excellent comments and feedback but she won 'Best Exhibit' in the crafts section and was presented with the Rose Bowl  ,which she gets to keep for the year!