A day of delights

 Yesterday I was at the Oriental Museum, Durham with the Embroiderers Guild volunteers who help with conservation of the textiles there.  We were cleaning, assessing and recording a box of full of interesting embroideries and I took some pics of my favourites for you to see here.

These details are from an embroidered collar and I was taken not just with the exquisite silk shading but also with the expressions on the characters faces.

The collar above has been damaged and is only a fragment but the embroidery is so fine and detailed I could look at it forever.  You really need a magnifying glass to appreciate all the delicate detail.

The panel to the left is appliqued in silk but each figure and flower is padded, raising it from the background.  I love its vibrant colours and the expressions on the ladies faces.  Needless to say the stitching is perfect too.


I finished the day at Chris de Burgh's concert at the Sage, Gateshead.  A fantastic evening with songs old and new and a great atmosphere.

Embroidery Days

The last few days I have been totally immersed in stitch and there is more to come.  Saturday was our EG meeting.  The morning was spent starting an embroidered postcard for the Olympic Postcard project.  Hexham's country is Croatia and I am doing an interpretation of a Croatian postage stamp in raised embroidery.  The afternoon was a very interesting talk by Linda Westerman who followed it with a dayschool on Sunday which I really enjoyed.  It also resulted in another piece to finish - this time in goldwork worked onto a background of torn fabric strips and scraps of lace etc.  My starting point was this photo which I took at Olympia.  I will post some 'in progress' pics shortly.  Linda was an excellent tutor and I also have lots of ideas simmering for more pieces - just need lots of time........
Today I have been to Huddersfield to talk to the EG Branch about Raised Embroidery.  It wasn't the best weather for driving and not the easiest place to get to from here but the warm welcome I received made up for it and I had a lovely afternoon.
Tomorrow I am off to the the Oriental Museum in Durham for some more stitching.  I am so lucky to be doing what I enjoy - I've hardly noticed the  miserable weather we are having.

Autumn or is Summer just late this year?

The hay is cut and baled and yesterday I was picking Sloes ready to make Sloe Gin, so Autumn has officially arrived for me.  Autumn is also the theme for the next Postcard Swaperoo and I am planning to get started on my cards today (amongst lots of other things as usual.......)  The weather is more like summer here at the moment and we are promised 25 c for the next couple of days.  We'd better make the most it though as rumour has it the snow will come in October this year!  I suppose anything is possible with our erratic weather.

Postcard Swaperoo

I've just joined this swap - encouraged by Sheila at Sheila Embroidery Rambles.  Here is the beautiful card I received yesterday from Sheila and here is my effort

The brief was to keep it simple so I had fun playing with some papers that I had decorated some time ago and combining them together with acrylic medium, ink and Goldfinger.

Do come and join us - details here

A Special Day and some new work

Allendale Forge Studios held its official opening last Thursday when HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex came to visit.  It was a lovely day - here are a few of us waiting to be presented.

It was very busy in the run up to the opening as we all wanted to have our pitches well stocked and looking good.  I have just started a new series of locally inspired pictures which are developments of the technique I described a couple of months ago.

These are approx A4 size but I Have decided I like this technique enough to try some larger pieces now.  I really love using the fibres to build up landscapes - so much easier blending them than mixing paint!  These two and a seascape are for sale in the Forge shop.

It's official - Quilting is good for you!

Thanks to chittle chattle for sharing this link  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2002862/Why-quilting-uniquely-good-us.html#comments which confirms what we dedicated quilters, embroiderers etc have known all along.  Our art/craft or whatever we want to call it is good for us.

Here is my latest attempt.  I'm surrounded by the most wonderful landscape but often find it difficult to capture it in fabric.  This piece uses simple raw edge piecing and free machine embroidery to try and capture the feel of a dusky evening view.


I got a nice surprise when I looked at the back.  Seeing  the quilting in black and white has set me thinking about a winter version.  Before I get to that though I have others to finish - why is it always more tempting to start something new than to finish what is on the go?

Print and Stitch and a new use for the Aga

Visiting the local art shop with my daughter in search of paper for her I came across a printing material that was new to me.  It is a type of lino but much softer than the usual and finer and texture so that a more delicate line is possible.  I decided to cut a similar design in both of them so that I could compare them and  here are the results.  The picture below right shows the two blocks.I usually struggle to cut the traditional lino and find it a faff to keep heating it up but I had a brain wave this time and decided to do the cutting by the Aga.  I put the block on top of the hot plate from time to time and had no difficulty at all.  Why has it taken me so long to think of this?I also made a small flower block in the new lino and  after printing this with fabric paint and over painting it with silk paints I then machine stitched it and made two ATC's.

For some reason Google is refusing to put the photos where I want them and in the wrong order so apologies if this post looks rather odd.