So here I am, happily couching for England, having a thoroughly good time with the treasures I bought last week, fascinated by watching where this experiment is going.
And yet I am living a double life, because while I’m stitching, my mind is actually seeing something completely different. I’m becoming obsessed again with stained glass windows.
I blame the visit to Prague last year. Seeing the windows in St Vitus’ Cathedral was a bit like being immersed in sensory overload. Looking at all that coloured glass was how I imagine it would feel like to live inside a kaleidoscope. I’m not sure my brain went back together with all the pieces in the same place.
And at last, thanks to seeing what can be achieved with couching, and being able to use a greater variety of threads, I can feel in my bones that what I see in my mind, might make it onto the canvas.
I’ve had a little play this afternoon to see how it might start out.
Of course it won’t look anything like this once I really get started, but sometimes it helps to get a few ideas down on paper.
Happy stitching.
Dreaming In Stitches 
oh, that looks wonderful – I love the contrasts of texture and colour, you’re getting such variety with the stitching and threads, I want to pull my glasses down to the end of my nose and peer at it from about two inches away for a couple of hours.
I so understand what you mean about stained glass as well – I found myself in one of the lovely gothic churches in Brussels on holiday some years ago, turned round to look behind me and almost burst into tears (oh for goodness’ sakes) the glass behind me, floor to ceiling was just radiant! Looking forward to seeing this design take shape, it will be fabulous.
I’m glad it’s not just me who gets emotional in front of all that glass – it just hits me right in the spot.
What an amazing collection of colours and textures! So much to admire and enjoy. I also am a fan of stained glass and have used some Charles Renie Mackintosh inspired stained glass as the basis for some small pieces. Nothing like as ambitious as your outline drawing. Look forward to seeing this work progress.
Charles Renie Mackintosh had a real gift for it didn’t he, such expressive lines, you think they’re simple until you try and do something similar, then you realise how clever he was.