Dreaming In Stitches

Recharging the batteries…

As anyone who pops over to my non-stitchy blog Wondrissima will know, we’ve been away for a few days, staying in Whitby and visiting a load of old ruins…

I don’t know what it is about these places that gets me so excited, but I really could spend all day walking around old abbeys and castles – well, given a remarkably efficient set of thermals and regular coffee & cake* breaks.

The daughters are obliging, if not exactly enthusiastic about my ruin fetish.

But I find there’s something about being in these ancient places that stirs up the creative juices. It’s not that I often want to recreate what I’ve seen – although I know the recent gothic window was probably inspired by the real thing – it’s more that I tune in to some sort of flow – I wonder if it’s what Druids would call awen?

Or perhaps it’s just the opportunity to get away from the normal surroundings and free up some mental space for ideas to spark in.

Whatever it is, a few days away and I’m feeling much better, despite the fact that today the weather has decided to reprise grey and wet.

* If you go to Rievaulx Abbey – try the cakes – they’re fantastic, but be careful what you ask for. The lady asked me how hungry I was, so I said not too hungry – well, goodness only knows how even I could have eaten anything bigger than the slice of orange cake she gave me – don’t say you’re actually hungry unless you haven’t eaten for a week.

Spring flower…

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I hope you’re not reading this from beneath a ten foot snow drift – my other half keeps referring to the weather as ‘a cold snap’ and I keep reminding him, that this weather has been consistently atrocious since November, and snap it certainly isn’t.

But in other news…

Slow progress is being made on the – shall we call it flower?

I have a fairly clear idea of how the flower is going to develop – I’ve put a couple of baskets of yarns together and I keep looking at them, imagining where I’m going to put them all – so to contrast with the couching of the flower, the outer sections are rather more restrained.

The recycled sari silk is delightful to work with. The thickness varies quite widely, and some sections are decidedly fluffy, so stitching it in becomes experimental – I like the feeling that the yarns are deciding the texture of the piece for themselves – putting the stitches in, feels almost passive.

Just before the weekend snow, I nipped outside and took pictures of the few brave buds to have risked showing their faces this winter…

I’m wondering if I was getting subliminal messages about the colours – notice any similarities between the flowers and the flower?

Happy stitching – stay warm.

Moving on…

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I put the last few stitches into the Gothic Window on Tuesday evening, and as usual, it will now go on the pile while I decide what if anything to do with it – am I the only person who loses interest once the stitching is finished?

Strange really, because I feel very attached while I’m working them, but once they’re finished, I want to move on to the next piece. If there’s anyone out there with a burning need to finish off, frame, hang, or otherwise use a pile of needlepoint, I have a stash that could keep you busy for yonks.

Anyway, moving on…

I didn’t intend this as I was drawing it and painting up the canvas on the kitchen table yesterday, but I think months – or perhaps years – of watching Flog It! at tea-time (mainly to annoy the girls!), has affected me – can you spot any Moorcroft influences here?

In my mind, I’m working out how I’m going to stitch the design, and I thought I’d couch the edges of what I’ll loosely call the petals (you might prefer strange splodge shape), with the recycled sari silk, then see what works in the layers between. Perhaps it’s that edging that makes me think most about Moorcroft.

As ever, I don’t expect the finished piece will look much like this, but I need a place to start.

It’s about 24″ square, so should keep me off the streets for a while.

Happy stitching.

Gothic sun window nearly stitched…

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Well, if you can rely on me for one thing, it’s that I’ll be slower than planned getting something finished. So you won’t be surprised that the Gothic Window is still not completed, but it’s really very close and the light was so good today, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.

There’s just a bit more of the sun to stitch.

As you can see I’ve gone totally overboard with the metallics and shiny threads.

I just couldn’t help myself.

I’d like to say I’ve managed to purge myself of the shiny obsession,

but it would be a lie. In fact I went out last week and bought a couple of new twinkly threads. I’m just a sucker for anything glitzy.

Quite by chance, I caught a TV programme on iPlayer all about the stained glass east window at York Minster in the week. I’ll always be one of those people who can just stand and stare at these amazing pieces of art – I suppose after 600 years or more, they still work their magic on me.

Happy stitching.

Gothic window…

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The stitching has been especially slow for the last few days – isn’t it unfair how much life sometimes intrudes on stitching time…

But here is the current piece of work-in-progress, Gothic Window.

I’m struggling with the light (or more accurately, lack of light), but you get the idea.

I wanted to try adding some gothic structure to the piece, I know I’m obsessed with stained glass, but I thought I’d see if I could contain it in a semi-gothic frame.

Of course, my hopes for anything to stay straight while I stitch it have been dashed. I know I could go back to using interlock, but I’m still having too much fun with the scrim, despite the way it laughs contemptuously at my lines.

I’ve painted some of the canvas with acrylic inks to give it a tiny bit more bite and stability – it also stops me getting snow-blindness, sewing on the white scrim.

I had a mixture of twinkly blue threads that called out to be used in this window, although you can’t really tell from the pictures – it does look quite sparkly in real life.

If I can keep all the spinning plates in the air this week, I’ll hope to show you some progress next week – no promises mind, we all know where plans get us.

Happy stitching.

Indulging in hedonism…

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Now, I’d be telling a porky-pie, if I said it had been a brilliant January – sick child, sick dog (when will they learn to use a bucket), leaden skies, snow, ice, more snow and more ice, frozen shower, sick car (amusingly timed trouble with the clutch – great fun on icy roads) – you know – very January.

But – while all that stuff was going on, I was also having a whale of a time with the piece of experimental couching/needlepoint I started at the beginning of December.

This piece has seen me through all the pre-Christmas stressiness, the relaxing time between Christmas and New Year and the grot of the last couple of weeks. I’ve loved every moment! (click on the picture if you want a closer look)

Something about the curviness drew me in completely. As it progressed, it demanded jewel colours and lots of twinkly threads. The day the first red went in, I held my breath, but it was right. So here it is, gaudy, swirly, shamelessly glittery – and I love it.

The only thing it never acquired while I was stitching, was a name.

But then as I thought about it, just one word popped up – hedonism,

Sensual indulgence – the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires), is the highest good and proper aim of human life. (Dictionary)

I think that’s what it wanted…

Happy stitching.

Playing with windows…

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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.

Naughty girl…

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Hello, Happy New Year!

OK, so it’s confession time – I’ve been up to no good.

The sun came out this morning and I was filled up with the need for colour. And so I tried to be good, I really did. I pulled out my yarn stocks and had a good rummage around. I have loads of course, but you know how it is, in my mind, I wanted rich jewel purples and reds and deep fathomless blues

And there just weren’t any that were quite right.

You know where this is heading don’t you…

Well, it had to be done.

The yarn with the curly texture, is recycled sari silk. I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to give it a go until I started couching, but now I’m feeling happy that I can use it even if it turns out to be a pain in the proverbial.

The mixtures are from Oliver Twists – I don’t so much want to stitch with these, as to drape them all over me and hiss ‘my precious’.

Thank you to Rainbow Silks in Great Missenden for this little hoard. (And I don’t feel too guilty, it didn’t break the bank).

I can feel something stained glass-ish coming on again. Better go and start playing.

Happy stitching!

Slow art on Go-Slow…

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It’s at this time of year, I wish I had staff.

There’s been the occasional stitch – grabbed during the cooking of the evening meal – very unsatisfactory way to work I can tell you.

I doubt if there’ll be much progress this side of Christmas – I can’t bury my head in the sand much longer – Christmas has to be done.

So the stitching and dreaming is going to have to go on the back-burner for a couple of weeks, while I change hats and do the domestic stuff.

(I might manage the occasional note at Wondrissima, but please don’t hold your breath).

And so, in case I don’t get the opportunity again before Christmas…

Wishing you the happiest possible Christmas

and may 2013 be the best year yet.

Great stitchy excitement…

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Well, it is now confirmed – I can get high on stitching…

Last week, I mentioned that I’d seen some couching samples worked by Kat at Of Gardens, Grandmothers and Gleanings. Kat very kindly sent me lots of information, and also links to some simply incredible medieval opus anglicanum pieces.

I ached to have a go at the couching, and decided to daub a bit of paint on the scrim first.

So this is what I started with.

I put in a few random lines of couching, just to get a feel for it – it was love at first stitch.

But something about those opus anglicanum pieces had wriggled their way into my consciousness. So the girl who practically never strays far from tent stitch, found herself going mad – free stitching all over the place.

The textures are fascinating.

I am having more fun than drinking a bottle of Faustino I.

Happy stitching!

The Celtic Swirl is stitched…

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Well, somewhat earlier than I’d anticipated – I put the last few stitches in this morning.

Of course the beady eyed amongst you will realise that I’ve cropped and straightened the image – in fact I’ve cut off some fairly important bits!

The wonkiness of this piece is seriously annoying. Does anyone make frames in an almost perfect rhomboid? Well if they do, I am the customer for them.

I’ve asked the other half to pick me up something big enough to stretch it on – this time I might see if miracles are possible – it will have to be something pretty impressive though to overcome the lean (I wonder if I could hang it from the Leaning Tower of Pisa…).

Anyway – the best thing about stitching this piece, has been trying out a variety of knitting wools and discovering that they make excellent needlepoint threads. The silks in particular are a dream to work with – I’m a lady with expensive tastes.

Off for a coffee now. I’m going to be having a diversion to play at couching (thanks to Kat for tickling those particular creative taste buds).

Happy stitching.

Wobbling along…

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The Celtic Swirl is coming along – slowly and wonkily. I’m not sure that it will ever be possible to pull it into square, but as I’ve practically never managed to frame/mount/hang anything I’ve made, I don’t suppose this will matter.

If I carry on at this rate, I’ll probably have it done before Christmas. Tart that I am, I’m probably going back to the linen scrim for the next piece – well I am a woman and I am allowed to change my mind.

Happy stitching…