Friday 3 February 2017

stitched .... with words or stamped with ink.















****A picture is a poem
just without words ****






As you are all very well aware of by now, because I repeat it all the time! (sorry) words are important to me.  I need to read everyday, even if it is a few pages before I go to sleep.  It is also important to me in my work.  I love to add words to my pictures, that said sometimes a picture is

enough.  A picture can say a thousand words as we all know....

I have been doodling and sketching a piece that I am so keen to get on with and for now I have called it curiouser & curiouser  but it is not themed on Alice in Wonderland though.  I love Alice and the story but it is the words that seem to fit for me right now.... or though others are dancing around my head as well so it is not written in stone ...

Themes and inspiration is the name of this years design journal for me and I love finding inspiration even in a cloud that looks like something to me or a drop of rain falling gently from a leaf, for me there is inspiration everywhere we look and it depends on what our imagination does with it. I plan to jot down every idea I have and
then decide from that what to doodle in my design book.  If words pop into my head, I write them down and then even if they sit in my journal for months they will get used at some point in my work .... I am also going to explore this year some hand stamping of words with little hand letter stamps with different fonts.  You can buy special ink pads that are permanent as well as fabric safe ... I think it will be fun to combine both this and hand stitched words as well.

We do little stockings at Christmas, myself and my husband and I am always asked for a wish list to help him along the way.  He has great ideas on his own but he always says to me 'you artist nature has things in your head you think about' so I did put down some of the wooden hand stamp alphabet box sets and I got some with different fonts so I have been playing on little scraps of French linens to see how they come out and how readable they are ... thus far the trials are going really well.  The thing is to try things out on the very fabric you want to use .. I know it is precious believe me, but if you go ahead with the stamping this can not be 'unpicked' and therefore it a huge ruined piece so always always try out a new idea on a tiny bit of the fabric you want to use .... save huge heartache.

In addition to this I have been looking at using the odd charm in my work although finding antique ones is rare and rather expensive sometimes.  I know I can get the one made now for stitching but it
really is not in keeping with what I stitch so this is my new treasure hunt for this year... wish me luck because I do not want gold ones so it is even harder but a little cheaper!  Oh well who ever said life was easy eh!? I have all these ideas but I must get better at costing out because it can add expense to a design.

Suffolk puffs will be having some designs of their own as well so again watch this space, as I said the ideas are coming thick and fast.  Today however I must away, sewing for today will have to wait a few hours as my sister and I have a meeting about my Mum today with some health care officials ... there are a few of them but it will get some balls rolling in the general direction of good care for her.  When I get back I will be putting a match to the fire and picking up my project and getting more hand detail stitched before the light fails me .. I will be back here on Monday so I hope you will join me again then for a vintage stitchery read.



Have a great weekend and as always Happy Stitching! XX








4 comments:

  1. Your projects sound really lovely.

    Good luck with your mum, guess what........ today we (my husband) are doing the same with my dad, so together we will tread the same road - hugs to you

    Julie xxxxxx

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  2. Thanks Julie and good luck! I am beginning to believe that LPA for health and welfare is not worth the expensive piece of paper it's written on!
    Sarah xxxx

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  3. I am sorry you are both having to go through this - hope today went well and that some progress was made towards securing a safe haven for your respective mum and dad! Love, Mo xxx

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