Monday 13 March 2017

Imagination, Design & My Needle and Thread.









Designing dreams and making
them into something that
is unique and bespoke - that
is my wonderful job.




The first intrepid light pencil lines on a piece of gorgeous antique French linen can be scary but I remember buying my first antique linen sheet and shaking as I cut it up to make the canvass of my
first sampler, it was terrifying.  It took me, and this is no word of a lie, hours to take the first snip.  I felt sick and was shaking .... I had just paid £65 for this gorgeous French linen sheet and I was cutting into pieces, was I mad!  Now there is no second thought really.  I have several that I would not cut up as I use them as table cloths but other than that I buy them to cut them.

When I sketch on words or a picture with a pencil I used to feel frightened because what if it was wrong and I had to throw away a wonderful piece of fabric because my drawing was bad.  Well worry no more as I discovered very early on in this little business of mine that putty rubbers work a treat. They are sold in all good art supply shops and work so well with no smudge and you would never know there had been pencil on the fabric.  A normal rubber will not do.... they smudge and it looks like a war of graphite!!

Deciding what might work or might not or what fabrics to use for each design can be so much fun
and although I have a big collection of fabrics it is necessary, I believe, to have choices when designing.  Sometimes what you think will look good just does not somehow, so choice is all important.  There are husbands out there if they were reading this that would sigh at that statement but it is true.  I may have a stash but it will all be used on something one day and what I do not use will be re sold on for others to use.

Pretty, delicate fabrics with gorgeous hand dyed threads, add some stunning carved mother of pearl buttons and lace or ribbon and you have the makings of a one off, never to be seen again piece of needle art.  There are not thousands of prints of it and it is beautifully unique!  This is a joy in itself.

I have so much to do with the tidying of my stitchery room and getting projects stitched and with ideas bouncing around my head but all of it is a joy and I find pleasure in every aspect of my work.

Mixed media with old stamps and/or old papers can be exciting and different and I thoroughly enjoy experimenting with design and different mediums as well. If you can imagine it, well it can be stitched!

I am hoping for a quiet week this week to be able to concentrate on lots of things here at home, as
well as getting up really early to get some housework in I want to do a couple of hours a day in my work room and get it done in maybe just over a week.   A reader and a friend told me she was doing this with her work room.  It worked better she thought because you are pacing yourself not rash decisions to get rid of are made in error and thinking about what she said I realised she was so right.  So today I start and get the ball rolling but still have some times to stitch some of my projects as well.

I know the picture on the right has a card with Joyeux Noel on it but I am going to be using some of these gorgeous red and white fabrics that are in this picture this week and just wanted to share  with you how pretty they are.  I love red and white and I found these the other day and they will be perfect for this project that I have started last week.  I will be running to a fairly strict timetable with curve balls thrown in the way on some days I know (my Mum) but still if I have some structure I will get more achieved so this is my plan of action for the next two weeks ... fingers crossed for me.

I am hoping for some fine weather this week because when sorting out it is lovely to have the
windows thrown open but not so good if rain is going 70 miles and hour sideways at you ... You can also see dirt and dust more in the sun and I want to not only sort but clean the sewing room too.  When it is done I am going to buy some flowers for in there every week to make me keep it in order.

When my husband and I went to Bath the other weekend a bought the most gorgeous mug and it is going to have pencils in it on my sewing table .... It is still wrapped waiting to go into a clean room.  When my room is finished I will take some photos to prove to you that it is a well ordered and workable space ... as much as it can be with a single bed still in there.  I tend to make that look like a sofa though so that I can sit on it and read .... I would like to move around  some displays and make it look inviting as well as like a workplace, after all it is meant to be inspirational to me as well not clinical.

So If I keep talking about it nothing will get done at all today so I am going to sign off now and I really hope you all have a wonderful day .... Happy Stitching! XX







2 comments:

  1. Yes I buy to cut up and when the time comes I cannot bring myself to cut it!

    Tidying the craft room too, I have given myself from 1st March to Easter, my bit for Lent, to give away or throw away and its working

    Julie xxxxxx

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    Replies
    1. I am taking my time a little but need it done within two weeks .... I need to be wooing there soon and not on my dinning room table. But today I have a large termination!

      Wish me luck! Xxxxx

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