Hedgerow harvest

Hedgerow harvest

Thursday 24 December 2015

Work space.

It is always interesting to see the area where people work. I have been working in this corner space for many years. It is very light and quiet. Now it is cleared for Christmas guests. I always look forward to getting back here in the New Year and a proper clear out and back to work.
Merry Christmas to all and thanks for following this blog.

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Patched and Pieced.


A piece to work on after the holidays.' Landscape plotted and pieced-fold, fallow and plough'.-Pied Beauty- Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Monday 14 December 2015

Work in progress.

 A peacock feather for the little feather book and beginning to stitch the cover of the book.
 My desk top with the feathers I collected from Newark Park on Saturday, the concertina book and some white feathers made on soluble fabric.
Lapwings- previous weekend visit to Slimbridge- for a card.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Feather books.


2 more drawings for the feather books- top one is the little concertina book, swan feather from Slimbridge for the larger concertina book.

Sunday 29 November 2015

Kestrel - in progress



Kestrel in progress for our Christmas card this year. Painting on silk and hand stitching.

Thursday 26 November 2015

Field boundary

First walk out after the flu, Monday. Quick sketch out in the field and home to scratch into the thick paper and add colour. Postcard size.

Monday 23 November 2015

Sampler finished!

Feeling better and the sampler is finished. It was good company when I was ill. The bottom line reads buttonhole, bullion and french knots, tufted stitch, cretan stitch with fly infills.

Thursday 19 November 2015

Circles sampler

The sampler so far. Latest ones are herringbone and chain in a circle ( bottom right). I have been unwell and spent a lot of time thinking about stitching this week rather than doing it. I could at least do the seeding because it didn't need thought or inspiration. What a great stitch seeding is, it makes me consider which other stitches can be used to join fabrics together in that abstract way. Perhaps when the 'flu haze retreats..........

Monday 16 November 2015

2 more circles with stitches.

Two more circles with stitches on the sampler. Both are detached chain or lazy daisy. I had this sampler with me at the West Country Quilt Show on Saturday in Bristol. Hello to all the lovely people who came and chatted to me on the Brunel Broderers stand. It was a great day out and a very positive feeling to contrast with the tragedy in Paris the night before.

Thursday 12 November 2015

Windhover page.

 Kestrel page in my sketchbook- words from The Windhover- G.M.Hopkins.
 Going over to Guild at 51 today in Cheltenham- taking a few handmade cards and the Strawberry Thief with me.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Kestrel sketch.

Kestrel sketch from the photo posted yesterday. While I am drawing I am thinking how will I stitch this and what do I want to say? Kestrel numbers have crashed in the last 10 years.

Monday 9 November 2015

I.C.B.P. Kestrel.


Fantastic day out last Friday, despite the weather, at the International Centre for Birds of Prey at Newent. These are my best photos because the kestrel perched right in front of us. This day out was to provide photos to work from for the exhibition in June. (Tudor hunting lodge at Newark Park) I am looking at falconry because they would have used birds in the Tudor hunt. Reading H for Hawk got me very interested. I am now reading The peregrine- J.A.Baker.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Feather printing

 A peacock feather- printed with gold paint. The same feather but it came out different each time. Which makes me think of changing moods, seasons, time.
A swan feather print. Always crisper on paper softer on fabric.

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Peacock feather portrait



Peacock feather in progress and finished - the background is parachute silk, light as a feather! I have to work a little into the background fabric to anchor it. I don't know what its destiny is .......time will tell.

Friday 30 October 2015

Autumn Sketch

 I made this brief sketch while I was out for a walk...........
 ............  the interpretation in machine embroidery on fabric- fabulous Autumn colours. It is the copse at the top of our garden.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

Feather portraits


Feathers found at Newark Park. Drawing them is the first stage before stitching to consider colour, pattern and texture.

Tuesday 27 October 2015

The process of making and unmaking.

 This piece has had more unmaking than making. You saw it last with circles on. I took those off because each little blue square was a little landscape and I wanted to stitch into those. The machine stitching was also wrong so that came off too.
I have started to hand stitch it now because last week I had a cold and wanted something to quietly work on. It may get no further, it may get some colour stitches in. The sea blues need to be stronger. Maybe more dye, maybe the circles go back in but in stitch, definitely more borders. All these decisions to make it right, make it what I am trying to say.

Thursday 22 October 2015

SIT Select Showcase

Sadly the workshop has been cancelled due to lack of bookings but hope lots of you come and see the show- lots to see!

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Needle cases for SIT select workshop

Preparation for the workshop on Friday. It is only 2 hours so the cases are prepared ready for the embroidery. The kit will cost £6 but comes with everything included - needles, scissors, threads- choose your own colours. There will be a pocket in the felt lining for the spotty scissors. It will come with instructions and stitch diagrams. Whew! Lots of work .www.sitselect.org/showcase/showcaseworkshops.html

Monday 19 October 2015

Newark park workshop

Stone, feather, leaf, conker case- found objects from Newark Park. We had to gather things, then make something, adding a random aspect with a throw of the dice for instructions- See BB blog for more.

Thursday 15 October 2015

Circles on a larger scale in patchwork.

Taking inspiration from the St Ives circles and my circle stitches design, I decided to try it out in patchwork on a larger scale. This 9 patch is 21cm square. I am thinking about how to quilt the piece now.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Sit Select Showcase Oct 23rd

I have finished the top half of the sampler- the last one bottom right is fly stitch. Book your space on this workshop at www.sitselect.org/showcase/showcaseworkshops.html

Sunday 11 October 2015

six circles

The latest circle is woven Maltese cross in gold thread. That was Fridays circle, stitching at weekends delayed by life, visitors, chores and enjoying oneself.

Friday 9 October 2015

Circles at St Ives and the next stitches.

My holiday photos were full of circles- the inside of a Jack Doherty pot
 Barbara Hepworth sculpture
 Chycaster settlement, a grinding stone. Lots of inspiration for further circle work. Meanwhile ( keeping the nose to the grindstone- please forgive pun)
the next 2 circles - yellow- raised fishbone and blue- fly stitch.

Thursday 8 October 2015

2 more circles.

I invented this spiders web- well there is nothing new so I expect it is in some embroidery book somewhere! I buttonholed down a spoke then moved across to the next spoke etc.
The last circle in that row is raised chain band around the spokes.

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Woven spiders web.

The second circle- lay down an uneven number of spokes and weave around from centre. I find myself muttering over, under, over , under etc.

Tuesday 6 October 2015

SIT select showcase-Stitching in Circles

This is the first circle on my new sampler. It is preparation for my 2 hour SIT Select Showcase workshop Oct 23rd at Cheltenham Town Hall. So I am researching circular stitches. I have appliqued silk circles onto white cotton within a couched thread grid. Sampler is 20cmx20cm- each square 5cm- 4 rows by 4. This first row is based on stitches with spokes of a wheel, this one is back stitched spiders web. I was going to put seeding stitches all over the background but may leave it half like this- some more consideration needed. The beauty of hand stitching is the time for consideration. I need to do one circle every day at least if I am to finish it in time. Better get stitching.

Saturday 3 October 2015

Visit to Newark Park Oct 1st 2015


The first meeting at Newark Park to discuss the next Brunel Broderers Exhibition there June 8th- July 11th 2016. It was built as a Tudor hunting lodge so I am researching birds of prey seen there now and birds that would have been used for falconry in Tudor times. This is the start of a new sketchbook. The weather was glorious and I sat on the terrace to draw the view. The Tudors weren't interested in the view they built the lodge to watch the hunt from the roof and feast on the venison etc from the hunt.