Autumn book finished!

This has been a good week for finishing things. If only I could keep that momentum! It has been a quiet week so I have been able to get on and make decisions and make progress. Sometimes other stuff gets in the way. That other stuff is normal life! We need some publicity shots for the exhibition in March and that helps to concentrate the mind on what is going to be shown.

Starling finished.

I continue to finish work I began in the Spring and have never resolved. Another bird that used to be very common and now is an irregular visitor to our bird cafe. Their plumage is extraordinary, all spots and a green sheen in the sunshine. They are noisy and bossy on the feeders.

Love-in-the-mist seed pod.

You may remember this from last year but I hadn't decided on the borders - in the end I have kept it very simple. I enjoyed stitching all those twisty bits! At last getting some pieces finished for the exhibition in March. Trying to do all the autumn pieces first as the leaves are being blown off the trees and I had a difficult task finding some hawthorn berries to draw. Did find a few in the end for the next page in the little sketchbook.

Leaves underfoot continued.

 Getting more sketched in now. Beginning to take shape, form, a life of its own. Autumn is a time of change and fragility. I have put in a snail shell today. With the feather and twigs it is a reminder of that.

Leaves underfoot 2

So I did add colour! Don't know if this is all going to work out but you have to take risks and try sometimes even if it doesn't. Otherwise you end up producing the same thing over and over again. I think I should try new things but always difficult when producing work for an exhibition. After this next exhibition I want to work on some more textural abstract things for a change. Ho, hum, just got to finish these first!

Leaves underfoot.

 So I just started stitching! Sometimes you just have to try out things and see what works.I like the simplicity but it may develop and have colour added. See how it goes, this will be a slow piece, lots of stitching.

And here is the other end of the Autumn concertina book- a female sparrow. Just 3 little pages to finish now.

Drawing leaves on fabric.

 What happens if I draw my leaves underfoot, in pen straight onto fabric? Well this, but then do I add colour or just stitch? Always questions and decisions to make. Meanwhile I muse on Autumn. Really tis the season to curl up with your knitting/book/dog/cat in front of the fire, draw the curtains and drink tea. But maybe that is just my age showing? ( like a bit of lace on a petticoat....huh! petticoat? That dates me too!)

P.S. The Enormous Field sold at the Gallery 51- only was up a week. Swallow sold 2 weeks ago so A Good Month saleswise.

More work in the Autumn book.

 Although for me this is a wearying time of year, this work goes well maybe because it is small? My energy levels are low but creativity ideas bursting so maybe I just wear myself out! ( Both covers done now)

 Anyway this is the Autumn book so I will have a complete set of 4 for the exhibition in March.

 Spindle berries from Westonbirt Aboretum - the bright pink and orange berries clash in a most delightful way. No such thing as a clash in Nature anyway.

Crab apples underfoot on the local footpath amongst the leaf litter. All tiny pictures but could lead to something bigger.

Glos Guild at 51

 Taking over 4 pictures to the Guild at 51, Cheltenham today. Having a bit of a swap around, taking home some that have been there a while to keep it interesting for visitors.

 This beetle is unframed but all the others are framed and glazed with museum quality glass.

Cover for the Autumn book.

 This was a what if.... What if I take lots of scraps of autumnal scraps of fabric and stitched them together like leaf litter. Years ago I made some pieces like this with Indian scraps of sari cloth and stitched them kantha style.

I was pleased with how it turned out. Loving working with these colours and all the leaves and berries as inspiration.

Sparrow finished!

Autumn sparrow 7.5cm square. Finished yesterday!

Sparrow in progress continued and Westonbirt Aboretum.

 Sparrow 2  ( Thurs)

 Sparrow 3 (Fri)

 And between sparrow stitches a walk at Westonbirt. Beautiful colours

 with poetry (unnamed) on banners around some of the trees.

A comma butterfly basking in the sunshine near the katsura tree that smells of burnt sugar this time of year. A day early for the exhibition in the Oak Hall, I will have to go back.

Sparrow in progress.

Loved this sparrow and had to start stitching it right away. 3ins square, background painted with silk dyes. Embroidery cotton, single thread.

Autumn book.

 Overheard Monday morning. ' Someone seems to have switched on Autumn.' It is colder, darker in the morning and the trees are changing colour. So I have started a new Autumn book. ( Although I still have the summer one to finish) I do like sparrows they are constant visitors at the bird cafe and on holiday I took pictures of a huge flock in a hedgerow by the sea.

 Yesterday on a walk; these crab apples underfoot,

 these collected to draw.

This is a button curtain I made in 2003 that I have had to say goodbye to. It was 2 pieces of silk chiffon machined together in a grid and I popped white buttons in every other square. I made it for an exhibition called Darn, hence the idea of warp and weft and some darning embroidery. I made tassels of buttons using soluble fabric for spots. It has hung in our window since the exhibition and gone yellow and got holes in. So now it has to go but I will save the buttons and the tassels.

Salcombe holiday 2

 The garden at Overbecks (N.T.) High up on the cliff is a tropical garden full of palm trees and things we couldn't possibly grow here.

 The rock formations were very interesting. I hope to use some of these in future work.

 Interesting colours and layers.

The strata here was vertical.

Here different textures within the green/grey. Always lots of inspiration for new work.

Salcombe Holiday.

 Back from our holiday in glorious Devon. Some wonderful beach walks and sunshine.

 Except when we went to Bigbury-on-sea to gaze at Burgh Island. Tide in and the sea tractor crossing.

 Tide going out and the causeway revealed. The surfers were enjoying the weather anyway.

 Back to blue sea and skies on the coastal path- walking towards Hope.

 Hope Cove.

 From the ferry to South Sands.

Salcombe from the ferry.