Perpetual journal for April.

 My pages for April in my perpetual journal. So much in flower it's difficult to know what to draw first but there are other years to draw other things.

Catching up.

A few things to share with you; two bird stories over the holidays - A perfect blue tits nest but a sad story because the bird died before it could complete it.

 A racing pigeon called in for an overnight stop over before continuing its journey. B&B here for birds now?

 Bluebell woods at Westonbirt just coming into flower.

 Tiny white stars of wood anemones beside a path through the woods.

And I am stitching the loop piece onto its background. This is going to stay simple and abstract. Inspired by crop growth in the field, stripes of light and dark with opposite light and dark stitches.

All yellow

 If you remember my winter field book, I drew the oil seed rape in leaf (looking like cabbage.)

 Now it is in flower and the enormous field has turned bright yellow - a rather acid yellow actually and bad for hay fever sufferers. A long time ago my husband kept bees and the honey they made with this turned solid almost immediately so not wonderful but abundant. Last year this field was barley so this is part of the crop rotation.

 I have been playing with patchwork fields for cards for the exhibition.

Just painted the border for this piece that I stitched last year but never finished. The sunlight on the loops cast wonderful shadows.
Happy Easter to one and all! I shall be away from her for a bit over the holidays. Thanks as always for reading my blog and leaving your comments.

Field map finished.

 This has taken a whole month of concentrated stitching. It was still Winter when I started it so the colours changed to greens as the Spring arrived. It had ended up much busier than I first intended but very personal. With all those hours of stitching you can't but help weave your life into the story.

 The textures became mesmerizing as the grey fabric became ridges and furrows. (a lesson in voiding and looking at the unused space)

The skylark above the field singing it's heart out and watching over the field. 
If you want the whole story of it's development click on the label - field map.

Field map - continued.

 The field map was getting very linear so this chap appeared in the corner. I was going to explain but perhaps best to keep them secret - there has been a massive cull in Gloucestershire -  I hope a few survive. My first title for this piece was Badgers used to walk here.

 Swallows return to the farm barns every year - another couple of weeks and they will be here.

Japanese Cherry- Tai Haku flowering at Westonbirt. I saw a Japanese gentleman bowing to this tree last year so I did the same this year.

It's back!

 Thanks to Mo the Mending the sky pennant has come home on a tidal wave of love with some extras that will be cherished and the lace will be incorporated into my work at some point. So glad I took part in this amazing adventure. Thank you so much Mo!

Field map and no thread stitching.

 I am trying to be single-minded about getting this work finished for Quenington in June. I hope to have 10 pieces finished by Easter and I am very nearly there. So it is eyes down for this field map and progress is made. I made some more stitch lines for the furrows in the field. Some of that silk already had lines ( it is a piece of old parachute silk) I call this no thread stitching. I use the sewing machine to leave a trail of holes.

 Couln't resist experimenting with this this on paper (right) and fabric left. The holes only stay in fabric that is closely woven (calico) and I stiffened it with gesso too. I rubbed the surface with a soft gold waxy polish- rather like a shoe polish or soft oil pastel to make the holes stand out. Interesting? Could be useful in the future.

But back to the field- I am enjoying stitching this - through rain,hail, frost and snow this week and the plum tree is just about to blossom.......

Field map in stitch.

 This is slow stitching but I love doing it. Getting quite caught up in the ridges made when you put the running stitches close together.

 Late sun cast beautiful shadows too.