Bet you wish you had one like this!

I swear, I could make a fortune cloning my partner!

Inspiration finally hit for the doors and windows challenge for textilechallenges but with not much time left on it - and for two of the main colours I have no where near enough of the exactly right shades of thread left.

So, he went to the embroidery shop Viking Loom, which he will normally avoid like the plague and got the threads I needed - even colour matching as well as he could one of them due to the fact I don't know where I got the thread so I couldn't get the same make! He got it as close as anyone was likely to get it! He even checked two different shops before getting it to check he couldn't get a closer match!

Am so proud and pleased with him! Did I mention he's on holiday at the moment and was supposed to be spending his time doing him things?!

Thankyou

Thanks to everyone who got in touch about my recent post.

I've found a short term part time job doing some data input, and I've a couple of others in view to apply for.

I've managed to lose 8 pounds so far with my diet. Am at 192 and my next mini goal is 180. Overall I need to get down to around 140.

I've not done much crafting this week. I just haven't been in the right head space. Shall see what I can do over the next week.

A public apology

I am aware I have been letting some people down recently. This is entirely my fault, mainly due to over commiting myself to things.

This is my own fault and I have no real excuse for having done so. On the lists I am on I am months behind on one swap, I've not kept in touch with good friends I haven't done my art meme, I owe someone who showed me a kindness a squishy and I forgot to pay someone some money I owed them. I let the job I was doing and my personal issues override other peoples feelings and for that I am sorry.

This is partly due to my just not getting things done, and partly due to the shock to my system that my first job in some time was. I am not using it as an excuse but my ongoing battle with depression can lead me to unwittingly - and often without realising - avoid things.

I know that it is inexcusable and all I can do is ask for forgiveness and that you stick with me while I try and remedy some of this?

Marigold Sketchbook page 1

I've started a sketchbook for a series of projects I want to do based on my aunts narrow boat which we holidayed on last year.
The first piece I've looked at is this name plate:

This is on the door of the boat. The design is made up of marigolds and forget me nots.


This is my sketchbook page for ideas for this . I 've included photos from around the boat showing the marigold motif.In most of the page I have done pencil sketches with ideas for stitches to make up the marigolds and forget me nots. I've then lettered each one.

At the bottom of the page I've done a quick sketch of what stitches i plan to do where.

Then i did a small piece of samples to look at how the stitches would actually look.
This is my idea for the main larger marigolds. Its silk ribbon and I have three shades of orange i plan to use.
This is orange perle bullion knot marigold that i plan to use for some of the smaller marigolds

And for the small marigolds I plan to use these. On this you can also see the little beaded forget me nots I am going to - and i think the blue brings the orange up nicely.

I will post more photos of this project as it progresses.

Some Bad News/Good News and a Textural Piece

The bad news is that my temp assignment ended early.....the good news is that this means I can get on with some stitching and actually have time to blog...

Also, in other news I've joined Sparkpeople and have started losing some weight.

This is the start of my my textural 'encrusted calico' piece. This was inspired by this article at the Stitch site. Thier example is in neutrals but I've never been very good at neutral tones so have gone with warmer oranges, browns and yellows - a more autumnal theme?

This is a washer trapped in the fabric with whipped stitching over the top.
This is a curtain ring with straight stitches and loose french knots.
This is a button trapped and held in place with french knots.
This is a wooden dowelling with a woven darning stitch over the top and yet more french knots!

I will show some more progress on this piece soon.

Hello everyone!

Sorry haven't posted in a while..what with post flu blarghness and having another creative lull because of it I've finally started getting creative again.

I had the March York Embroidery Guild Meeting last saturday and went down to the morning stitching group as well as the afternoon meeting/talk for the first time - And I wish I'd started doing so sooner!The friday before I decided i was going to be brave and try and do some encrusted calico work, which is a project I found as a back issue online project on the EG magazine Stitch website. The sample they do is in neutral colours as is traditonal calico work as far as I can gather but those who know my previous work will know neutrals are not my thing - though they are something I need to learn how to work with.So, I'm working on natural coloured calico in a range of browns and oranges.I also used a length of faux pearls on a thin cord which allivates the mattness of the threads - being cottons they have the soft lustre to them.I'm planning to add some beads too...This will be an ongoing project as its a little labourous, but I love the textural feel of the work! Will post photos soon!

I've also been doing some sketchbook work which is part of my drive to actually get to the point where I am producing finished pieces rather than just samples and experiments - this is partly due to the talk given on saturday by the Ebor Textiles Group, who were relating how working as a group with one central theme. They are primarily an exhibiting group and therefore work on a joint brief to produce work for an exhibition.The current one is based around poetic license, which they have all developed into some really interesting ideas. They had bought along pieces of work as well as their sketchbooks. This was the part I found most interesting. I enjoy seeing how people get from idea to item.

So, I have started a project - to give myself a brief, and them produce pieces inspired by that sketchbook work.

Part of the drive to do this is that the next EG meeting will involve a talk by Kay Greenlees who wrote the book Creative Sketchbooks for Textile Artists and Embroiderers; a copy of which i got from my beloved for xmas.If you haven't got this book I heartily recommend looking into it if you are interested in this way of documenting a project.