stitch in progress - handwriting

My sepia shot for today - is a work in progress one - I'm working on a new series of 'poetry in stitch'...



the fabric here is actually a lovely pale sky blue but the artificial light on my sewing machine has affected the colour outcome.... I'm using naturally dyed fabrics. Poems are my own, especially written for embroidery.....



this purple is even better than you see - and I am happy with the bird that wears it - the other side of the bird has a lovely natural dye effect, I'll share more pictures on Friday when I update my shop.

mosaic monday

1. dark pink, 2. S008, 3. snowdrop, 4. INSOMNIA. Técnica mixta. 2012, 5. e, 6. Untitled, 7. IF: capable, 8.birdy girl detail, 9. Park Pardon, 10. like little green stars, 11. h, 12. PAIL, 13. SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN #2, 14. two leaves necklace4, 15. untitled, 16. ..., 17. Sketchbook, 18. Nurse ninny, 19. ., 20.., 21. affairs of the heart, 22. Bus Stop, 23. DSC_0028, 24. Stop the World, 25. 120218

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy Monday to you from a mild, overcast England. Many thanks to the artists featured in this week's mosaic, via my Flickr contacts. Please follow the links to discover more....

This week - we have the baton change of February into March (yeah I know, I know....). March is going to be a busy month for lots of us, getting into our Spring Stride....

March is going to be about handwriting and poems and poetry in stitch. As well as other things. But yes, expect to see a new selection of 'poetry stitches' in my shop. I'm currently working on new poetry cuffs. I write the poems for stitch, with the look and feel of the words as an important factor in the overall design. The poems are more like little fragments or lists of ideas than really polished poem-poems. I like it this way. It's rather like wearing dreamy ideas. Or I like to aim toward that...

So, I hope to have new work in my shop most likely Friday this week. New embroidery and paintings.

Apologies for no post over the weekend - I usually like to share something, my book projects or sketchbooks, but time and distractions, time and distractions (such as laundry) got the better of me. I hope to be more visible next weekend:)  And I will aim to share more before then, of course.

Over the past weekend I reached 1000 sales in my Etsy shop. I'm very grateful to everyone who purchases from me, (or simply visits and adds an item to their favourites). Every sale means a lot in so many ways and reaching 1000 was a special thing,  I have to admit. Thank you!

Many thanks also for your kind comments here and over at nevering and facebook. 

Hope you have a very good start to the week x

Friday

a recent sepia shot - one of my ongoing series and a personal favourite

I have just added a couple of new embroidery pieces to my shop....

wishing you a very good Friday & weekend

long-eared

a new selection of gouache sketches

yes a spring feeling

rabbity-rabbity

in my shop just now

mosaic monday

1. Moisissures pâles, 2. flickr.com/photos/25179368@N06/6880760763/, 3. volcanaudrey, 4. Paris Kitchen, 5. Looking for myself through the pane, 6. Studio stairs, 7. spice-braids, 8. 43-365, 9. Caring for Wingless Bird, 10. Untitled, 11. finding inspiration in these, 12. waiting for spring, 13. Carafe, 14.sketchbooks chatting with one another, 15. untitled, 16. Stickers, 17. saturated 2, 18. chaetophobia, 19.'Transform,Change,Disintegrate', 20. Home, 21. Untitled, 22. Untitled, 23. Day and Night 1 detail b, 24.Santo Nino, 25. Untitled

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A good Monday to you, on this mild and sunny day.... many thanks to the artists featured in this week's eclectic mosaic. Please follow links to find out more. Thanks always to my Flickr contacts.

This week, busy as always, I have a few particular ideas to explore.... Spring is not too far into the future and I am feeling 'rabbity'. I expect to be sketching long-eared creatures of some description, or other!

All being well, I hope to add new work on paper into my shop tomorrow (Tuesday). Possibly new embroidery work later in the week. 

There are many and various new ideas brewing... I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. Have a very good week and thanks always for your comments.

tiny book of sepia portraits

a tiny book with black pages and a pretty block-printed paper - as I put this one together I was reminded of old photo albums, so decided upon a book of sepia images. My first idea was to inkjet print some tiny versions of recent sepia photos from my ongoing series. But then I thought again and decided some original images would be what this book might contain. Thinking about old sepia photographs and how they fade over years, I decided to make miniature watercolour portraits.... yes I do like to challenge myself. It was tricky to work so small - the book is only 5cm tall (2 inches in old money). 

I wanted to convey the faded, ethereal quality of old photos and make tiny watercolours that were both evocative yet loose.... . I will continue on with this and share more when I have new pages.

yellow

yellow bird in hand brooch - one of two new pieces I have added to my shop today

it has been a busy week of stitch for me! I hope you have a good weekend

hope to share some more of my tiny book project on Sunday

new

 new items in my shop today the chair duo are quite tiny sketches - look carefully.... tiny faces in the stitched embroidery artwork of course, this one titled 'curious springtime'...

mosaic monday

1. 45 degrees and power denied..., 2. Sleepwalker, 3. Untitled, 4. I-got-mail2, 5. Bear cloth, 6. the shoot is not so good, 7. L'oeil de l'amande, 8. Have a lovely sunday! Buona domenica!, 9. 0416x1024_中山店_黑板畫, 10. wax, 11. pavia02-2012 Emotional Perspective, 12. mixed media fabric assemblage, 13."The Land of Cockaigne", 14. Óleo sobre lienzo. 146 x 114 cm.2012, 15. Down by the River, 16. herbs, 17. Better beware of the Iceprince! * Explored*, 18. Fa freddo / Cold time, 19. Worlds apart, 20. My new letterpress cards, 21. garden pots, 22. black springtime, 23. Next work, 24. # 1546 "The many Faces Of (Insert Your Name Here), 25. Gray's memory--Beijing Hutong in the morning2, 26. Untitled, 27. ., 28.Western Park, 29. detail, 30. "Little Ovoids" - In progress

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A Happy slightly foggy Monday to you. Many thanks to the artists featured in this week's mosaic. A few white squares in this one - just follow the links to see more.

This week, the snow still lingers in little bright mountains in front gardens and on verges, but we have been promised milder weather. Much of Europe has had very cold weather. I'm looking forward to spring and can see the tips of hyacinths poking up in a garden crate by our back door. 

New work will be appearing in my shop later this week. I hope to add new sketches and embroidery artwork. I'll update with more info as it happens....possibly Wednesday and Thursday if all goes to plan:) The stitched work takes time but I am enjoying the flow and ideas, and have plenty more to explore. 

Thanks so much for your comments, especially comments yesterday re: the tiny books. Continuing on with these, so hope to share more next Sunday.....

Also, a little reminder that if you click on 'notebook' above it will take you to my writing notebook where you can read 'amost daily' entries. Poetry,notes, short fiction.

I'm already starting to work on my next zine - oh yes. That will be coming out in Mid March and will be a mix of poetry and artwork. A LOT more to do just yet however.....

Have a very good, creative week ahead x

tiny books of black and gold

 

 This week I've begun work on several tiny, miniature sized books. I'm still working on the pages as making the books themselves took time. These are hardback books with spines and gold endpaper.

The cover paper is beautiful block-printed, handmade paper that my sister gave me for Christmas. Inside pages are made using lightweight paper. In two of the books I've used teabag paper - which is something I've had hoarded in my bureau drawer for a while but have not used until this week. The gouache paint works in an interesting way, of course you have to layer something between pages and it can be fiddly. I'll continue on with these books over the coming week or so.

charms & wishes

charms & wishes
a new embroidery artwork

I've new works in my shop and hope to add one or two more tomorrow.

Thank you - hope your week is going well.

mosaic monday

1. Untitled, 2. hockney queue, 3. difficult relationship, 4. inspired to stitch, 5. Weaving, 6. "tell me a secret" pillow, 7. whispers in the standing room (2012), 8. TAST 2012 5 Herringbone Stitch ..., 9. new! little prints, 10. Penelope, 11. nature specimens collection, 12. untitled (Bodhisattva aspirations), 13.Drawing 01-29-12 A, 14. IMGP0203, 15. Untitled, 16. 她, 17. Jour de pluie, 18. Jardin des Plantes, Paris., 19. afternoon, 20. Wet noodle

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Good Monday to you, from a rather snowy England - it's the kind of snow we like to moan about (any excuse!) - not enough to keep the kids home from school, just enough to cause traffic chaos. Ah well, it should be gone in a few days.

Many thanks to the artists and photographers featured in this week's mosaic, follow the links for more info!

This week I am as always a busy bee with my stitching and sketching. I've got new ideas to explore in paint, new embroidery pieces to complete. Expect to see a few new items in my shop over the coming days. 

I want to find time to pick up on my 100 portraits on brown paper project - I woud like to continue on with it, so will hope to make a few new ones this week.

Thanks always for your comments - much appreciated. I have lots to do today so will get on - wishing you a bright, creative and happy week ahead!

tiny homes & landscapes

Not a book this week - but a series of tiny paintings. 

I had thought of making a board book, but then decided on a series of. These are each 10x10cm in size, so quite tiny. Acrylic on plywood board. Lots of texture and layering. I've aimed toward abstract, with reference to sky and land. You can see the blues of previous week's sketchbooks coming through in some of these.

The paintings are photographed here with miniature furniture (I don't have a dolls house - I make little scenes with makeshift walls). I've got an eclectic mix of small chairs, tables etc... The paintings work quite well in their miniature living spaces, do you think? 

Meanwhile, I have completed a larger painting for my home. It seemed a natural development following on from the tiny ones....

 Clouds above a dreaming land - 50x40 acrylic on stretched linen (NFS)

grey and yellow

 this is a new piece, an embroidery cuff to wear and you are looking at the detailed middle section - I just really enjoy grey with yellow, it's timeless... infact, grey with any primary colour works for me,  I like grey rather a lot.