With thanks

Wanted to make a 'thank you' card which was stitched, and this blog posting gave me some indirect inspiration.  Design Sponge uses a threadless sewing machine to stitch holes into a piece of card, something I've done before but had pretty much forgotten about. 

I appropriated the idea and used it to punch holes for the letters, using a pin for the curves which were too tricky for my machining.  The stitches are either chain or Holbein, with a buttonhole wheel for the 'O', and some french knots on the flowers.  All in all, fairly quick and fun to do.

Ro Hae Sin 노혜신

Popped into the Ceramics section at the V&A yesterday, and was very taken with these pieces in the modern Korean room.

They're by a Korean artist called Ro Hae Sin 노혜신, and according to this blog, she meticulously builds up layers of different colours, then scores the pattern into the work, revealing the hidden colours.  I love the tactile feel of the spheres, the sugared almond colours and the multi-layered patterns.  I've been pondering spherical embroidered pieces for some time, and hopefully these will prove to be fertile inspiration.

Fishy

This project was an idea from my OH: he asked his niece and nephew to draw some fish, and then we chose a couple to embroider. 

Yes, I did say 'we': it was his first foray into the world of embroidery.  He did confess that the best part was seeing it finished, so not sure he's a convert yet, but we shall see.

The one above I've nicknamed 'skeleton fish', and I think the second one has a bad cause of some contagious vomiting disease, but am really pleased with how they turned out. 

They were surprisingly quick to produce (probably helped by the liberal use of bondaweb), and were completed in a couple of evenings.  Skeleton fish has bullion knot bones, a buttonhole stitch wrapped eye and detached chain embellishment; vomiting fish has french knot spots, a bullion knot tongue and satin stitch teeth. 

I may suggest this as a future project for my local Young Embroiderers - we could have a whole ocean full.

Completion

Today is a day of conflicting emotions as my art course finished yesterday.

I'm v.happy to have finished my final piece and to have successfully hung it (and I've not had a phone call from a tutor to say it fell down overnight which bodes well).  However, I'm also sad as it's been a fantastic year, and I'm going to miss both the tuition and even more so, the people.  We've been a pretty diverse bunch but that's made for a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere which has been perfect.

The photos are of my final piece hung in the college exhibition hall.  I took the theme of female relationships and so was trying to convey the feelings of isolation and exclusion which can occur when relationships start to break down.  The piece uses embroidery materials (hoops, needles and threads) chosen partly because they will be the tools of my trade when I start my new course in September but also because they are from a traditionally female craft.

The close-up image shows the needles more clearly.  When spotlit they glint and shine which, particularly against the softness of the thread, gives a sense of discomfort: something which should be used for a pleasurable pastime has become something uncomfortable and slightly menacing.

Elderflower

Please excuse a non-craft related post, but today has, for once, been a craft-free day. 

Spent a contented hour this evening bottling elderflower cordial with OH.  I love elderflowers, both their blossom and their taste (although, disappointingly, the flowers smell nothing like the finished cordial and are really not v.pleasant).   The process of foraging for the blossom is a real pleasure as it involves a wander along the riverbank in sunny weather.

Recipe from http://www.a2nipswich.org.uk/radio-show/elderflower-cordial-recipe/  (makes 1.5 litres).

20 heads of elderflower

1.8kg sugar sugar

1.2 litres water

2 unwaxed lemons

75g citric acid

Shake the elderflowers to expel any lingering insects, and then place in a large bowl.

Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

While the sugar syrup is heating, pare the zest of the lemons off in wide strips, slice the lemons, discard the ends and add the zest and slices to the elderflower bowl.  Pour the boiling syrup into the bowl and stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin (or a new j-cloth rinsed out in boiling water), and pour into thoroughly cleaned glass or plastic bottles.

And finally, an elderflower stowaway who was safely relocated to the outdoors.

Prism 2011

Cenote Series by Rachel Gornall.  Photo from rachelgornall.co.uk

Another inspiring exhibition today: just got back from up close :: in detail
courtesy of Prism textile group.  Lots of amazing work, some from old hands and some new, at least to me. 


Anita Bruce was showing some of her lovely knitted organic beings and also some large-scale knitting, beautiful in its simplicity. 
I'd not come across Rachel Gornall before but she does beautifully precise geometric sheers (if I were rich her work is definitely something I'd be dipping into my pocket for)
Anita Sturch does delicate expanses of what looks like cut work, reminiscent of Islamic carved screens.  There were lots more, too many to mention, but I shall be perusing the catalogue enviously over the next few days.

The exhibition closes on Saturday but if you're in that part of London (the Mall) between now and then, it's definitely worth popping in.

Leaf skeleton

More college project stuff - have lost count on the number of rethinks I've had, so this is yet another new direction.

I absolutely love this leaf skeleton.  It was on the pavement near home last November whilst out walking the dog in torrential rain.  I spotted it on the way out and left it on the corner of someone's drive, not imagining that it would survive the rain, nor that I'd remember that I'd left it, but both miraculously happened and, even more surprisingly, it's still intact six months later.