Tuesday 20 September 2011

Stiching and sketching

I went to a fabulous talk and workshop with Linda Miller - textile artist from Winchester (UK) who creates quirky, naive little pieces of machine embroidery. Many of them are humorous and are often small animals (she is a master of little pets with characterful faces).
Her workshop was in the art of machine embroidery, which I love. We all invented our motif and set to work in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Linda's sense of humour was the perfect antidote to some of the trials and tribulations caused by recalcitrant sewing machines and tangling threads and we all produced a little piece by the end of the day and gained a lot of inspiration to continue.

OTHERWISE I manage with just the opportunity to grab a few stitches in between family, cooking, shopping, work and household and garden, but it's amazing how much you can fit in in those tiny chinks of time and  how much can get completed. Sometimes I only mange five stitches at  time!

The garden is preparing to be reborn next year and there are some wonderful seedheads. What potential! Some of them look positively prehistoric.
The leaves are becoming exquisitely mottled and are beginning to fall to provide a winter bed for the seeds to nestle until Spring.










 The colours inspire.









The sketchbook continues and is laying a bed for next years seeds of ideas for creativity.



9 comments:

  1. Your sketchbook pages are stunning Clare. I'm falling behind with mine!

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  2. What a lovely piece you produced. The sketchbook pages are looking good. I love nigella seedheads, the colours in them are so diverse.

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  3. Sometimes I only manage a few stitches before something else happens, but after all, that's a few stitches that I won't have to do when next I sit down...!

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  4. You are right, it is so important just to keep going, even a minute a day adds up. You are so full of ideas and projects, it is easy to feel overwhelmed but you have to keep going. Slow and steady.

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  5. I admire all of your work and also your energy, dear Clare - and I trust your few moments of time will still end up in some amazing projects!

    I've just got myself a new sewing machine and have started playing with the free-motion embroidery option there - ah, I would have loved to go to that workshop with you!

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  6. Oh so many fun things! I need to get more nigella for next year. It's not spreading in my garden as well as it used to...

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  7. I thought these were photos!!! great!!!! and I love all your work too!

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  8. what an amazing pencil sketch of the cutlery! I love it.

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  9. I agree with Gina, your sketchbook spoons are stunning. I've had a peek at Module 2 - lots of exciting things happening there.

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