Creating a Book

All fired up with a commission to make a fabric and paper book. Taking inspiration from the garden, which has been a sheer joy this year due to mild and sunny weather and intercurrent rain (but not too much!!).

Pages will have pockets and envelopes for storing memorabilia

Nigella seed heads are inspirational:

This tiny caterpillar bridging a gap:

Autumn colours and decay:

Seed preparation:

Teeny weeny insects at work:

Autumn blooms:

A cat's soft paw helps with lavender collection:

GO CREATE!!

Print and collage day

Inspired by limoncello, a wonderful and pungent Italian liqueur, much enjoyed this holiday. 

Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the day collaging with Laura Kemshall at Trysull village hall. These design are then going to be digitally printed ready for stitch. The above design will be for some drinks mats and the one below for some placemats. I look forward to quilting them.

This last design may become a cushion cover?

Thanks to Linda, Laura and all their family for a wonderful day and the most glorious food xx

Peace

Thinking about Peace.
Thinking of Christmas.
Thinking of the needless, unnecessary wars of our time...

Some free form piecing, collage, embroidery.

Allowing the cloth to grow.

Soothing, slowly, in peace.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.

We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift."
Albert Einstein

I want to explore this style a lot further - it gives me time to think, to intuit and to gather strength. This strength is needed to guard against marauding forces...

Stitching and Sketching on Paper

What a busy summer and so little time to blog. The children and I have been to the One World Festival camp for a week where we have been very New Age and free. The kids loved doing Circus Skills and Tom even did a fire show juggling with lit pois at the end of the week. Needless to say my heart was in my mouth but his sense of achievement afterwards was huge!

I have kept an art journal of the week and before I came to Cornwall this week I stitched this cover after collaging, printing and putting acrylic wax on to brown parcel paper. It makes a lovely leathery surface to machine stitch on and I can add more details as I feel like it.

My journal has all sorts of painted backgrounds, text to remember the workshops by and images as well as stitch. I made little keepsake pockets for little souvenirs and business cards to stick inside. I shall definitely carry on journalling as I'm sure I will gather textile ideas this way.

Cornwall as alluring to me as ever, even though the weather has been somewhat drab.

I have carried on sketching and painting and my daughter is picking up on the idea too. I have even brought a little needle felting with me!

Yesterday we had a campfire n a deserted beach and toasted bananas and marshmallows. The children gathered the largest mussels ever from the unusually low tide and had them for tea. Tom went kayaking and squelching around in the mud - his idea of heaven!

We were all muddy and tired afterwards but came home to a warm house and baths all round! We are staying at Pollaughan Farm on the Roseland Penninsular and it is WONDERFUL.

There is a peaceful wildlife lake at the farm and I enjoyed sketching the bullrushes there amongst the sounds of the gently plopping fish and unaware birdlife.