Behind the scenes ...developing ideas, sketches, mood boards and stitching

I thought I'd share a little 'behind the scenes' of how I work...

I spent the summer just past sketching lots of flowers and plants that I happened upon. Some wild, some in pots and some growing in my dad's garden (we have a little courtyard). I went out with some paper off cuts and a pen, which was great as I was forced to be bold and imperfect. My plan being to incorporate these sketches somehow into embroidery, be it my own personal project or future kits and patterns....

Next stop is to make a mood board and get a feel for what I want to create.

Like the rest of the world, I use pinterest as a source of inspiration and a place to gather images. I have a few secret 'moodboards' where I pin things that capture what I want my designs to be infused with, be it colour, feel or subject matter. 

(I remember being first introduced to the 'moodbard' when Laurence Llwellen-Bowen flounced about with his frilly shirt in the DIY do-over program Changing Rooms ...do you remember??!! Safe to say my impression of the moodboard was as lame as Laurence's shirt!)

However now I must admit to finding a mood board really helpful as it always gives me a point of reference to go back to....I am prone to going off on tangents and losing track...

So this time I wanted to create a mood board from things that surround me, little bits and bobs which I never really notice from day to day but which I have chosen to live with and therefore which reflect me fully.

Items in clockwise direction: 1) pompoms 2) fake peony 3) postcard of vintage needepoint by All the luck in the world 4) handmade flower brooch by me 5) hand embroidered and appliqued bag from travels in Thailand 6) hand embroidery by me

Items in row from  left to right , top to bottom: 1) Accessorise  pouch/purse 2) Aloe vera 

3) needlepoint from charity shop 4) Rose quartz 5) amethyst 6) vintage plate with design added using ceramic pen 7) mixed media with embroidered words by me

Can you see a theme? Maybe you have to live inside my head to see it.... :)

Now I'm at the playing stage, stitching and trying out things......

I'll share more with you as I go along. Sometimes it leads to somewhere else completely unexpected, which is the part I love most about creating!

I've been trying to post a photo-a-day over on Instagram, and share more regularly what I'm up to...come join me if you are an IG frequenter too :)x