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

Hello 2016 ...and a handmade book!

Happy New Year to you all!
Wow! 2015 you have been quite a year. 
Stretching. Challenging. Amazing. Joyful. Liberating. Frustrating. Sad. Expanding. Exciting.... A Blessing.
Life is one incredible roller coaster, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I open my arms and welcome whatever 2016  may bring.

I hope 2016 treats you well too!

* Business *

*Family*

I suddenly got the urge to make a book on Hogmanay, so that I could it fill with the doodles and ideas that emerge in 2016. I'm out of sketchbooks, and sometimes find them an actual deterrant to being creative (ie can feel too formal and pristine, too big to stick in a pocket or bag ,can't be disguised when out and about !)
So I set to it, to make one before the bells brought in a new year.
The great thing being that when you hand-make a book you get to choose what paper to use for the pages.
I'd saved some wrapping paper that I loved which wrapped a present from my niece.... so that was definitely going in creases, tears and all..along with some graph paper and plenty of blank white cartridge paper as I do want to be able to draw!

I have to apologise for the photos...they are a bit like what my make up has been like for the last 2 weeks (because of the non stop rain), done in the dark and somewhat dodgy!

I had thought about taking apart one of the previous books I'd made and binding some new pages into the fabric cover...however brain wave struck and after rummaging through some drawers I found the sweet sample I'd made last year for the pdf pattern ; Mathilde and Celeste . Matches the wrapping paper perfectly too!

I had to extend the stitched piece by adding on some more linen plus a little bit of foxy fabric too, however the cover was quick to whip up...and once I was binding the pages it felt somewhat nostalgic and good to be returning to bookmaking again.

I'm raring to go and get these pages filled...I'll share some with you soooon! 
Ps. My niece did my nails too! :) xx

From two tender hearts grew my Home

This weekend I spent hand embroidering to create a prototype for an upcoming workshop where we play with image transfers and embroidery. 

It felt like a welcome breath of fresh air ........ and got me feeling emotional!

'From two tender hearts grew my Home'.........my gorgeous Mum and Dad on their wedding day some 45 years ago :D

It fills me with so much emotion; gratitude and love, to see these 2 youngsters and their tender hearts...without much of a clue about anything else.... who together managed to fumble along and create this deep, strong and love filled home so I was always able to know who I was and where I was from.

x 

So blessed :)

Bumble bee and moth embroidered wall art

 I have just added these 2 little textile 'beastie beauties' to my etsy shop.

It was really lovely to brush the cobwebs off my machine (wee jeanie), and get her involved in the creating. 

Just a quick share today..my girls have returned to school after the October break and I have a LOT of things to catch up on. Next time I will return with some fascinating bee facts to tantalise you with along with the textiles! :)

The Great Tapestry of Scotland

I had a really special trip out last week to see The Great Tapestry of Scotland. It has been touring around various venues in Scotland for the last couple of years and was being exhibited in a venue close by(ish!).

If you have never heard of the Great Tapestry of Scotland, it is the huge project which was cooked up in 2010 by the well known author Alexander McCall Smith. The story goes that he visited the Prestonpans Tapestry in Edinburgh and on the same day after a discussion with the artist behind the Prestonpans design, and a renowned Scottish writer & historian, the idea of the tapestry was born.

Alexander describes the Tapestry as "a record  of our history designed by an artist who's eye has caught the essence of Scotland, and stitched with love by hundreds of people throughout the land".

The tapestry tells the history of Scotland from the beginning of time through to the current day, using 160 panels (most of which measure 1 metre x 1 metre in size), making it the longest tapestry in the world! (143 metres long)

Over 1000 stitchers from various groups around Scotland were involved in it's creation....and the end result is simply BREATHTAKING!

In fact, if I'm honest I felt very moved by the whole experience.....the stunning and sublime stitching, the care and dedication gone into each centimeter of fabric, the story it told, the feeling that the tapestry itself is part of history, the use of an ancient skill to tell the story...I could go on!

It is hard to share the bits I loved most, as there really was so much to take in on every level...a history AND embroidery lesson all in one. 

I had to get back in time for the school pick up, so travel time meant I really only had an hour and a half to take it all in. No way near enough time! Needless to say I'll be going back for take 2 (and 3 and 4!).

These photos give a wee taster of what I would recommend anyone to go and see, be you interested in textiles, history, embroidery or art. A truly amazing and emotional experience.

The tapestry took 50,000 sewing hours to complete, using over 300 miles of yarn, which ends the tapestry story perfectly..... enough wool to lay down the entire length of Scotland, from the Northern Isles to the Borders. :)x

 You can find out more about The Great Tapestry of Scotland here and get details on where it will be travelling to next: facebook & website

Swooning over : Liz Payne

I was asked at a recent talk where I got my inspiration from....and being unprepared for such a question (I mean where to start!?) I gave a a pretty lame reply.
Having had a little more time to think about it, I realise I don't often share what makes me want to create, where I go to if I need some ideas and inspiration and what makes me want to experiment and play. 
I also realise that most of what does inspire, make me smile and want to grab a needle/ brush/ pencil, has been introduced through someone else sharing.... whether its through a book,magazine,social media, bricks and mortar shop or gallery.

So I've decided to make more of an effort to share the things that inspire here on my blog, and I hope that it may invoke a little tickle of creative -juice- flow in you too!

..........................................................................................................

I have only very recently had the pleasure of discovering the stitchery work of Liz Payne (a graphic designer and artist based in Australia)...but lets just say it was love at first sight...I mean, those colours and textures....swoonaroo!
Unsurprisingly Liz's work is starting to attract a lot of attention.
Hope you enjoy!

"Not afraid" by Liz Payne

Friday by Liz Payne

Liz paints simple shapes onto the fabric, then spends many hours adding  beads, sequins, stitches and french knots galore.

Burger with gold fillings by Liz Payne

Work in progress by Liz Payne

Front ...Liz Payne

Liz celebrates the back of her pieces as much as the front, and has framed pieces with glass on both sides.... hooray to that I say :)

Back ...Liz Payne

There are so many more sumptuously stitched, colour and texture packed beauties to be seen if you head to Liz's facebook page,  instagram or etsy shop.

Stitched items new and old!

It was my youngest daughter's birthday last week...and much like the Queen it lasted for several days..and so my late blog post!
I've been busy working on lots of different projects which some of you may have seen snippets over on facebook and instagram.
The latest has been my purse prototypes which I plan to offer as an embroidery and sewing kit.....I've just to create the instructions and packaging. The process always seems to take for ever.... the downfall of being impatient!



Impatience asides, I am really happy with how they have turned out...... I'm especially loving the stripy one!

Since I finished my stitchbook, I've started to work on some little original textile pieces. I promised myself  I'd make time to create more original pieces this year, so I've been playing with the techniques I used for the stitched pieces I created a while back....only subtracting the paint and freehand machine sewing and just keeping to hand embroidery instead. (You can see a gallery of my previous stitched pieces here)

I've been really enjoying sewing these little pieces....and taking paint out of the equation makes hand sewing soooooo much gentler and easier on the fingers!

I look forward to sharing some more new little pieces soon.

I have also rekindled my love for handmade books. I made a couple as samples for upcoming workshops....

I also did a recent talk with Perth Embroiderer's Guild where I shared how I have used books as a blank canvas for a variety of mediums. I took along a handful of books I had made (some in need of serious dusting), where they revelled in the appreciation received. It was lovely being able to see my creations through the eyes of others and I felt a bit bad over the books neglect over the past wee while...so I'm making up for it by re-showing them here on my blog! (apologies if you saw these books first time round!)

A spring inspired wedding album...

Some stitched winged girlies....

Appliqued transfers of mixed media paintings.....

You can see some more of the handmade books I have made here, where some of the books featuring pencil sketches too.

And there you have it...a medley of stitched items new and old :)x

A finished project - my stitch book

Hello lovely peeps! 
Ok so let's see if this will work.....I've created a little GIF (oooh get me!) of the "stitch book" I created. I've made it quite slow so you can see the pages clearly.

It was my winter evening project which I spoke about here, and shared an update here........ my stitch version of a sketchbook. In other words slightly messy, without too much care being taken. The aim being spontaneity rather than perfection.....which you will notice by the slightly wonky pages!

I am still not 100% finished with the book...there are empty spaces asking for a little more time and attention. However I anticipate that like most of my sketchbooks, the empty bits will remain that way. Which I guess captures sketchbooks perfectly...the unfinished imperfect parts leaving room for ideas to grow and flourish, and inspiration to be sparked.
I'm happy anyhoos. It was a great winter project to have ....now onto Spring :)

How to Print an image onto Fabric using your home printer

This tutorial has been re-located to my website. You can find it here.