Horizons - done and dusted

Spent 3 exhausting but satsifying days at the annual Embroiderers' Guild NSW members exhibition at Crows Nest. Still can't belive my eyes - it was a wonderful show - well done all.

three-dimensional embroidery

Borrowed this book by Jane Edmonds from the Guild library and am keen to try a a couple of techniques she talks about - a great book that is not full of projects but rather talks about design, method and finishing techniques. It fits with my current working themes of maps and patterns from the sea and shore and I am looking forward to exploring the themes and the book in tandem.

another month has flown by

Its getting scary how fast time goes ... at least time stops flying by when I stop and stitch - to me its like tuning yourself inward and zooming in on the fabric , thread and needle going in and out ... another form of meditation.

I had two glorious days meeting with like minds this week end: Sticthers Plus on Saturday and MAPS on Sunday. You can have a peek here to see what was happening in show and tell at Stitchers Plus. MAPS was a bit of talk fest and planning day for a coming exhibition in 2012.

In the interim it is count down for the Embroiderers' Guild members' exhibition which takes place at the end of the month. And then Stitchers Plus is having a retrospective exhibition at the Embroiderers' Guild HQ in Concord West in August. I am working on completing some of those nearly done pieces that have been languishing in the work box.

In the meantime I have been plugging away at a small canvas design using a motif from a tiled veranda floor at Yarralla House in Concord.

But when I look at the photo I realise that I have mixed up the two flowers motifs - I have an eight petalled flower with rounded edges I guess I had the rose garden in mind too - I have run with yellow and pink flowers - the tiles started the thought and the thought morphed.

where does the time go?

Time has flown since I last added anything to the blog. My new job and the Sydney humidity has sapped my energy somewhat. No much sewing has been done.

Still, I have been thinking and playing with ideas for a new long term embroidery project which involves maps and a spin off of the concept of maps. Been looking at birds eye maps of the past and how to do an embroidered map of an area I enjoy walking in and spin off ideas t6hat have come from it. It is all in the mind as the saying goes and won't commit in blog world about what I plan to do - but here are a couple of photos which may yet be used as an inspiration for some wall quilts.

In the interim I have been going to life drawing classes again and caught up with sketch club a few times ... and broken a toe so getting about is a tad difficult.

muse

Started a new job in mid jan and it has been full on. Between that and the hot weather i have had little energy and works have been progressing slowly. I started a life drawing class on Monday night and sketch club started again on Tuesday. Sadly didn't get to the latter as a committee meeting ran later than I hoped.

I finished a little play embroidery - canvas work - which arose as i saw a pattern which I thought would do well as water. it came up a treat. I will put photo up once I have found a matt board to suit it.

I have been continuing to play with faces - the photo with this post is one which I have incorporated into a frame using the limited photo program I have. It was fun to play with the program - change the colours of the frame (and the frame) - gave me too many ideas for embroidery. I have a couple of small faces which I have drawn which please me. Might even and try and do an icon like frame with gold work...

Really must stop side tracking myself when I have so little time. Still looking at maps and jumping from one stream of thought to another about what I might do to for an exhibtion late next year. Stitches Plus is exhibiting at the Embroiderers' Guild in August so need to consolidate (and finish) a few pieces. The Guild is holding an exhibition 29 April to 2 May and I am helping with that. I really need to stay a little focused on what I do and not keep extending myself ... but is is all so interesting.

Cheers

When music sounds, all that I was I am

Still playing with pencils and paint - I love the immediacy of it. I haven't forsaken stitching but it is a m ore time consuming process. The small cross stitch I started as a Christmas project is nearly done - provided I stick to the kit instructions but I know I want to add a quite a bit of surface embroidery so it will be another couple of weeks before it is done.

I have posted a pic in the side bar of a drawing/painting in progress. It was always going to be a girl singing (the original drawing is posted below) - in googling poetry I came across a poem - Music by Walter de la Mare - which has sort of influenced where it is going:

When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.

When music sounds, out of the water rise
Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,
Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face,
With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place.

When music sounds, all that I was I am
Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;
And from Time's wood's break into distant song
The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.

I guess you can tell I was particularly struck by the line When music sounds, all that I was I am . I could elaborate at this point ... but I won't - it will mean something to you or not.

Cheers

welcomed on the new year drawing "girlie" faces

First I practised drawing features:

Then I had a go putting it all together and ended up with this little goth girl . I thought I might make a collage with frog prince

When I put pain on she turned into something different - I might still add the frog

Another face is about to break out in song. I have torn her out of the book and pasted her to a canvas board. She will have to wait for a while before I add paint etc. Will look though my neglected sheet music and add some:

I also have spent time looking at maps and thinking where I can take them with canvas embroidery. This is my favourite map from 1581:

Cheers all