Little pieces

I'm slow stitching my way through these January days making these little bird pieces, When completed, they will be made into 'bird bunting', a sample to take along to my workshop at Hope and Elvis.
Just to let you know I will also be a guest tutor at Sew Not Strawberry Jam in Kent in July, you can visit the website for details.

Stitching stories

If you'd like to see where I do my stitching and read a little bit about me, I am one of the featured artists on Ruth Ribeaucourt's beautiful blog, Rubanesque. You can read it here.

Hope and Elvis

Just thought I would let you know that I will be teaching a workshop at the wonderful Hope and Elvis, in March next year.  I think there are still a couple of places left, hope to see you there!

words of wisdom

I was inspired to stitch this as I wanted to elaborate on my idea of little reminders and make something more detailed, a tactile textile book of sorts. A hand stitched, handbook, a manual for life, something to treasure and keep and be sought out when needed.  It's hard to capture all the details and quotes I've included, hence so many photographs, but I hope I've given you a sense of it .... I'm already gathering ideas for a companion piece called  'words of comfort......

Trevethoe House

I spent a lovely evening on Tuesday with the ladies of  Shrewsbury Embroiderer's Guild, talking about my work and chatting to them. I took along some work to show them and this was one of the pieces I took.

I don't have a formal education in textiles, I've learned along the way over the years, and I can't remember a time when I wasn't making things. I used to regret not having studied art or textiles, feeling that it put me at a disadvantage, but I don't anymore. A lot of my work is very personal and draws on my experience of life and I don't think I'd be making the work I do now without having been on a personal and creative journey.

This piece is about a year of my life, in 2005 (although I didn't stitch this piece until later, in 2012). During this year, myself and my husband took a 'year out' from full time work to concentrate on our creative selves, after the sale of a home and a business and a long period of stress. It was during this year, and having this time to devote to my art that marked a turning point in the work I was making, when lots of different elements came together. We rented a house in a rural location, the first time I'd experienced living in the countryside, something which was to have a profound effect on my work and my creative process. The house was called Trevethoe House.

have hope....

Hope is like a light flickering within you - though at times it shines more brightly. I thought it was apt to surround the words in this tiny box with the tiniest sequins and beads to shine and catch the light.
I like the way the little boxes look together. A collection of tiny tokens, to be called upon in times of need, slipped into a pocket, closing fingers around them, a comfort.

tiny token

This tiny and perfect little box was given to me by a friend. You can see how small it is next to the cotton reel. Once the home of a treasured ring, now it's a tiny stitched reminder to be mindful, if only for a moment, something I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time.